EIS Helium

7/30/2019 EIS Helium

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Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1

2.0 Case Studied......................................................................................................................... 2

2.1 Characteristics of Helium Gas..................................................................................... 2

2.2 Producing Helium ............................................................................................................ 5

2.4 Does helium filled balloon defies the laws of gravity? ............................................... 6

2.5 Other related cases ...................................................................................................... 7

2.5.1 Hot air balloon ..................................................................................................... 7

2.5.2 Steel ship afloat at sea .......................................................................................... 72.5.3 Airplanes .............................................................................................................. 8

2.5.4 Space Exploration Rocket .................................................................................... 8

3.0 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................... 9


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1.0 Introduction

Helium was discovered in 1868 by a French astronomer by observation of the sun's

spectrum. Its name is derived from the Greekhelios, meaning the sun. It was thought at the

time to be a metal, hence its name-ending -ium. It ought to be called helion in order to be

consistent with the other noble gases.

Helium is a light, colourless gas with no smell or taste. It heads the list of elements

commonly called the noble gases. Helium is inert, lighter than any other gas except hydrogen,

and is useful for its lifting properties. It is the gas of choice for weather and birthday balloons

since it is non-flammable.

Helium is chiefly the product of decay of radioactive elements and is found associated

with ancient deposits of natural gas. It occurs as a minor constituent of natural gas in some oil

fields in North America. It also occurs in the sun where it is formed by nuclear fusion

ofhydrogen. The earth's atmosphere contains about 5 parts per million of helium.

There is plenty of helium in the universe. It is possible to obtain helium gas directly

from the atmosphere but the expense is prohibitive. Commercial volumes of helium gas are

extracted from raw natural gas. Helium is separated from natural gas either by adsorbing the

other gases in materials like charcoal or by cooling the other gases until all but the helium are

liquefied. As the temperature drops, the methane liquefies first, followed by the nitrogen.

Helium remains a gas and it can be pumped off.
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2.0 Case Studied

2.1 Characteristics of Helium Gas

In the perspective ofquantum mechanics, helium is the second simplest atom to

model, following the hydrogen atom. Helium is composed of two electrons in atomic

orbital surrounding a nucleus containing two protons along with some neutrons. As in

Newtonian mechanics, no system consisting of more than two particles can be solved with an

exact analytical mathematical approach and helium is no exception. Thus, numerical

mathematical methods are required, even to solve the system of one nucleus and two

electrons. Such computational chemistry methods have been used to create a quantum

mechanical picture of helium electron binding which is accurate to within < 2% of the correct

value, in a few computational steps. In such models it is found that each electron in helium

partly screens the nucleus from the other, so that the effective nuclear charge Zwhich each

electron sees, is about 1.69 units, not the 2 charges of a classic "bare" helium nucleus.

Helium is the least reactive noble gas afterneon and thus the second least reactive of

all elements. It is inert and monatomic in all standard conditions. Because of helium's

relatively low molar (atomic) mass, its thermal conductivity, specific heat, and sound

speed in the gas phase are all greater than any other gas except hydrogen. For similar reasons,

and also due to the small size of helium atoms, helium's diffusion rate through solids is three

times that of air and around 65% that of hydrogen.

Helium is the least watersoluble monatomic gas,and one of the least water soluble of

any gas, and helium's index of refraction is closer to unity than that of any other gas. Helium

has a negative Joule-Thomson coefficient at normal ambient temperatures, meaning it heats

up when allowed to freely expand. Only below its Joule-Thomson inversion temperature (of

about 32 to 50 K at 1 atmosphere) does it cool upon free expansion. Once precooled belowthis temperature, helium can be liquefied through expansion cooling.

Most extraterrestrial helium is found in a plasma state, with properties quite different

from those of atomic helium. In plasma, helium's electrons are not bound to its nucleus,

resulting in very high electrical conductivity, even when the gas is only partially ionized. The

charged particles are highly influenced by magnetic and electric fields. For example, in

the solar wind together with ionized hydrogen, the particles interact with the

Earth's magnetosphere giving rise to Birkeland currents and the aurora.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_atomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_orbitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_orbitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_chemistryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_gashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inerthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monatomichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_conductivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_heathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_soundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_soundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solubilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_of_refractionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joule-Thomson_coefficienthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joule-Thomson_inversion_temperaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_windhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetospherehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkeland_currenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(phenomenon)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(phenomenon)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkeland_currenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetospherehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_windhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joule-Thomson_inversion_temperaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joule-Thomson_coefficienthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_of_refractionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solubilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_soundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_soundhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_heathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_conductivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monatomichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inerthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_gashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_chemistryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_orbitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_orbitalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_atomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics


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`Helium has a valence of zero and is chemically unreactive under all normal

conditions. It is an electrical insulator unless ionized. As with the other noble gases, helium

has metastable energy levels that allow it to remain ionized in an electrical discharge with

a voltagebelow its ionization potential. Helium can form unstable compounds, known

as excimers, with tungsten, iodine, fluorine, sulfur and phosphorus when it is subjected to

an electric glow discharge, to electron bombardment, or else is a plasma for another reason.

