YUGE HELIUM DISCOVERY
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>Researchers find game-changing helium reserve in Tanzania
http://www.airshipcenter.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=339
The team estimates that just one part of the reserve in Tanzania could be as large as 54 billion cubic feet (BCf), which is enough to fill more than 1.2 million medical MRI scanners.
"To put this discovery into perspective, global consumption of helium is about 8 billion cubic feet (BCf) per year and the United States Federal Helium Reserve, which is the world's largest supplier, has a current reserve of just 24.2 BCf," said University of Oxford's Chris Ballentine, a professor with the Department of Earth Sciences.
U.S. needs a strategy on helium
"Total known reserves in the USA are around 153 BCf. This is a game-changer for the future security of society's helium needs and similar finds in the future may not be far away," Ballentine added.
Does this mean we will start seeing more blimps ?
>>973679
>the reserve in Tanzania could be as large as 54 billion cubic feet (BCf)
>global consumption of helium is about 8 billion cubic feet (BCf) per year
Cool, so we got another 7 years of supply for helium consumption?
This changes nothing.
>>973684
>one part of the reserve in Tanzania could be as large as 54 billion cubic feet
One part, mate, total reserves are estimated to exceed 200 billion already
>using helium for blimps and balloons
our descendants hundreds of years from now will hate us
Helium can be extracted from the atmosphere, and commercial helium is byproduct of extracting natural gas. It's not exactly a super rare finite resource to be preserved.
The helium reserves were from when helium was a strategic military commodity because of airships. We're not going to run out of helium, we're only going to run out of cheap helium. Just like we run out of cheap oil, and resort to fracking.
>>973691
>Helium can be extracted from the atmosphere
No, there's so little helium in the atmosphere that it wouldn't be economically viable in any way you look at it.
>>973782
That's patently false. The 100,000 figure you see thrown around is made up with little basis in reality. MRI scanners are in no danger of running out of helium. It's only not viable in comparison to the cheap natural gas byproduct produced helium from helium reserves. Lots of helium never makes it to market and is simply put into the air when extracting other gasses. The shortage is only the shortage of cheap helium. Cheap helium is simply a byproduct. These gasses aren't mined with the intention of extracting helium.
