High-purity helium is a corrosive gas, so what industries uses it? Let's discuss its applications.

1. Aerospace

High-purity helium is widely used throughout the aerospace and aircraft manufacturing process, from manufacturing to flight. High-purity helium is used to purify hydrogen systems in space operations and as a pressure regulator in ground and flight fluid systems. High-purity helium also serves as a buoyancy source for meteorological and other observation balloons.

2. Automotive and Transportation Equipment

High-purity helium is used to test critical automotive components such as radiators, heat exchangers, climate modules, fuel tanks, and torque converters to ensure they meet quality standards. High-purity helium can also be used in conjunction with argon, which is increasingly used for airbag inflation.

3. Diving

During diving, the combination of oxygen and high-purity helium effectively eliminates nitrogen narcosis, reduces deep breathing resistance, and shortens decompression rest periods. A helium-oxygen mixture allows divers to remain underwater longer. The deeper the dive, the higher the concentration of high-purity helium. The deeper the dive, the longer it takes to complete welds.

4. Electronics

High-purity helium plays a vital role in the manufacturing of semiconductors, liquid crystal displays, and fiber optic cables. It enables rapid cooling of components, improving productivity, controlling heat transfer rates, increasing production efficiency, and reducing defects. Furthermore, high-purity helium can be used as a refrigerant in production processes.

5. Healthcare                                                                                                           

As the getter refrigerant gas for MRI and NMR superconducting magnets, high-purity helium can reach temperatures as low as 451°F, facilitating high-resolution images of internal organs and tissues.

6. Welding and Metalworking

High-purity helium's inertness at arc temperatures makes it an ideal gas for welding high-thermal conductivity materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and magnesium alloys. It can also be used as a quenching gas and furnace gas during heat treatment to improve part durability and quality.