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Is helium being used not only because it is inert but for its other properties as well? I mean if an application just needs an inert gas could it use argon ins
by binarymax 16y ago
Is helium being used not only because it is inert but for its other properties as well? I mean if an application just needs an inert gas could it use argon instead?
- phreeza 16y agoIt plays a big role in cryogenics, too. Helium is the standard way of cooling (non-HTC) superconductors down to operating temperature.
- narkee 16y agoRight on. MRIs need liquid helium to cool their superconducting magnet, and they need to be topped up every so often, to accommodate boil-off. It's getting pricier to do so, increasing the cost of an already expensive apparatus.
- blahblahblah 16y agoHelium is still essential for the operation of low temperature superconductors. Also, MRI experiments with hyperpolarized Helium-3 are an active area of research with potential applications for diagnostic medicine (visualization of the lungs).