Where did oranges first appear? There is evidence that in China the orange was known at least 4000 years ago! There are two types of orange fruit - sweet and sour. The sour orange was the first to be grown in Europe. He was known to the Moors, who captured

When was the key first made? The ancient Egyptians were the first to use something like a key to lock doors. They locked the doors with a wooden bolt inserted into the groove. A movable wooden pin, known as a tumbler, was attached to the top of the groove. When

Where was the first election held? The word "election" comes from the Latin language, where it also means "to make a choice." In the elections, people felt that they had the right to choose their leader. And so it has been for millennia. The ancient Jews and Greeks fought for it

Louis Pasteur: Enemy Revealed! Many of the diseases that today we call infectious were known to the ancient peoples. They attracted attention by the fact that they took on the character of mass diseases - epidemics, were distinguished by a severe course and death.

Where was gold first mined? Traces of the first workings of gold were found in Egypt. The Egyptians began mining gold over 5,000 years ago. We also have information that about 4500 years ago the Assyrians fought with their neighbors to get their hands on gold. The rulers of Greece and Rome also

It does not lend itself to the laws of classical mechanics. Scientists are trying to unravel the mystery of helium-4. It is a light, non-radioactive isotope of the element. It actually accounts for 99.9% of the helium on Earth.

So, if the 4th isotope is cooled to -271 degrees Celsius, you get a liquid. Only now its properties are not typical for a liquid. For example, superfluidity is observed.

If placed helium into a vessel and place it vertically, the liquid will violate the laws of gravity. After a few minutes, the contents of the container will flow out of it. It also follows from this that helium is an element curious, and curiosity must be satisfied. Let's start with the properties of matter.

helium properties

Not. This is not a particle of negation, but the designation of the 2nd element of the periodic system, that is, helium. Gas in its normal state, it thickens only at sub-zero temperatures. Moreover, this minus should be a couple of hundred degrees Celsius.

At the same time, in helium gas properties insolubility in water is entered. That is, if itself is not, then its molecules are in one phase, without passing into others. Meanwhile, it is the change of phases of a substance that determines the formation of a solution.

Helium is an inert gas. Its inertness is manifested not only in the absence of a "desire" to dissolve in water. The substance is in no hurry to enter into other reactions. Reason: - stable outer shell of the atom.

It has 2 electrons. It is difficult to break a strong pair, that is, to remove one of the particles from the shell of an atom. Therefore, helium was discovered not in the course of chemical experiments, but in the spectroscopic study of prominences.

It happened in the second half of the 19th century. Other inert gases, and there are 6 of them, were discovered even later. Around the same time, that is, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was possible to convert helium into liquid form.

Helium is monatomic gas without taste and smell. This is also an expression of the element's inertia. He contacts only three "colleagues" according to the periodic table, -, and. The reaction itself will not start.

You need ultraviolet light, or current discharges. On the other hand, in order for helium to "escape" from a test tube, or another volumetric body, efforts are not needed. The 2nd element has the smallest adsorption, that is, the ability to concentrate on a plane or in a volume.

store helium gas in cylinders. They must be absolutely sealed. Otherwise, adsorption will play a cruel joke on suppliers. The substance will seep through the smallest cracks. And if the cylinders are made of porous material, helium will go through it.

Helium gas density 7 times inferior to oxygen. The indicator of the latter is 1.3 kilograms per cubic meter. Helium has a density of only 0.2 kilos. Accordingly, the hero is easy. Molar mass of helium equals 4 grams per mole.

For comparison, the air as a whole has an indicator of 29 grams. It becomes clear why it is popular helium for balloons. The difference in the masses of the 2nd element and air is spent on lifting loads. Recall that a mole is equal to 22 liters. It turns out that 22 liters of helium are able to lift a 25-gram load. A cubic meter of gas will pull more than a kilogram.

