Helium is the second most abundant element in our Universe; it accounts for roughly a quarter of the amount of visible matter that is present in space, from stars and nebulae to galaxies and planetary atmospheres.
However, on Earth, it isn’t the same story; helium is rather hard to come by, as it has to be collected from the atmosphere, through radioactive decay, or from natural gas. But how is helium used in everyday situations?
Entertainment
One of the most fun and practical uses of helium is in helium balloons for parties or any other fun filled event. Whether you are needing balloons for a wedding, a birthday party, or even a corporate event, helium is a great way to use it.
Physical Lasers
This is one use of helium that isn’t as commonly known, but one of the first lasers to be created using helium. The helium-neon laser, also commonly known in the HeNe laser, uses helium to guide light particles, also known as photons, and excite electrons that are then used to emit light from the neon gas that has a reddish colour. They are relatively cheap to use and are used in a wide range of fields, such as optics and in laboratories.
Medical Applications
This use of helium has to be one of the most beneficial to humans across the world. Helium has an incredibly low boiling point, meaning that liquid helium has a temperature of less than -263°C.
This means that it can be used to cool certain types of magnets that are used in MRI scanners; these are known as superconducting magnets, and are used to get extremely detailed images of the inside of our brains so that doctors can detect any internal issues.
Industrial Welding
Welding is incredibly important in the manufacturing industry, as it is used to create strong metallic structures that we use every day, such as bicycles, boats, and even cars. The type of welding that uses helium are known as gas tungsten arc welding, GTAW, tungsten inert gas welding, or TIG welding.
Helium is used as a shielding gas in this form of welding; since it is an inert gas, it doesn’t react to any external stimuli, such as oxygen, heat, or any type of fuel. Therefore, it acts as a great barrier between the arc and the surrounding metal environment.
Helium is used in a plethora of industries and applications but is it difficult to collect, as there are only a certain amount of ways in which it can be extracted. In the meantime, however, we at Fill n’ Away specialise in providing the highest quality helium gas canisters for your exciting party or business event that you may be planning.
If you want to know more about the canisters, whether that be refillable or disposable, that we can provide, why not contact us today on 01843 220596? We will be more than happy to help.