Airgas-Great Lakes reduced deliveries slightly earlier this year, “but right now we’re back to 100 percent,” said Kevin Little, Dayton branch manager.
Balloon-quality helium gas is still in good local supply, according to area specialty gas distributors.
“At this point I’m fine with getting all the helium I need,” said Dave McCarley, owner of Balloon & Party Loft in Washington Twp.
Helium is a safe, non-flammable gas that is found in natural gas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. It exists as a gas except under extreme conditions, and becomes a fluid at temperatures close to absolute zero.
Helium gas is used for filling party balloons and creating an inert gas shield for arc welding. Liquid helium is used for cooling the superconducting magnets found in MRI scanners and state-of-the-art particle physics research.
The helium shortage stems from increasing demand, particularly for cooling applications, and a maintenance shutdown last month at Exxon Mobile’s Shute Creek gas plant in Wyoming, said Helen Carmichael, editor of the trade journal Specialty Gas Report. More than 25 percent of the world’s helium supply is derived from that plant. “Another factor has been that the six major U.S. helium refining facilities have not been operating at full capacity,” she said.
Geer Gas Corporation has not been affected by the current shortage, but the company with offices in Fairborn and Columbus is not taking on new business because of “the uncertainty of what is going on with helium,” said Terry Wilder, vice president of operations.
Geer provides balloon-quality helium to area party stores, florists and hospital gift shops. The company has felt the pinch of previous shortages, particularly in 2007, when its supplies were reduced by as much as 75 percent, Wilder said.
“Obviously, we all understand that the medical use of the helium is going to have to take priority over blowing up balloons with it. We’re on the bottom part of that totem pole,” he said.
McCarley said supplies to his balloon business were rationed in 2007, but he hasn’t been notified about any new cutbacks.
A large cylinder that holds 291 cubic feet of helium gas sells for about $125 and will inflate 550 11-inch latex balloons or 645 18-inch Mylar balloons, Wilder said. Liquid helium prices are comparable to gas. Distributors haven’t been notified about any increase in pricing, Chambers said.
The helium supply situation should improve during the fourth quarter when the Exxon Mobile gas plant comes back online, Carmichael said. The first production of natural gas and helium from the Riley Ridge Federal Unit in Wyoming also is expected to occur during the same period. “Our sources suggest this location represents an increment of around three percent to the total global supply,” she said.
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