Finally, we note that helium has excellent electrical conductivity. At least for gases. Among them, the 2nd is no longer in second, but in first place. But in terms of content on Earth, helium is not the leader. In the atmosphere of the planet of the hero of the article, millionths of a percent. So where does the gas come from? Fishing it out of the atmosphere is impractical.

Helium mining

Helium formula is a component not only of the atmosphere, but also of the natural. In different deposits, the content of the 2nd element also varies. In, for example, the deposits of the Far East and the east of Siberia are the richest in helium.

However, gas fields in these regions are poorly developed. The 0.2-0.8 percent content of helium is spurring their development. So far, it is mined in only one field in the country. It is located in Orenburg, recognized as poor in helium. However, 5,000,000 cubic meters of gas are produced per year.

The global production of helium per year is 175,000,000 cubic meters. At the same time, gas reserves are 41 billion cubic meters. Most of them are hidden in the bowels of Algeria, Qatar and the United States. also included in the list.

Helium is obtained from natural gas by low-temperature condensation. It turns out a concentrate of the 2nd element with its content of at least 80%. Another 20% are argon, neon, methane, and nitrogen. What gas is helium hinders? No. But, impurities interfere with people. Therefore, the concentrate is purified by turning 80% of the 2nd element into 100%.

The problem is that we also have 100% certainty that the planet will face a shortage of helium. By 2030, global gas consumption should reach 300,000,000 cubic meters.

Helium production in 10 years will not be able to cross the bar of 240,000,000 due to a shortage of raw materials. It is an irreplaceable resource. The second is released bit by bit during the decay of radioactive rocks.

The speed of natural production cannot keep up with the needs of the people. Therefore, experts predict a sharp jump in helium. So far, the low is being depreciated by the sale of the US reserve fund, which has become unprofitable for the country to maintain.

The national reserve was created at the beginning of the last century in order to fill military airships and commercial aircraft. The repository is located in Texas.

Helium application

You can find helium in rocket fuel tanks. There the 2nd is adjacent to liquid hydrogen. Only helium, at the same time, is able to remain gaseous, which means that it can create the necessary pressure in the engine tanks.

Filling balloons is another thing that comes in handy helium gas. Carbonic, for example, it will not work, because it is heavy. lighter than helium just one gas, it's hydrogen. Only here, it is explosive.

At the beginning of the last century, the Hindenburg airship was filled with hydrogen and saw how it ignited during the flight. It has since been made in favor of the inert, albeit slightly heavier, helium.

Helium is also popular as a cooling agent. The application is associated with the ability of the gas to generate ultra-low temperatures. Helium is purchased for hadron colliders and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers. The 2nd element is used in the same way in MRI machines. There, helium is pumped into superconductors.

Many have had an MRI. Close to the mass consumer and scanners at the checkout, reading bar codes. So, helium and neon are pumped into shop lasers. Separately, helium is placed in ion microscopes. They give a better picture than electronic ones, one might say, they also read data.

In air conditioning systems, the 2nd is needed to diagnose leaks. The super-permeability of the hero of the article comes in handy. If it finds where to leak, then other components may “leak”.

We are talking about car air conditioning systems. By the way, airbags are also filled with helium. It seeps into the saving containers faster than other gases.

helium price

For now, on helium gas price equals approximately 1,300 rubles per one and a half cubic meters. They hold 10 liters of the 2nd element. There are cylinders and 40 liters. That's almost 6 cubic meters of helium. The price tag for 40-liter packages is approximately 4,500.

By the way, for greater tightness, protective covers are put on gas cylinders. They also cost, usually, about 300 rubles for a 40-liter container and 150 rubles for 10-liter cylinders.

We all know helium - a very light gas, thanks to which balloons and airships rise into the air. Helium has the very important safety advantage of not burning or exploding like hydrogen. This gas is also an integral part of air mixtures for use in breathing by deep sea divers - unlike nitrogen, it is almost insoluble in blood or lipids (fat components) even under very high pressure conditions.

