Helium Is Soaring On Red-Hot Demand, Shrinking Supply
- Date: 09-Sep-2020
- Source: Forbes
- Sector:Oil & Gas
- Country:Saudi Arabia
Helium Is Soaring On Red-Hot Demand, Shrinking Supply
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On Wednesday of last week, some of you may have watched a man fly without a plane or hang glider. David Blaine, the illusionist and endurance artist, soared over the Arizona desert by holding onto 50 giant helium balloons. The stunt, called "Ascension,“ lasted about an hour, during which Blaine reached a maximum altitude of 24,900 feet, or about 4.7 miles, before parachuting back to earth.
What made his flight possible, of course, was helium, the lighter-than-air stuff that makes your voice sound like Mickey Mouse's.
Many people may not be aware that the gas is used for much more than filling birthday balloons. It plays a critical role in a number of high-tech applications, from barcode readers to semiconductors to liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels. Magnetic resonance