The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-26
CHEMISTS BELIEVE
HEL|UM SOLUTION
OF BL|MP PROBLEM
Non-InfIammable Gas May Be
Depended Upon to Prevent
Future Disasters in
the Air

Washington, November 25.-The
recurrence of disasters to hydrogen
inflated airships has turned public
attention to the possible develop
ment OF helium--a non flammable
gas first discovered during the World
war and regarded by many exponents
Of air navigation as the one solution
Of the lighter than-air craft prob
lem.
Government and other experts be-
lieve that the use of helium would
have prevented the terrible disasters
of late years. such az that OF the
Roma and the c.. While only one
ship an army blimp, thus far has
been filled with helium, quantity pro-
duction OF this rare gas is forseen.
Satisfactory operation, on lab
oratory scale. of a simpiified and
much cheaper method of recovering
helum from natural gas is reported
through the American Chemical
society by Fl. Foster Balm, director
OF the United states bureau of mines.
In the test made within the last
month at the cryogenic laboratory
in the interior department building,
helium was recovered In ono opera
ton in sufficient purity TO use In
balloons and dirigibles.
Cost Reduced
This development" says Director
Balm, Indicates that very soon the
cost of the commercial production of
helium for lighter than-air craft
will be greatly reduced
Chemists of the bureau say tho
cost of producing helium has been
too great to permit of widespread
use. However, with the new methods
fidence to its general use In the near
future.
Helium has 90 per cent lifting
capacity OF hydrogen. can be easily
stored, does not rapidly deteriorate.
does not readily leak from Il gas bag
and has all the advantages of hydro
gen without the great danger draw
back. In fact, hellum makes more
satisfactory filler. navy dirigible
pilots have told the bureau chemists,
because a helium-fille bag Is stead
Ter in the air.
Producing Gas
The government now has stored
approximately 1000 900 cubic feet of
helium and is producing at the rate
Of $4,000 cubic feet daily at its COM
mercial production plant at Fort
Worth, Texas, the only helium plant
in the world. As soon as this plant
has started running in full capacity,
II Is expected that the government
will be able to produce helium at the
low cost of 10 cents cubic foot.
The Fort Worth plant was run last
year for only Il few months and that
only on an experimental basis. The
plant was started running continu
ously however, on October 1.
Helium occurs on earth only in
certain natural gases, much of which.
In this country were used for Hub
mating and power generating.
refining out and discarding
helium among other i'm
purities." Such gases occur also In
Italy and Canada but no helium is
being received in those countries
Representative Julius Kahn of Cali
fornia has introduced a bill in Con-
gress to support definite program
for helium recovery, action upon
which is expected from the next ses-
sion of that body.
Encourage Production
Meanwhile" says DR.. Moore of the
bureau of mines, every effort is
being made to encourage the produce
LlOl VI icliuIu Dy commercial COM
panies and every assistance will be
given the government in such de-
velopment."
Under the present system of helium
extraction. followed in Forth Worth,
ga per cent return of helium Is OBJ
tanned from the natural gas. This
81 per cent must be put through a
purifying process before 1t can be
used. BY the new method, only one
process of extraction is necessary,
after which the gas is supplied di-
rectly to the aircraft.
The Fort Worth plant employs 200
men under the direction OF Com
mander Olsen. Funds are available
for the operation of the plant until
January l. at>.least, and then it IL
expected that enough will be forth.
coming for the commercial produce
tion tests.