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

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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 (1st 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 2nd 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