Question

Name the main commercial source of helium.

Answer 1

It is produced in the earth by natural radioactive decay of some elements (for e.g., thorium and uranium) and ends up being trapped in natural gas deposits, up to $7\%$, from where it is easily extracted. Thus, most natural gas fields can produce helium.

Complete step by step answer:
- Helium is mainly produced by the process of nuclear fusion of hydrogen, whereas on earth it is found as a result of radioactive decay but this is not a commercial source. Thus, Helium is usually produced as a side product of natural gas processing. Natural gas contains methane and other hydrocarbons, which are the main sources of heat energy when natural gas undergoes combustion.
- Almost all of the natural gas deposits also contain smaller quantities of nitrogen, water vapour, helium, and other non-combustible materials, which reduce the potential heat energy of the gas. This process is also called ‘upgrading.
- Now, we can say that the main commercial source of Helium is natural gas. Natural gas contains an average of $0.4\%$ helium and is considered the major commercial source of helium because of its low solubility (as compared to ${N_2}$) in blood, a mixture of oxygen and helium is used in diving apparatus used by deep sea divers.

Note: Helium can also be produced by liquefying air and separating the component gases. The production costs for this method are high, and the amount of helium contained in air is very low. Although this method is often used to produce other gases, like nitrogen and oxygen, it is rarely used to produce helium.