21 Helium Uses in Different Industries (Need To Know Facts)

Helium is known as a noble or inert gas due to having a complete shell electron configuration. Let us focus on the uses of helium in different fields in detail.

The applications of helium are listed below-

• Helium gas is used to generate an inert atmosphere for welding metals like aluminum.
• He gas is also used in meteorology as a lifting gas for instruments, carrying balloons.
• Helium works as a coolant in cryogenics because liquid helium is the coolest substance.
• Helium gas is mixed with oxygen for high-pressure breathing purposes in scuba diving, caisson work, etc due to its low solubility in blood.

This article discusses thoroughly the uses of liquid helium, superfluid helium, industrial helium along with compressed helium.

Liquid Helium Uses

Liquid helium is a physical state of helium that exists only at an extremely low temperature (-269⁰ C). The density of liquid He is 125 g/L which is one-eighth the density of liquid water. It has a wide range of applications listed below-

• Liquid helium is commercially used in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), MEG (Magnetoencephalography), and low-temperature Mossbauer spectroscopy.
• Liquid He works as a cryogenic refrigerant which is used in cryocoolers.
• Liquid He is a key component in the semiconductor processing industry which supplies silicon wafers.

Superfluid Helium Uses

Superfluid helium is a physical state of helium in which helium behaves as a fluid with zero viscosity. It also possesses zero entropy and a very high thermal conductivity. Its applications are written below-

• The superfluid helium (₂He⁴) isotope is an excellent coolant for high-field magnets. It is also used to decrease the temperature below 1.19 K.
• Both the isotopes of helium (₂He⁴ and ₂He³) are applied for the detection of exotic particles.
• Superfluid helium is generally used to develop the condition of high temperature and superconductivity.
• Superfluid helium-4 works as a quantum solvent in spectroscopic techniques.
• Superfluid He is also used in high-precision devices like a gyroscope for measuring some theoretically predicted gravitational effects.

Industrial Helium Uses

Helium is used in many industrial applications for its unique properties like low boiling point, inertness, high thermal conductivity, and lightweight which are listed below-

• Manufacturing industry: Helium is used in the manufacturing process (1^st stage of optical fibers which consists of a precursor to the fiber), specifically for its reinforcement and in process of stretching to obtain the optical fiber for cooling.
• Space exploration: Helium is used in space satellites to create extra pressure in the fuel tanks (propellants) of some launchers.
• Production of electronic devices: Helium is used in electronic devices as a component of semiconductors or flat screens to generate a protective inert atmosphere.
• Fundamental research applications: Helium is used for research purposes on nuclear fission or particle accelerations due to having a low boiling point.

Compressed Helium Uses

Compressed helium is used in the following cases-

• Compressed helium is used as the subsea breathing gas reclamation (up to 300-meter depth).
• Compressed helium is also used in leak detection in the industry.
• Compressed helium is also applied in an arc welding process.
• Compressed helium is used in research balloons and balloons for celebrations.

Conclusion

Helium is a colorless odorless, and inflammable monoatomic gas having an atomic number of 2 and a molar mass of 4.002602 amu. It is placed in the period-1 and 2^nd periods in the periodic table. It has the lowest boiling (4.22 K) as well as melting points (0.95 K) among all the elements that exist on the earth.

Read more about following:

Samarium Properties Thallium Uses Silver Uses Aluminium Oxide Uses Methanol Uses Hydrogen Sulfide Uses Chlorine Monofluoride Use Bismuth Uses Krypton Uses Acetone Uses Thulium Uses Diazomethane Uses Aluminum Fluoride Uses Sulphuric acid Uses Glycerol Uses Iodic Acid Uses Germanium Tetrachloride Uses Potassium Perchlorate Uses Tantalum Uses Hydrazine Uses Sodium Sulfate Uses Sodium Sulfide Uses Mercury Bromide Uses

Terbium Uses Tellurium Uses Benzoic Acid Uses Phosphorus Uses  Sulphuric Acid Uses Tin Uses Magnesium Uses Titanium Uses Manganese Uses Hydrogen Chloride Uses Fluorine Uses Hexane Uses Diiodomethane Uses Gallium Hydride Uses Trichlorofluoromethane Uses Calcium Bromide Uses Calcium Sulfide Uses Methane Uses Holmium Uses Samarium Uses Iodine Uses Barium Sulfide Uses Promethium Uses Sodium Hypochlorite Uses

Indium Uses Helium Uses Carbon Tetra bromide Uses Barium Carbonate Uses Borane Uses Crotonaldehyde Uses Americium Uses Praseodymium Uses Neodymium Uses Platinum Uses Sodium Carbonate Uses Curium Uses Calcium Fluoride Uses Technetium Uses Barium Chloride Uses Iron Sulfide Uses Einsteinium Uses Zirconium Uses Polonium Uses Thorium Uses Chlorine dioxide Uses Sodium Sulfite Uses Radium Uses

Iron Uses Hafnium Uses Xenon Uses Silicon Uses Methylamine Uses Chromium Oxide Uses Carbon Tetrafluoride Uses Ruthenium Uses Acetone Uses Cyanogen Chloride Uses Hypochlorous Acid Uses Copper Uses Boron Nitride Uses Dichlorodifluoromethane Uses Carboxylic Acid Uses Uranium Uses Dysprosium Uses Lithium Fluoride Uses Plutonium Uses Magnesium Iodide Uses Magnesium Bromide Uses Zinc Uses Hydrazoic Acid Uses

Nickel Uses Potassium Uses Scandium Uses Acetic Acid Uses Rhenium Uses Magnesium Hydride Uses Argon Uses Cadmium Uses Hydrogen Chloride Uses Europium Uses Potassium sulfide Uses Aluminum Sulfide Uses Carbonyl Sulfide Uses Vanadium Uses Mercuric Chloride Uses Barium Nitride Uses Sodium Oxide Uses Magnesium Fluoride Uses Yttrium Uses Krypton Difluoride Uses Gallium Uses Chlorine Trifluoride Uses