The discovery of one of the world's biggest helium gas fields is the first time that the gas has ever been found intentionally. Previous discoveries have always been accidental and revealed small quantities of helium while people were drilling for oil and gas.
Researchers from Oxford and Durham universities estimate that just one part of the helium gas field contains 54 billion cubic feet of the gas, more than six times the global annual consumption of helium. The gas, which is vital for use of MRI scanners, welding equipment and nuclear reactors is commonly extracted from natural gas, where it makes up about seven per cent of the substance.
Helium is the second most common element in the universe and is produced in large amounts by the sun, but it's particularly scarce on Earth. In 2010, Nobel prize-winning physicist Robert Richardson warned that world supplies could run out in 30 years.
No comments:
Post a Comment