Helium helps to do without nitrogen anesthesia, in which the nervous system (60% lipids) is saturated with nitrogen, causing divers to feel as if they had drunk one martini at a depth of 30 meters. This gas also helps to avoid the occurrence of decompression sickness, or as it is also called decompression sickness. This is a painful and dangerous condition in which nitrogen bubbles form in the diver's blood, nervous system, joints, and under the skin when the pressure drops too quickly as the diver rises to the surface. A mixture of helium and oxygen (called heliox) makes the voice very squeaky - this is due to the fact that sound travels much faster through helium than through air, and it is thanks to this property of helium that this fun is a favorite joke during the holidays when balloons are inflated with helium .

Helium is the second lightest chemical element and has many amazing properties. This gas got its name from the fact that it was first detected in a light image in the sun (helios in Greek) before it was discovered on Earth. All gases, when sufficiently cooled, condense into a liquid state, and helium has the lowest dew point of all known substances (-269°C or -452°F). Unlike other chemical elements, helium never freezes, no matter how cold it is, except under conditions of very high pressure. In addition, the liquid form of helium, when cooled to temperatures below -271°C (-456°F), forms a unique phase called a superfluid - this superfluid flows just perfect, without any resistance (viscosity).

It is believed that helium in the sun was formed by nuclear fusion . This is the process by which nuclei of hydrogen, the lightest element, fuse to form helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy.

On Earth, this gas is formed mainly as a result of radioactive alpha(a)-decay. The famous New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937) first discovered that alpha particles are actually the nuclei of helium atoms. This is how helium is formed by radioactive elements contained in the rock, such as uranium or thorium, and from them it enters the air.

Scientists can determine how quickly helium is formed, how quickly it escapes from rock and how much gets into the air, and how much helium can be lost from the air into space. They can also measure the amount of helium in rock and air. Based on this, scientists can calculate the maximum age of rocks and air. The results are puzzling to those who believe in billions of years. Of course, all such calculations are based on assumptions about the past, such as assumptions about the initial conditions and constant coefficients of various processes. They can never prove the age of something. This requires an eyewitness who saw everything with his own eyes ( see Job 38:4 ).

Helium in the atmosphere

Air mainly consists of nitrogen (78.1%) and oxygen (20.1%). The amount of helium in it is very small (0.0005%). But still, this is a lot of helium, namely 3.71 billion tons. However, because every second 67 grams of helium enters the atmosphere from the earth's crust, it would take about two million years , even if at the very beginning it was not there at all.

Evolutionists believe that our earth is 2500 times older, that is, it 4.5 billion years. Of course, the earth could have been created with most of the observed helium, so two million years is maximum age . (This age could be much less, such as 6000 years.)

In addition, it should be noted that in the past, the formation of helium would have occurred faster than in the present, as radioactive sources decayed. This would further reduce the age limits of the Earth.

The only way to fix this problem is to assume that the helium just leaks out into space. But for this to happen, the helium atoms must be moving fast enough to avoid Earth's pull (i.e., faster than runaway speed). Collisions between atoms slow down their movement, but above the level of the critical height ( exobase), about 500 kilometers above the ground, collisions are very rare. Atoms that cross this height have a chance of escaping if they are moving fast enough - at least 10.75 kilometers per second. Note that although the helium in the balloon will float, when open, it will simply mix uniformly with all other gases, which is common for all normal gases.

The average speed of atoms can be calculated if you know the temperature, since it is directly related to the average energy of atoms or molecules. Renowned physicist (and creationist) James Clerk Maxwell calculated how many gas atoms (or molecules) would have a given speed at any temperature and mass. In this way we can calculate how many atoms would cross the exobase fairly quickly in order to escape into space.

