Can you make helium

By , the demand had leveled off and the helium storage program was canceled. A few years later, the government started storing helium again. As of , there were about 35 billion cubic feet 1.

Today, the majority of the helium-bearing natural gas sources are within the United States. Canada, Poland, and a few other countries also have significant sources. Helium is generated underground by the radioactive decay of heavy elements such as uranium and thorium. Part of the radiation from these elements consists of alpha particles, which form the nuclei of helium atoms. Some of this helium finds its way to the surface and enters the atmosphere, where it quickly rises and escapes into space.

The rest becomes trapped under impermeable layers of rock and mixes with the natural gases that form there. Only about one-tenth of the working natural gas fields have economically viable concentrations of helium greater than 0.

Helium can also be produced by liquefying air and separating the component gases. The production costs for this method are high, and the amount of helium contained in air is very low. Although this method is often used to produce other gases, like nitrogen and oxygen, it is rarely used to produce helium.

Helium is usually produced as a byproduct of natural gas processing. Natural gas contains methane and other hydrocarbons, which are the principal sources of heat energy when natural gas is burned. Most natural gas deposits also contain smaller quantities of nitrogen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, helium, and other non-combustible materials, which lower the potential heat energy of the gas.

In order to produce natural gas with an acceptable level of heat energy, these impurities must be removed. This process is called upgrading. There are several methods used to upgrade natural gas. When the gas contains more than about 0. Once the helium has been separated from the natural gas, it undergoes further refining to bring it to Because this method utilizes an extremely cold cryogenic section as part of the process, all impurities that might solidify—such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and certain heavy hydrocarbons—must first be removed from the natural gas in a pretreatment process to prevent them from plugging the cryogenic piping.

Natural gas is separated into its major components through a distillation process known as fractional distillation. This question originally appeared on Quora. This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here. More From Forbes. May 6, , am EDT. Feb 9, , am EST. Feb 4, , am EST. Jan 26, , am EST. Nov 09, Is the molecular formula for sugar correct? Nov 03, Is someone out here able to help me name these compounds? Oct 31, Radioluminescence and differing zinc sulfide preparations?

Oct 26, What exactly is negative adsorption? Related Stories. Dwindling helium supply prompting concerns Dec 31, Jan 02, Sep 03, A crack in the case for supersolids Jun 21, May 17, Apr 21, Recommended for you. Chemists discover new way to harness energy from ammonia 4 hours ago. New type of photonic crystal structure found in longhorn beetle 11 hours ago. Load comments What if someone released a large amount of helium into a small space?

Would a balloon filled with vacuum instead of helium float? BBC Science Focus. May 10, The radioactive decay of thorium and uranium causes the formation of helium. They are extremely unstable and tend to decay. Where do we get helium gas from? Almost all helium is extracted from natural gas. This supply of helium comes from underground gas fields that are located in the U.

How do people collect helium? Helium is mined alongside natural gas. This is a long process where a drill is used to drill wells very deep into the crust of the Earth.

The drill rig has to penetrate the layer of the crust called Cap Rock in order to reach any natural gas reserves.