Helium has special physical properties. At absolute zero, helium does not solidify under vapor pressure, so it has the following applications in industry and scientific research.
- Nuclear reactors
Helium is used for cooling and heat exchange in nuclear reactors, as well as purification of enriched uranium diffusion elements after repair. Currently, research on further processing of iron using nuclear energy is underway, and helium is used as a heat carrier. - For welding
This use began in 1930, especially for welding of metals containing aluminum, iron and other elements. Helium, helium or a mixture of helium and helium is often used as a shielding gas in industry. - For temperature measurement
Because the properties of helium are close to ideal gas, it is suitable for steam pressure gauges at extremely low temperatures. - For leak detection
Helium has special diffusion characteristics, so as long as a small amount of helium is used, a small leak can be detected, and even a micropore that leaks only 1 liter every 3000 years can be detected. Therefore, it is widely used in leak detection of high vacuum units, nuclear reactors, spacecraft, etc. - Application in rockets and space navigation
Helium is a pressurized gas used to transport liquid propellants (such as liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, liquid fluorine, etc.). It is also used to clean the motor and machine tubes of the injector. - Used in high-speed wind tunnels
In the aviation industry, helium is used in supersonic or subsonic high-speed wind tunnels to eject ammonia under high pressure to achieve higher airflow speeds. - Buoyancy
The most common applications are balloons and airships. Balloons are used for high-altitude meteorological observations, television broadcasts, and cosmic radiation measurements over 30,000 meters. In forest areas, aircraft are used to transport wood and other ways to capture weight. The largest airship in history has a diameter of 40 meters, a total length of 230 meters, a helium filling of 18,000 meters, and a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Since the 1970s, balloon communication technology has made amazing progress. At present, balloon communication stations are being built or used in the United States, Iran and many other countries. France has a larger area. It is developing stratospheric balloon communications to broadcast television to nine Western European countries. Balloon communication has the advantages of high efficiency, low investment and easy manufacturing. It can be widely used in military, industrial and agricultural production, water conservancy, meteorology, culture, education, health and many other fields. The standard volume of a balloon is about 7,000 cubic meters, the length is about 54 meters, and the maximum diameter is 18 meters. It is streamlined and filled with helium. In the air at an altitude of 3,000 meters, the effective buoyancy can reach 1.6 tons.
