Helium

Helium Latest News

India’s semiconductor and printed circuit board (PCB) industry is bracing for potential disruption in helium supplies after Iran’s attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG hub.

About Helium

• It is an inert gas and does not react with other substances or combust.
• It was discovered in 1868 by Jules Janssen and Norman Lockyer via a yellow spectral line during a solar eclipse. 
• Named after the Greek word ‘Helios’, meaning Sun.
• Properties of Helium
  • Its atomic number is 2, making it the second lightest element after hydrogen.
  • Helium also has a very low boiling point (-268.9° C), allowing it to remain a gas even in super-cold environments.
  • The gas is non-toxic, but cannot be breathed on its own, because it displaces the oxygen humans need for respiration.
  • It is the only element that cannot be solidified by sufficient cooling at normal atmospheric pressure.
• Largest global reserves: United States, Algeria, and Russia.
• India’s Rajmahal Volcanic Basin (Jharkhand) is a significant helium reservoir trapped for billions of years.
• Applications of Helium

• • Pressurizing Fuel Tank: It is used to pressurize fuel tanks, ensuring fuel flows to the rocket’s engines without interruption.
  • Cooling systems: It is used in cooling systems of rockets.

Source: NIE

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