New exploration technique by Oxford and Durham universities finds significant Helium reserves
A new approach to gas exploration has discovered a huge helium gas field, which could address the increasingly critical shortage of this vital yet rare element.
Helium doesn’t just make your voice squeaky – it is critical to many things we take for granted, including MRI scanners in medicine, welding, industrial leak detection and nuclear energy. However, known reserves are quickly running out. Until now helium has never been found intentionally – being accidentally discovered in small quantities during oil and gas drilling.
Now, a research group from Oxford and Durham universities, working with Helium One, a helium exploration company headquartered in Norway, has developed a brand new exploration approach. The first use of this method has resulted in the discovery of a world-class helium gas field in Tanzania.
Their research shows that volcanic activity provides the intense heat necessary to release the gas from ancient, helium-bearing rocks. Within the Tanzanian East African Rift Valley, volcanoes have released helium from ancient deep rocks and have trapped this helium in shallower gas fields. The research is being presented by Durham University PhD student Diveena Danabalan at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Yokohama, Japan.
Diveena Danabalan, of Durham University’s Department of Earth Sciences, said: ‘We show that volcanoes in the Rift play an important role in the formation of viable helium reserves. Volcanic activity likely provides the heat necessary to release the helium accumulated in ancient crustal rocks. However, if gas traps are located too close to a given volcano, they run the risk of helium being heavily diluted by volcanic gases such as carbon dioxide, just as we see in thermal springs from the region. We are now working to identify the ‘goldilocks-zone’ between the ancient crust and the modern volcanoes where the balance between helium release and volcanic dilution is ‘just right’.’
Professor Chris Ballentine, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, said: ‘We sampled helium gas (and nitrogen) just bubbling out of the ground in the Tanzanian East African Rift valley. By combining our understanding of helium geochemistry with seismic images of gas trapping structures, independent experts have calculated a probable resource of 54 Billion Cubic Feet (BCf) in just one part of the rift valley. This is enough to fill over 1.2 million medical MRI scanners. To put this discovery into perspective, global consumption of helium is about 8 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. 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.’
Professor Jon Gluyas, Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, said: ‘This is an outstanding example of industry and academia working together closely to deliver real value to society. The impact of this and expected future helium discoveries will secure supply for the medical scanning and other industries.’
Dr Pete Barry, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, who sampled the gases, added: ‘We can apply this same strategy to other parts of the world with a similar geological history to find new helium resources. Excitingly, we have linked the importance of volcanic activity for helium release with the presence of potential trapping structures and this study represents another step towards creating a viable model for helium exploration. This is badly needed given the current demand for helium.’
Learn more:Â Huge helium discovery ‘a life-saving find’
The Latest on: Helium
[google_news title=”” keyword=”helium” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Helium
- Zephyr reviews funding options for Salt Wash Heliumon March 29, 2024 at 2:08 am
Zephyr Energy is weighing up funding proposals for its Salt Wash Helium project as market interest in helium-related companies intensifies in the Utah Paradox Basin. Drilling in its ‘flagship’ Paradox ...
- Realizing clean qubits for quantum computers using electrons on heliumon March 28, 2024 at 8:32 am
Future quantum computers could be based on electrons floating above liquid helium, according to study by a RIKEN physicist and collaborators, appearing in Physical Review Applied.
- Superfluid helium: the quantum curiosity behind huge experiments like the LHCon March 28, 2024 at 7:44 am
Pfeiffer Vacuum provides all types of vacuum equipment, including hybrid and magnetically-levitated turbopumps, leak detectors and analysis equipment, as well as vacuum chambers and systems. You can ...
- Renergen’s helium plant integration nearly completeon March 28, 2024 at 7:00 am
Gas producer Renergen is approaching the final stages of its helium system integration, which will mark a significant step forward in its operations, making South Africa one of only eight countries to ...
- Royal Helium signs three-year CO2 supply deal in the USon March 26, 2024 at 6:30 am
Royal Helium will supply food and beverage-grade carbon dioxide (CO2) from its Steveville processing and purification facility to a US-based customer. Under terms of an offtake agreement announced ...
- Pulsar Helium: The Base Idea Worries Meon March 25, 2024 at 3:28 pm
Pulsar Helium is a primary producer of helium in a market dominated by secondary and byproduct producers. Read my analysis of the PSRHF stock here.
- Pulsar Receives Positive Results from Wireline Logs for the Jetstream #1 Appraisal Well at the Topaz Helium Projecton March 25, 2024 at 2:13 am
Pulsar Helium Inc. (TSXV:PLSR)(OTCQB:PSRHF) (”Pulsar” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has received the wireline log interpretation from Asia-Pacific Formation Evaluation Services Pty ...
- Pulsar Helium Listed on OTCQBon March 21, 2024 at 2:21 am
Pulsar Helium Inc. (TSXV:PLSR)(OTCQB:PSRHF) (”Pulsar” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its common shares will commence trading at the open on March 21, 2024, on the OTCQB Venture Market ( ...
- Earth Is Running Out of Helium. A Treasure on the Moon Could Be Our Saving Grace.on March 19, 2024 at 7:45 am
Earth has been in a helium shortage since 2010, and the Moon has an abundance of the main isotope for helium. Now that helium has become a scarce commodity on Earth, some experts think it may be time ...
- Former Blue Origin Employees Want to Harvest Helium-3 From the Moonon March 16, 2024 at 7:31 am
Over billions of years, the surface of the Moon has been bombarded by solar wind, carrying high-energy particles that include a highly coveted resource, helium-3. Although the element is scarce on ...
via Bing News