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WahooSS238 t1_iso6916 wrote

Reply to comment by CascadingMonkeys in TIL Liquid Helium is the perfect element to keep the superconductive magnets in MRI machines cold by Alternative-Leg1095

The US strategic helium reserve will last for about a century at the current consumption rate. After that, helium will have to be pulled from the atmosphere. It’s more expensive than mining it, but we already use the same process for gases with a lower concentration. We’re not running out of helium.

That said, fuck balloons.

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nzhockeyfan t1_isofukf wrote

Think you're getting some terms mixed up. The "national Helium Reserve" is a storage facility that is being drawn down because the us government doesn't think it's necessary anymore. When talking about a resource, helium reserves are how much there is available that can be produced at current prices. A resource is the total amount known about, even if it is too expensive to produce now. I didn't see your 100 year figure, but if it is the reserve, then when the price goes up, more will be added to the reserve.

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PuffyPanda200 t1_ispb3un wrote

There are reserves in Africa

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Jaggedmallard26 t1_isphhw7 wrote

There are reserves everywhere, helium is an incredibly common fission product and thanks to the Earths core being a giant radioactive sphere more is constantly being pumped into the Earth. Then because helium is so small it easy travels through permeable rocks and builds up. The amount of helium vented every day during natural gas extraction is mind boggling.

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