Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-12-02

"a big helium production plant, en-
bodying In it's helium separation cycle
the results Of thorough research on the
part of the bureaus specialists, Is near
ing completion near the town site OF
Soney, about 6 miles west Of Amarillo,
and from the natural gas Of the Cliff
side structure, which. has been found
to have helium content OF about Ito
per cent by volume, will be extracted the
supplies of the wonder gas which VIII
keep aloft our giant air cruisers OF the
future"
While the presence of helium in the
outer cromosphere of the sun was
known as early as 1868, its discovery on
the earth did not occur until the lat
ter part of 1894. when Sir William
Ramsay found the telltale bright yell
low helium line in an inert gas OBJ
tanned from the radioactive mineral
cleveite.
Helium is found in the air in the
proportion of / part to $4,000 parts,
and it Is found in minute quantities in
sea and river water, in gases from min
eral springs and in some volcanic gases.
In none of these sources. however, is
the element sufficiently plentiful to
mercial purposes.
New Field Is Rich.
Helium production for dirigible use
was commenced by the United States
Government during the World War,
| when three plants were constructed for
experimental work in helium production
| in connection with the PetrOlia gas
| fields. These experiments resulted in
establishment of plant at Fort Worth,
| Tex, which has been operated contin-
| uously since october, 1922, and which
has produced probably 80 per cent of
all the helium that has been produced
| in the world. Until July /, 1925, this
plant was under the jurisdiction of the
Navy Department. having been trans
| ferred at that time to the Bureau of
Mines.
The new Cliffside field is approx
mately twice as rich in helium as the
old Petrolia field, and probably will pro-
vide a supply of helium for the Gov
ernment's operation of lighter-t han-air
craft for many years to come.
Rapid progress is being made in the
construction of the new plant, which
occupies site of about 1872 acres. The
buildings have been completed and
equipment now is being installed At
the new plant the helium will be re-
covered by cooling the gas to approx
which temperature all of the constitu-
entS of the gas except the helium are
liquefied, permitting the helium to be
drawn off as gas and compressed into
tank cars or steel cylinders for ship
ment.
1.-THE extremely low temperature to
be used in the plant" it is explained.
will be produced by compression and
/ subsequent expansion of the gases. At
| the minimum plant temperature at
| mcspheric air is liquid, carbon diox-
| ide and mercury are solids, lead and
copper take on the properties of steel
| and rubber Is brittle as glass. In COM
| parison, such temperatures as are found
at the North Pole would be like thrust
ing a hot poker into water"
Cost Is Reduced.
Before the World War the total
! amount of helium recovered in the
world probably did not exceed 100 Gu
bic feet, and the cost of production
was about $4,000 per cubic foot. Today
the cost Of production has been brought
down to but few cents per cubic foot.
| During the use of helium in airships
the gas escapes through the walls Of
the gas cells and air enters. At inter-
walls the helium In an airship must be
removed purified replenished and put
back. Three helium publication plants
have been constructed under the direc-
ton of the Bureau Of Mines. One Is a
stationary plant at Lakehurst, ". j.,
built for the Navy; another a mobile
plant mounted on railway car, built
for the Army, and the third q station
airy plant for the Army at Scott Field.
Ill