Helium is placed in the second spot on the periodic table. Although it is a colorless and odorless gas, helium usage spans multiple applications, some of which might surprise you. As an extremely low-density gas, helium is lighter than air. The most common helium usage is in decorative balloons.”
In 1985, William Ramsay confirmed helium’s presence on earth; however, Pierre Janssen first discovered this unknown gas during a solar eclipse.
The common uses of helium are given below;
1. Balloons
As already mentioned, the most common use of Helium gas is for decorative balloons. We are not simply using Helium gas for decorative balloons; it has many other benefits as weather departments use it for weather prediction. The defense department uses it in survey balloons. The US defense department is developing the Helium-filled balloon JLENS to survey US skies for cruise missiles
Liquid hydrogen and oxygen are used in the space shuttle as fuel. In order to clean the fuel tank, we use liquid helium gas. We use helium because other liquids would freeze and clog the pipes. Oxygen is a reactive element and would react to other materials, which causes an explosion of a fuel tank. Helium is a nonreactive element therefore inserted to clean the fuel tank.
3. MRI
Hospitals use MRI machines for body scanning. MRI machines produced detailed images of the internal body using highly powerful magnets. Helium is used to cool this superconducting magnet because it low boiling point of -452.5 F.
4. Arc Welding
We use helium in arc welding as a shielding gas because it is nonreactive and allow for consistent welding at high heat transfer. Sometimes, helium gas is mixed with argon gas, and the mixture can be adjusted based on heat, the shape of welding, and job speed.
5. Car / Vehicles
Helium is a very unreactive element. It is used for leakages in a car air-conditioning system. It is defused quicker; therefore, it is used to inflate the car airbags.
6. Deep-Sea Diving
An artificial atmosphere is created using 20% oxygen and 80% helium to safely keep divers and others working in pressurized conditions.