The exobase is very hot. But even assuming a temperature of 1500 K (1227°C or 2241°F), which is above average, the most common speed of helium atoms is only 2.5 kilometers per second (5625 m/h), or less than a quarter of the outflow rate. Only a few atoms move faster than the average speed, and still the amount of helium that flows into outer space is approximately 1/40 amount of helium that enters the atmosphere. Other escape mechanisms also fail to explain the small amount of helium in the air, which is about 1/2000 of what the air would have to contain after estimated billions of years.

This is an unsolved problem for an atmospheric physicist who believes in the long ages of the earth's history, K.G. Walker who said the following: "... with regard to the level of helium in the atmosphere, here we are faced with a problem". Another specialist, D.W. Chamberlain, also said that this problem regarding the accumulation of helium "... will not go away on its own, and will remain unresolved".

The evolutionary society is desperately trying to find other explanations for this lack of helium, but none of them are suitable. A simple solution to the problem can be found if we accept that the earth is not nearly as old as evolutionists believe! Creationist, scientist Larry Vardiman, who studied the atmosphere, studied this issue more deeply and wrote a more detailed study of this issue.

Helium in rocks

As we have already said, most of the helium on earth is formed as a result of radioactive decay in rocks. Small atoms of helium gas flow out of the rocks into the atmosphere without any problems.

We also said above that the rate at which helium enters the atmosphere is fixed. But we can also measure the rate at which helium flows out of rocks. This process occurs faster in hotter rocks, and the deeper you go into the bowels of the earth, the hotter the rocks become.

Creation physicist Robert Gentry has been investigating deep-seated granite as a possible way to safely store hazardous radioactive waste from nuclear power plants. Safe storage requires that elements do not pass through the rock too quickly.

Granite contains mineral crystals called zircons(zirconium silicate, ZrSiO 4), which often contain radioactive elements. This means that they must form helium, which must flow into the atmosphere.

But Gentry found that even deep-seated hot zircons (197°C or 387°F) contained too much helium- that is, if they had billions of years to flow out.

However, if in reality it was only a few thousand years for this helium to enter the atmosphere, then it is not surprising that so much helium remained there.

[News for October, 2002: see data on accelerated nuclear decay in the article Nuclear decay: evidence of the youth of the world written by a creationist nuclear physicist Dr. Russell Humphreys .]

Conclusion

The amount of helium in the air and in the rocks is completely inconsistent with the idea that our earth is billions of years old, as evolutionists and progressive creationists claim. This amount of helium is rather scientific proof of a small age, which is clearly and clearly stated in the book of Genesis.

Helium

HELIUM-I; m.[from Greek. helios - the sun]. A chemical element (He), an odorless chemically inert gas, the lightest after hydrogen.

◁ Helium, th, th. G-th core.

(lat. Helium), a chemical element of group VIII of the periodic system, belongs to the noble gases; colorless and odorless, density 0.178 g/l. It is more difficult to liquefy than all known gases (at -268.93ºC); the only substance that does not solidify at normal pressure, no matter how deep it is cooled. Liquid helium is a quantum liquid that has superfluidity below 2.17ºK (-270.98ºC). A small amount of helium is found in the air and the earth's crust, where it is constantly formed during the decay of uranium and other α-radioactive elements (α-particles are the nuclei of helium atoms). Helium is much more common in the Universe, for example, on the Sun, where it was first discovered (hence the name: from the Greek hēlios - the Sun). Helium is obtained from natural gases. They are used in cryogenic technology, for creating inert media, in aeronautics (for filling stratospheric balloons, balloons, etc.).

