Helium

A colorless, odorless, tasteless, inert gas, Helium (He) is usually known as a light gas with heavy uses.

Because of its very low density and its inertness, helium finds a number of uses in everything from lighter-than-aircraft to building the controlled environment you need for manufacturing semiconducting devices and fiber optic cable.

In its liquid state, helium finds utility in cooling metals almost to absolute zero (-460 degrees Fahrenheit), the dramatically cold temperature required to cool MRI magnets and giving other metals superconducting properties.

We more often see helium in our daily lives lifting balloons.

In higher purities, where the total assay of contaminants reaches as low as 100 parts per billion (ppb), helium is the analytical choice as a carrier gas for chromatography.

Thanks to its small atomic size, helium is a favored leak detection gas, as it easily diffuses through the tiniest opening. Helium, in specialty mixtures with oxygen, has facilitated deep-sea research diving avoiding risk of “the bends” by negating the requirement of nitrogen for human respiration.

We have helium in purities from standard commercial grades, ultra-high and ultra-carrier and research grades, in gas form from 3 to 300 cubic feet and liquid from 30 to 500-liters.

To learn more about helium options call PurityPlus^® Specialty Gases by Weldstar at 708-627-1007 or reach out to us through our online form.