Helium - many people first think of balloons or the voice of a cartoon character when they hear the word. In fact, it is an important cooling gas for magnetic resonance tomographs or for research; in addition to its use in space travel, it is essential in semiconductor production and much more.

Unlike other rare noble gases, Helium cannot be extracted from the air. It comes from the earth's interior and is usually extracted as a component from natural gas. And the demand is growing.

This is no easy task, since Helium is one of those limited resources for which chemical production is not possible. In 2021, the majority of helium production, around 71 million m³, was located in the US, around 51 million was produced in Qatar, and other production sites are located in Algeria, Russia, Australia, and more (source: Statista).

Currently, a ReiCat Helium Purification Plant for a volume of up to 9000 Nm³/h is in production. Hydrogen as well as moisture and Oxygen are removed according to specification. The special ReiCat plant design avoids the loss of helium during the purification process or as emission. Furthermore, the plant is characterized by long running times, as there are no rotating parts. Our Helium Purification Unit for a location in US will be designed for outdoor installation (-10 - +40°C) according to ASME standard and will have a size of approx. 11 x 2.5 m at a height of approx. 5 m.

Find out more about our gas purification systems: https://www.reicat.de/en/gas-purification.html Particularly interesting in view of the declining resources: Helium Recycling Systems from ReiCat: Behind the scenes: Sustainable metal processing through Helium Recycling with ReiCat - Englisch