From the October 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


Joyner says that in recent years, the vast majority of federal crude helium has been sold to three companies that own refineries along the federal helium pipeline. By changing the method of selling, Congress has opened access to other purchasers, and is requiring those refineries along the pipeline to process that helium for those outside purchasers.

“Most of the volume purchased by non-refiners has not reached the market-place yet because it hasn’t gone through that tolling (or refining) process,” says Joyner. “It’s important that the Bureau of Land Management
tightens up that process and ensures that the tolling occurs.”
Aside from their involvement in the U.S. helium auctions, Joyner says Air Liquide recently built the world’s largest liquefier in Qatar, and utilizes a diverse chain of suppliers including sources in Algeria. “The BLM posted price for helium is becoming more volatile and less reflective of private transactions in the marketplace,” says Joyner. He anticipates a trend of moving away from the BLM index to avoid distorting true market value.

Dr. Boop, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, recalls a time when a helium shortage affected his practice directly. “It was an issue where our magnet broke down and needed helium,” says Boop. “It took a while for us to get some so it delayed our ability to bring our scanner back up to a usable state because of the shortage.”

Siemens and GE are two companies that have become mindful of ways they can reduce the amount of helium they lose at their factories. Richard Hausmann, president and CEO of MR global business at GE, describes a $17 million initiative to recapture the helium that is sometimes lost at the MR manufacturing site if a test quench is conducted, or a magnet cools down. That burn off can be thought of like steam from a tea kettle which, if collected, can be turned back into water. GE performs this reliquification process in their own factories.

Craig Marshall, the managing director of Siemens magnet technology, discussed the nature of superconductivity with HCBN. “At room temperature, most metals conduct electricity very well. As the temperature is reduced, electrical conductivity continues to increase and conversely electrical resistivity continues to decrease,” says Marshall. “There is a point for certain metals where the resistance suddenly becomes zero, these metals are known as superconductors.”

In its liquid state, helium is very cold, just four degrees Kelvin, at this temperature a magnet submerged in liquid helium will operate as a superconducting magnet. Marshall says once that magnet has been electrically energized it will operate in an electrical equivalent to perpetual motion.

October 2014 Magazine

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