how Is Helium Produced? :: essays research papers

"How Is helium Produced?" toil Although helium is one of the most common elements in the universeit is a rare burn out on earth. It exists in the atmosphere in such(prenominal) small quantities(less than five parts per million) that rec everywhereing it from the air isuneconomical. Helium is produced as a by-product of the refining of indwelling gas,which is carried out on a commercial scale in the USA and Poland. In these areasnatural gas contains a relatively high concentration of Helium which hasaccumulated as a result of radioactive decay of heavy elements within theearths crust. Helium is supplied to distribution centres throughout the worldin liquid form in large cryogenic containers. The Helium is filled into liquidcontainers, gas piston chambers and cylinder packs as necessary.History of Helium Production Government involvement in helium conservationdates to the Helium Act of 1925 which authorized the Bureau of Mines to strainand operate a large-scale helium extra ction and purification plant. From 1929until 1960 the federal official organisation was the only domestic helium producer. In 1960,Congress amend the Helium Act to provide incentives to natural gas producersfor stripping natural gas of its helium, for purchase of the separated helium bythe government, and for its long-term storage. With over 960 million cubicmeters (34.6 billion cubic feet) of helium in government storage and a largeprivate helium recovery industry, questions organize as to the need for either thefederal helium extraction course or the federally maintained helium stockpile.In a function which would take the federal government out of the helium business,Congress passed the Helium Privatization Act (H.R. 873) as part of the Seven-Year Balanced Budget rapprochement Act of 1995 (H.R. 2491). Although themeasure died when the President vetoed the Budget Act on declination 6, 1995, theAdministration has made a goal the privatization of the federal helium program.On Ap ril 30, 1996, the sign of the zodiac suspended the rules and passed H.R. 3008, theHelium Privatization Act as agreed to in the House-Senate conference on theBudget Act. Subsequently, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committeeamend the bill to provide for the National Academy of Sciences to study howbest to characterise of the helium reserve. On September 26, 1996, with limited timeremaining for the 104th Congress, the House again suspended the rules and passedH.R. 4168, a new bill containing the Senate Committee language. This would annulthe need for a conference if the Senate would also pass the same bill. TheSenate did so on September 28, 1996. This report reviews the origin and