What do we do with helium?
Helium is a light, non-flammable and non-poisonous gas. It is important for research, medicine, industry and technology. But helium also has something to offer for aviation, sports - and silly games.
Helium is fun!
What would our world be without colorful balloons? But fortunately helium is not that scarce. Flying the balloons isn't the only fun part: If you open a helium balloon and fill your mouth and throat with the noble gas you get a high pitched voice. This has to do with the low density of helium. Soundwaves spread out differently than they do with air with air.
Helium gives courage
At least that's what Felix Baumgartner needed in 2012, when he let this helium-filled balloon take him up into the stratosphere. He jumped back down to Earth with a parachute from a height of 38,969 meters. Two years later the American Alan Eustace outdid his record. The 57 year old jumped from 41,419 meters.
Not a good alternative
Another light gas is hydrogen. On Earth it is available in practically unlimited quantities and good for numerous technical applications. Filling Zeppelins is not one of them, however. Humans had to learn this lesson the hard way when the Hindenburg exploded in Lakehurst, USA, in 1937.
Non-flammable means safe!
Today zeppelins or blimps are exclusively filled with helium. It does not burn, is not poisonous and therefore perfectly safe.
The reactor of the future
Superconducting coils are cooled with helium. They are used everywhere strong magnetic fields are needed. This is the nuclear fusion experiment Wendelstein 7-X. Here a very strong magnetic field keeps hot plasma in its place.
Helium cooling for particle accelerators
At the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), liquid helium also plays a central role. It is cooling the superconducting magnets that keep particles on their track. CERN operates the biggest "refrigerator" in the world.
Protective gas for welding
When welding, one has to prevent the oxidation of the steel right when the metal melts. Otherwise the weld would break. That's why workers use helium as an inert gas: They flood the area around the weld with helium, pushing out all the unwanted oxygen and other gases.
Traveling to great depths with helium
The gases we breath are not usually poisonous. But this changes with increasing pressure: Nitrogen becomes a narcotic at depths of around 50 meters. Oxygen becomes a neurotoxin under high pressure. Therefore, technical divers - working at depths of several hundred meters - use helium as a breathing gas. The amount of oxygen is reduced to a necessary minimum.
No MRI without helium
Let's hope all those diver oame back healthy and do not have to go through Magnetic Resonance Imaging. MRI machines also need helium for the cooling of their superconducting coils.