Title: HELIUM: ROLE AND RESOURCES

Helium is about much more than balloons and squeaky voices. Its uses in medicine and military applications are vital but Europe risks finding itself between a rock and a hard place in securing a regular supply, writes Lukas Trakimavičius.

Lukas Trakimavičius is an intern in the Energy Security Section of NATO’s Emerging Security Challenges Division. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and are contributed in a purely personal capacity.

Last June, the diplomatic spat between Qatar and the rest of the Gulf countries sparked fears across the globe that it could affect Doha’s capacity to satisfy the world’s natural gas demand.

But angst over natural gas supplies overshadowed the fact that almost overnight nearly 32% of the world’s helium supplies went offline. Although helium exports were resumed one month later and any significant damage to the consumers was averted, it highlighted the precariousness of the global helium market.

This is of great concern because the shifting supply and demand dynamics of the global helium market can in the near future undermine the resource security of Europe.

Big, brightly coloured balloons and squeaky voices at birthday parties is probably what most people associate helium with. But there is much more than that to this noble gas.

Due to its unique chemical properties, helium is widely used in medicine, welding, cryogenics, high-tech manufacturing and laboratory experiments.

More importantly, the element is very important for the military industry because it is essential for rocketry and the production of advanced military equipment. Unsurprisingly, the United States military accounts for around one fifth of the country’s entire helium demand.

Although at current consumption rates there are enough helium supplies in the world to last for over a hundred years, its production is concentrated only in a handful of countries.

The US is by far the largest producer of helium as it accounts for 55% of the world’s supply, Qatar and Algeria for 32 and 6%, respectively, and the rest of the world accounts for around 7%.

At the same time, the US is also the world’s largest consumer of helium, constituting around 42% of the world’s demand, followed by the Europe with around 20%.

However, unlike the US, Europe is almost entirely reliant on imports from abroad. For instance, in 2016, the European Union imported 32% of its helium from the US and Qatar, 21% from Algeria and the remaining 15% from other countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

While superficially these statistics do not raise any immediate red flags, a more in-depth look suggests that if there won’t be any major changes to the current supply and demand dynamics, in the near future, Europe might end up between a rock and a hard place.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/opinion/how-helium-shortages-might-burst-europes-security/  23/08/2017

Which could be the meaning of “Europe might end up between a rock and a hard place”?

Which is the unique property of helium making it widely used in medicine, welding, cryogenics, high-tech manufacturing and laboratory experiments?

From all the uses of Helium, which is for you the most important to preserve? (Personal answer)

THE HELIUM BOOM IS ABOUT TO TAKE OFF IN 2021

As the second most abundant element in the Universe behind only hydrogen, it’s ironic–and somewhat maddening–that helium is also one of the rarest elements on earth. In our atmosphere, helium occupies just 5.2 parts per million (ppm), earning the designation of a ‘rare’ gas thanks to one of its most treasured qualities–being much lighter than air.

Helium is an inert gas that’s so rare on our planet, partly due to the fact that it’s 7x lighter than air and can, therefore, readily leak into space and eventually get torn away by solar winds but also because not much is generated by earth’s natural processes.

Unfortunately, the vast majority leaks off into space, and whatever little that is trapped comes nowhere close to meeting our global demand of 32,000 tons of helium per year (about 6.2 billion cubic feet measured at 70°F and under earth’s normal atmosphere). The vast majority of our helium reserves come from millions of years of gradual accumulation especially in shale formations.

Helium is, therefore, regarded as a finite, non-renewable resource.

This presents a big conundrum as we try to feed our growing helium habit.

Helium’s unique properties make it an essential component in cryogenic shielding, leak detection, heat transfer, and analytical and lifting applications. At a melting point of -261.1°C (-429°F), helium has the lowest melting point of any element, meaning there’s no substitute for the gas where ultra-low temperatures are required. This makes helium indispensable in the field of superconductors. Helium is also a critical component in the manufacturing process, such as MRIs and semiconductor chip manufacturing.

Explosive growth in the semiconductor and healthcare industries as well as space and quantum computing has been driving global demand in helium.

https://globalinvestmentdaily.com/the-helium-boom-is-about-to-take-off-in-2021/

Why does the second article say “Helium is, therefore, regarded as a finite, non-renewable resource”?

Which property makes Helium an essential component?

In which fields is need Helium nowadays?

Metz-based 45-8 ENERGY lands €1.3 million to bring helium production to Europe.

Founded in Metz in 2017, 45-8 ENERGY is all about a strategic resource: helium. Helium is a rare and highly sought after resource, due to its physico-chemical properties (lightweight, non-flammable, non-toxic, volatile, poorly soluble, etc.), being environmentally friendly, and non-replicable. “It is respectful of the environment because it does not participate in the greenhouse effect”, adds Camille Sigu, manager at 45-8 Energy .

So far helium is not produced equally across the world, meaning that often it has to be imported at high energy costs. Helium is currently essential for many industries (medical, electronic, aeronautical and space), making its local production crucial. Helium is one of the first ‘helium exploration’ companies in Europe, and is bringing this resource a lot closer to home.

By  Charlotte Tucker - June 18, 2020

https://www.eu-startups.com/2020/06/metz-based-45-8-energy-lands-e1-3-million-to-bring-high-demand-helium-production-to-europe/

Do you think Europe is already prepared to produce our own helium needs?

At the Fourth list of CRMs (Critical Raw Materials)

- At the Fourth list of CRMs (Critical Raw Materials) - in 2020, the European Commission has published in its communication on critical raw materials

The 2020 EU list contains 30 materials as compared to 14 materials in 2011, 20 materials in 2014 and 27 materials in 2017. 26 materials stay on the list. Bauxite, lithium, titanium and strontium are added to the list for the first time. Helium remains a concern as far as supply concentration is concerned, but is removed from the 2020 critical list due to a decline in its economic importance. The Commission will continue to monitor helium closely, in view of its relevance for a range of emerging digital applications. It will also monitor nickel closely, in view of developments relating to growth in demand for battery raw materials.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0474

Do you think Europe is concerned with scarcity materials? Why?

From the last list of CRMs of European Commission, can we conclude that there are not more problems on helium supply?

Global helium production by country 2020

The United States and Qatar are the largest helium producers worldwide. In 2020, the production of helium in the U.S. stood at approximately 74 million cubic meters, whereas Qatar followed with 45 million cubic meters. Helium is one of the six naturally occurring noble gases. It is an odorless, colorless, tasteless monoatomic gas that presents a very low chemical reactivity. Helium in the U.S. In 2020, global sales of helium produced in the United States amounted to 75 million cubic meters, whereas domestic helium consumption reached 40 million cubic meters. Apart from being the world’s main producer and one of the largest helium consumers, the U.S holds the most extensive helium reserves worldwide. As of 2020, the country's helium reserves stood at 3.9 billion cubic meters, surpassing the reserves of runners-up Algeria and Russia combined. Uses of helium Helium's major application is in the healthcare sector, mostly as a cooling gas in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers. It is also widely used in semiconductor and fiber optic cable manufacturing, an application that has seen a steep growth in recent years. As of 2021, a 32-percent share of the global helium consumption was attributable to its use in MRI scanners, while the semiconductor and fiber market was responsible for 18 percent.

Published by Lucía Fernández , Nov 22, 2021

https://www.statista.com/statistics/925214/helium-production-worldwide-by-country/

Why is helium used as a cooling gas?