HELIUM (lat. Helium), He (read "helium"), a chemical element with atomic number 2, atomic mass 4.002602. Belongs to the group of inert, or noble, gases (group VIIIA of the periodic system), is in the 1st period.
Natural helium consists of two stable nuclides: 3 He (0.00013% by volume) and 4 He. The almost complete predominance of helium-4 is associated with the formation of nuclei of this nuclide during the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, radium and other atoms, which took place during the long history of the Earth.
The radius of a neutral helium atom is 0.122 nm. Electronic configuration of a neutral unexcited atom 1s 2 . The energies of successive ionization of a neutral atom are 24.587 and 54.416 eV, respectively (the helium atom has the highest energy of detachment of the first electron among neutral atoms of all elements).
The simple substance helium is a light monatomic gas without color, taste or smell.
Discovery history
The discovery of helium began in 1868, when French astronomers P. J. Jansen observed a solar eclipse. (cm. Jansen Pierre Jules Cesar) and Englishman D. N. Lockyer (cm. Lockyer Joseph Norman) independently discovered in the spectrum of the solar corona (cm. SOLAR CORONA) yellow line (it was called D 3-line), which could not be attributed to any of the elements known at that time. In 1871, Lockyer explained its origin by the presence of a new element on the Sun. In 1895, the Englishman W. Ramsay (cm. RAMZAY William) isolated a gas from the natural radioactive ore cleveite, in the spectrum of which the same D 3-line. Lockyer gave the new element a name reflecting the history of its discovery (Greek Helios, the sun). Since Lockyer believed that the discovered element was a metal, he used the ending "lim" in the Latin name of the element (corresponding to the Russian ending "ij"), which is usually used in the name of metals. Thus, helium, long before its discovery on Earth, received a name that distinguishes it from the names of other inert gases with an ending.
Being in nature
In atmospheric air, the helium content is very low and is about 5.27·10 -4% by volume. In the earth's crust it is 0.8 10 -6%, in sea water - 4 10 -10%. The source of helium is oil and helium-bearing natural gases, in which the helium content reaches 2-3%, and in rare cases 8-10% by volume. But in space, helium is the second most common element (after hydrogen): it accounts for 23% of the cosmic mass.
Receipt
The technology for producing helium is very complex: it is isolated from natural helium-bearing gases using the deep cooling method. There are deposits of such gases in Russia, the USA, Canada and South Africa. Helium is also contained in some minerals (monazite, thorianite, and others), while from 1 kg of the mineral, when heated, up to 10 liters of helium can be isolated.
Physical properties
Helium is a light non-combustible gas, the density of gaseous helium under normal conditions is 0.178 kg / m 3 (only hydrogen gas is less). The boiling point of helium (at normal pressure) is about 4.2K (or -268.93°C, which is the lowest boiling point).
At normal pressure, liquid helium cannot be turned into a solid even at temperatures close to absolute zero (0K). At a pressure of about 3.76 MPa, the melting point of helium is 2.0K. The lowest pressure at which the transition of liquid helium to a solid state is observed is 2.5 MPa (25 atm), while the melting point of helium is about 1.1 K (–272.1 °C).
0.86 ml of helium dissolves in 100 ml of water at 20 °C, and its solubility is even lower in organic solvents. Light helium molecules pass (diffuse) well through various materials (plastics, glass, some metals).
For liquid helium-4 cooled below -270.97 °C, a number of unusual effects are observed, which gives reason to consider this liquid as a special, so-called quantum liquid. This liquid is usually referred to as helium-II, in contrast to liquid helium-I, a liquid that exists at slightly higher temperatures. The graph of the heat capacity of liquid helium with temperature changes resembles the Greek letter lambda (l). The transition temperature of helium-I to helium-II is 2.186 K. This temperature is often called the l-point.
Liquid helium-II is able to quickly penetrate through the smallest holes and capillaries, without revealing viscosity (the so-called superfluidity). (cm. SUPERFLUIDITY) liquid helium-II). In addition, helium-II films quickly move over the surface of solids, as a result of which the liquid quickly leaves the vessel in which it was placed. This property of helium-II is called supercreep. The superfluidity of helium-II was discovered in 1938 by the Soviet physicist P. L. Kapitsa (cm. KAPITS Pyotr Leonidovich)(Nobel Prize in Physics, 1978). The explanation for the unique properties of helium-II was given by another Soviet physicist L. D. Landau (cm. LANDAU Lev Davidovich) in 1941-1944 (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1962).
Helium does not form any chemical compounds. True, in rarefied ionized helium it is possible to detect sufficiently stable diatomic He 2 + ions.
Application
Helium is used to create an inert and protective atmosphere when welding, cutting and melting metals, when pumping rocket fuel, to fill airships and balloons, as a component of the helium laser environment. Liquid helium, the coldest liquid on Earth, is a unique refrigerant in experimental physics, allowing the use of ultra-low temperatures in scientific research (for example, in the study of electrical superconductivity (cm. SUPERCONDUCTIVITY)). Due to the fact that helium is very poorly soluble in blood, it is used as an integral part of the artificial air supplied to divers for breathing. Replacing nitrogen with helium prevents decompression sickness (cm. caisson disease)(when ordinary air is inhaled, nitrogen under high pressure dissolves in the blood, and then is released from it in the form of bubbles that clog small vessels).

