The world is currently gripped in a global helium deficit and the issue of a lack of supply can be sourced back to the initial resource at the natural gas field, according to the recent sentiments of John C. Bigham, Director of Helium Product Management and Global Logistics for Matheson Tri-Gas.
Nearly two thirds of the world’s helium supply is found within a 250-mile radius of Amarillo, Texas – dubbed the ‘Helium Capital of the World’ – and as a by-product of billions of years of radioactive decay, helium is distilled from natural gas that has accumulated in the presence of uranium and thorium deposits.
If it’s not extracted during the natural gas refining process, the helium is simply lost and Bigham appears to see this issue at the source as part of the fundamentals for the global shortage.
Speaking about the current industry climate, he says, “It is perhaps important to look very briefly at where helium comes from, in order for readers to fully appreciate why there is currently a worldwide shortage.”
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