Highlights

  • Produce 99.999% pure helium from natural gas
  • Helium purification plants
  • Newpoint can purify helium from natural gas

Helium Purification History

Helium is used in a variety of applications, including space, defense, and energy programs, as well as the medical, computer and fiber optics fields. Against this background, the worldwide consumption of pure helium has increased by between 5 and 10 percent a year in the past decade, with the biggest growth in its use as a coolant for the superconducting magnets in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) body scanners. Current helium consumption is estimated to be about 100 million cubic meters, and is predicted to continue to rise by 4 to 5 percent annually.

Newpoint was the only new domestic helium purification supplier to come online in 2003. We produced 99.999% pure helium from natural gas on the Navajo Nation Reservation near Shiprock, New Mexico.

Helium contents of less than 1% can often produce pure helium that is commercially viable. This can make a marginal system profitable!