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what "Helium" is in other dictionaries:

- (lat. Helium) He, a chemical element of group VIII of the periodic system, atomic number 2, atomic mass 4.002602, belongs to the noble gases; colorless and odorless, density 0.178 g/l. It is more difficult to liquefy than all known gases (at 268.93 ° C); ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Greek, from helyos sun). An elementary body discovered in the solar spectrum and present on earth in some rare minerals; is present in the air in trace amounts. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (symbol He), a gaseous non-metallic element, NOBLE GAS, discovered in 1868. First obtained from the mineral clevit (a variety of uranite) in 1895. Currently, its main source is natural gas. Also contained in... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

Me, husband. , old Eliy, I. Father: Gelievich, Gelievna. Derivatives: Gelya (Gela); Elya. Origin: (From the Greek. hēlios sun.) Name day: July 27 Dictionary of personal names. Helium See Ellius. Day Angel. Reference … Dictionary of personal names

HELIUM- chem. element, symbol He (lat. Helium), at. n. 2, at. m. 4.002, refers to inert (noble) gases; colorless and odorless, density 0.178 kg/m3. Under normal conditions, hydrogen is a monatomic gas, the atom of which consists of a nucleus and two electrons; formed... Great Polytechnic Encyclopedia

- (Helium), He, a chemical element of group VIII of the periodic system, atomic number 2, atomic mass 4.002602; refers to the noble gases; the lowest boiling substance (tbp 268.93shC), the only one that does not solidify at normal pressure; ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

Chem. eighth element. periodic system, serial number 2; inert gas with at. in. 4.003. Consists of two stable isotopes He4 and He3. Soder. their changeable and depends on the source of formation, but the heavy isotope always prevails. AT… … Geological Encyclopedia

Helium- (Helium), He, a chemical element of group VIII of the periodic system, atomic number 2, atomic mass 4.002602; refers to the noble gases; the lowest boiling substance (tbp 268.93 ° C), the only one that does not solidify at normal pressure; ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

HELIUM, He (lat. Helium, from the Greek. helios - the Sun, since it was first discovered in the solar spectrum * a. helium; n. Helium; f. helium; and. helio), - an element of group VIII of the periodic system of Mendeleev , refers to inert gases, atomic number 2, atomic mass 4.0026. Natural helium consists of two stable isotopes 3 He and 4 He. It was discovered in 1868 by the French astronomer J. Jansen and the English astronomer J. N. Lockyer during a spectroscopic study of solar prominences. Helium was first isolated in 1895 by the English physicist W. Ramsay from the radioactive mineral cleveite.

helium properties

Under normal conditions, helium is a colorless and odorless gas. 0.178 kg / m 3, boiling t - 268.93 ° C. Helium is the only element that does not solidify in a liquid state at normal pressure, no matter how deeply it is cooled. In 1938, the Soviet physicist P. L. Kapitsa discovered superfluidity in 4 He—the ability to flow without viscosity. The lowest pressure required to transfer liquid helium to solid is 2.5 MPa, while melting t is 272.1 ° C. (at 0°С) 2.1.10 -2 W/m.K. The helium molecule consists of one atom, its radius is from 0.085 (net) to 0.133 nm (van der Waals) (0.85-1.33 E), About 8.8 ml of helium dissolves in 1 liter of water at 20 ° C Stable chemical compounds of helium have not been obtained.

