The SpaceX Helium Supply Discussion Thread

[meekGee]

Apparently the Holbrook Basin in AZ has enormous He reserves

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2016/04/hunt-for-helium-ramps-up-in-arizona.html

They described the two fields as some of the richest in the world in terms of percentages of helium in the reservoir.   In most situations, 1% helium is considered economic.  In the Arizona fields, helium accounts for ~8% with the remainder almost entirely nitrogen, according to the Ranger presentation. They said Arizona is the "Saudi Arabia of helium."

Sounds like the Helium shortage problem is solved.

I wonder if there's active production that is making its way into the reservoirs, or are depleting a limited resource.

Some geologists think geologic helium is primordial, but many others believe much results from alpha decay (uranium and thorium) in radioactive black shales or granite-like basement rock.

Yes, that stands to reason, I've heard of it before.  I was curious about production rates though - are they comparable to our usage rates, or are they geological?

The reason is that I can't see how He would remain in the rock formations for very long (e.g. geological time frames).  The concentration we're seeing could be a steady state of production and leakage, and then production would be quite intense.

Probably best we get back OT though...

[john smith 19]

Some geologists think geologic helium is primordial, but many others believe much results from alpha decay (uranium and thorium) in radioactive black shales or granite-like basement rock.

That sounds like there should be a PhD to be had in settling the question definitively. One implies a strictly finite supply, the other gradual (how gradual) renewal.

I would encourage any Professors of Geology or Geophysics to consider this as a topic for one of their students, but beyond that I guess this is pretty much OT for the thread title.

[gospacex]

Well, alphas from all the Uranium and Thorium (and daughters - all in all, every decayed U atom gives ~8 alpha particles) must go somewhere... so at least some fraction of He is from that.

[Bynaus]

Apparently the Holbrook Basin in AZ has enormous He reserves

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2016/04/hunt-for-helium-ramps-up-in-arizona.html

They described the two fields as some of the richest in the world in terms of percentages of helium in the reservoir.   In most situations, 1% helium is considered economic.  In the Arizona fields, helium accounts for ~8% with the remainder almost entirely nitrogen, according to the Ranger presentation. They said Arizona is the "Saudi Arabia of helium."

Sounds like the Helium shortage problem is solved.

I wonder if there's active production that is making its way into the reservoirs, or are depleting a limited resource.

Some geologists think geologic helium is primordial, but many others believe much results from alpha decay (uranium and thorium) in radioactive black shales or granite-like basement rock.

Its almost certainly both. We know the Earth has a certain abundance of U and Th, and the decay chains produce plenty of He atoms. But then, the Earth's He is not purely 4He (a bit over one in a million He atoms is a 3He), so there must be a non-radiogenic, "primordial" source too (in the solar wind, one in 10'000 He atoms is a 3He, so there is roughly about 100x more radiogenic than primordial He - which would likely have the solar 3/4 ratio - on Earth). The source of the primordial (solar wind) He might be microscopic, solar-wind soaked dust settling on the ocean floor and being reprocessed into the mantle, or some gas that was accreted during the nebular phase.

There is plenty of research being done on these types of questions (my background is noble gas cosmochemistry), it just not a straightforward question to answer.