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How A Huge Helium Find In Tanzania Is Going To Be A Global Game Changer

How A Huge Helium Find In Tanzania Is Going To Be A Global Game Changer

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British researchers from Oxford and Durham universities say a major helium reserve in Tanzania in June, 2016, marks the first time the precious gas has ever been found intentionally. Usually, it’s discovered accidentally. Researchers worked with Norway-based exploration company Helium One. Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe but it’s very rare on Earth. Most natural gas contains traces of it, but it’s unusual to find it in concentrations that are commercially viable to extract, capture, and store. Considering the world’s helium shortage, this discovery has all eyes on Tanzania. Helium is essential in treating breathing conditions like asthma; it’s a critical element for welding companies, and it even plays a role in bar code reading. It’s used in spacecraft, MRI scanners, and to produce nuclear energy. Here are some ways this helium find helium is going to make Tanzania rich.

Source: Bigstory.ap.org, Useof.net, WSJ, Guardian.

Scientists looking at helium grounds in tanzania. Photo: forbes.com
Scientists looking at helium grounds in Tanzania. Photo: forbes.com

Using volcanos to get helium

The helium field was found in Tanzania’s Rift Valley, which contains several volcanoes. The scientists involved in the discovery found that volcanic activity could help break open ancient, helium-bearing rocks.

Source: Bbc.com

Volano in Tanzania. Photo: Wired.co.uk
Volcano in Tanzania. Photo: Wired.co.uk

A geographic phenomenon

Rift Valley is the first location scientists have successfully put a new gas extraction method to use, extracting it helium from gases trapped within ancient volcanic rock. All other gas has been found accidentally during drilling expeditions. The gases at rift valley naturally rose to a shallow level, where researchers can further analyze them for their helium quality.

Source: Cnn.com

MRI. Photo: Wvgazettemail.com
MRI. Photo: Wvgazettemail.com

Enough helium for 1.2 million MRI machines

An estimated 54 billion cubic feet of helium was found at the site — enough to fill 1.2 million hospital magnetic resonance imagine machines. MRIs are used to scan for abnormalities in the brain.

Source: Cnn.com

Helium shortage sign. Photo: Green-mom.com
Helium shortage sign. Photo: Green-mom.com

Solving the balloon problem

The Tanzania helium is enough to fill around 54 billion balloons, which is significant considering that Tokyo Disneyland had to suspend the sales of helium filled balloons at one point, because of the shortage of the noble gas.

Source: Rocketnews24.com

Helium scientist. Photo: Bbc.com
Helium scientist. Photo: Bbc.com

Over twice the largest U.S. supplier

To better give an idea of just how valuable the Rift Valley finding is, consider this data: the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve—the world’s largest supplier of the gas—has a reserve of 24.3 billion cubic feet right now, which is less than half of the amount found in Tanzania. The total known reserves of helium in the U.S. are around 153 billion cubic feet.

Source: Cnn.com

Helium reserves. Photo: Ibtimes.com
Helium reserves. Photo: Ibtimes.com

How it holds up to annual demands

The human population uses 8 billion cubic feet of helium every year, which means the reserve found in Tanzania is nearly seven times the size of the yearly demand. Meanwhile, the U.S. was forced to sell off of some of its reserves to pay off debt originally used to buy the helium.

Source: Wallstreetdaily.com

Helium balloons. Photo: Newsweek.com
Helium balloons. Photo: Newsweek.com

Helium prices have gone up

In 1966, the Helium Privatization Act was passed which demanded that government entities hoping to use helium purchase it from the Federal Helium Reserve (established in 1921). The price was set to $43 per 1,000 cubic feet of the gas. Since then it’s gone up to over $75 per 1,000 cubic feet. That means the reserve found in Tanzania could be worth over $4 billion.

Source: Wallstreetdaily.com

Helium tanks. Photo: Allafrica.com
Helium tanks. Photo: Allafrica.com

It’s a rich helium source

Most of the world’s helium is found in natural gas. In the past, when explorers have found natural gas containing helium, the batch usually contained between 0.1-and-0.5 percent helium. The richest findings contained just 3 percent of helium. The helium found in Tanzania contains 10 percent helium.

Source: Wired.com