Helium in nature

In terms of prevalence in the Universe, helium takes 2nd place after. There is little helium on Earth: 1 m 3 of air contains 5.24 cm 3 of helium, the average content is 3.10 -7%. There are 3 genetic components of helium in the stratal lithosphere - radiogenic, primordial and atmospheric helium. Radiogenic helium is formed everywhere during radioactive transformations of heavy elements and various nuclear reactions, primeval helium enters the lithosphere both from deep rocks that have occluded primeval helium and preserved it since the formation of the planet, and from space along with cosmic dust, meteorites, etc. Atmospheric helium enters precipitation from the air, during the processes of sedimentogenesis, as well as with infiltrating surface waters.

The value of the ratio 3 He/ 4 He in radiogenic helium is n. 1.4.10 -6. The 4 He isotope absolutely dominates in terrestrial helium. The main amount of 4 He was formed during the a-decay of natural radioactive elements (radioisotopes, actinouranium and). Insignificant sources of 4 He and 3 He formation in the lithosphere are nuclear reactions (neutron fission of lithium, etc.), tritium decay, etc. Radiogenic 4 He 3 He/ 4 He = (2±1 ).10 -8 . The tectonically disturbed earth's crust (rift zones, deep faults, eruptive apparatuses, with tectonomagmatic or seismic activity, etc.) is characterized by an increased amount of 3 He 3 He/ 4 He = n.10 -5 . For other geological structures, the ratio 3 He/ 4 He in reservoir gases and fluids varies within 10 -8 -10 -7 . The difference in the 3He/4He isotope-helium ratios in mantle and crustal helium is an indicator of the present relationship between deep fluids and the mantle. Due to the lightness, inertness and high permeability of helium, most of the rock-forming ones do not retain it, and helium migrates through the fracture-pore spaces of rocks, dissolving in the fluids filling them, sometimes far away from the main formation zones.

Helium is an obligatory impurity in all gases that form independent accumulations in the earth's crust or go outside in the form of natural gas jets. Usually helium is an insignificant admixture with other gases; in rare cases, its amount reaches several% (by volume); the maximum concentrations of helium were found in underground gas accumulations (8-10%), uranium gases (10-13%) and water-dissolved gases (18-20%).

Getting helium

In industry, helium is obtained from helium-containing gases by deep cooling (down to -190°C), a small amount - during the operation of air separation plants. In this case, the main gas components are condensed (frozen out), and the remaining helium concentrate is purified from hydrogen and. Diffuse methods for extracting helium are also being developed.

Transportation and storage of helium - in highly sealed containers. Helium of the 1st and 2nd grades is usually transported in steel cylinders of various capacities, usually up to 40 liters, under pressure up to 15 MPa. Helium storages are also arranged in underground salt chambers, and raw helium (about 60% He and 40% N 2) is stored in depleted underground gas structures. Over long distances, helium is supplied in compressed and liquid form using specially equipped vehicles, as well as by gas pipelines (for example, in the USA).

Helium use

The use of helium is based on its unique properties such as complete inertness (welding in a helium atmosphere, production of ultrapure and semiconductor materials, additive in breathing mixtures, etc.), high permeability (leak detectors in high and low pressure apparatuses). helium is the only chemical element that makes it possible to obtain ultra-low temperatures necessary for all types of superconducting systems and installations (cryoenergy). Liquid helium is a refrigerant in scientific research.