The molecular compounds HeNe, HgHe10, and WHe2, and the molecular ions

,

, HeH+, and HeD+ have been created this way. HeH+ is also stable in its ground

state, but is extremely reactiveit is the strongest Brnsted acid known, and therefore can

exist only in isolation, as it will protonate any molecule or counteranion it comes into contact

with. This technique has also allowed the production of the neutral molecule He2, which has a

large number ofband systems, and HgHe, which is apparently held together only by

polarization forces. Theoretically, other true compounds may also be possible, such as helium

fluorohydride (HHeF) which would be analogous to HArF, discovered in 2000. Calculations

show that two new compounds containing a helium-oxygen bond could be stable. Two new

molecular species, predicted using theory, CsFHeO and N(CH3)4FHeO, are derivatives of a

metastable [FHeO] anion first theorized in 2005 by a group from Taiwan. If confirmed by

experiment, such compounds will end helium's chemical inertness, and the only remaining

inert element will be neon.

Helium has been put inside the hollow carbon cage molecules (the fullerenes) by

heating under high pressure. The endohedral fullerene molecules formed are stable up to high

temperatures. When chemical derivatives of these fullerenes are formed, the helium stays

inside. Ifhelium-3 is used, it can be readily observed by helium nuclear magnetic resonance

spectroscopy. Many fullerenes containing helium-3 have been reported. Although the helium

atoms are not attached by covalent or ionic bonds, these substances have distinct properties

and a definite composition, like all stoichiometric chemical compounds.

Helium is a very light, inert, colorless gas. Helium has the lowest melting point of any

element. It is the only liquid that cannot be solidified by lowering the temperature. It remains

liquid down to absolute zero at ordinary pressures, but can be solidified by increasing the

pressure. The specific heat of helium gas is unusually high. The density of helium vapor at

the normal boiling point is also very high, with the vapor expanding greatly when heated to
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room temperature. Although helium normally has a valence of zero, it has a weak tendency to

combine with certain other elements.

No Properties Values

1 Density 0.1786g/L (0C, 101.325 kPa

2 Liquid Density 0.125g/mL (at its boiling point)

3 Melting Point 0.95K

4 Boiling Point 4.216K

5 Critical Point 5.19K, 0.227 mPa

6 Atomic Volume 31.8 cc/mol

7 Ionic Radius 93

8 Specific Heat 5.188

9 Heat of Fusion 0.0138 KJ/mol

10 Evaporation Heat 0.08 KJ/mol

11 First Ionizing Energy 2361.3 KJ/mol

Table 2.1: Properties of Helium


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2.2 Producing Helium

In the Earth's atmosphere, the concentration of helium by volume is only 5.2 parts per

million. The concentration is low and fairly constant despite the continuous production of

new helium because most helium in the Earth's atmosphere escapes into spaceby several

processes. In the Earth's heterosphere, a part of the upper atmosphere, helium and other

lighter gases are the most abundant elements.

Most helium on Earth is a result ofradioactive decay. Helium is found in large

amounts in minerals ofuranium and thorium,

including cleveite, pitchblende, carnotite and monazite, because they emit alpha particles

(helium nuclei, He2+) to which electrons immediately combine as soon as the particle is

stopped by the rock. In this way an estimated 3000 metric tons of helium are generated per

year throughout the lithosphere. In the Earth's crust, the concentration of helium is 8 parts per

billion. In seawater, the concentration is only 4 parts per trillion. There are also small

amounts in mineral springs, volcanic gas, and meteoric iron. Because helium is trapped in the

subsurface under conditions that also trap natural gas, the greatest natural concentrations of

helium on the planet are found in natural gas, from which most commercial helium is

extracted. The concentration varies in a broad range from a few ppm up to over 7% in a small

gas field in San Juan County, New Mexico.

For large-scale use, helium is extracted by fractional distillation from natural gas,

which can contain up to 7% helium. Since helium has a lowerboiling point than any other

element, low temperature and high pressure are used to liquefy nearly all the other gases

(mostly nitrogen and methane). The resulting crude helium gas is purified by successive

exposures to lowering temperatures, in which almost all of the remaining nitrogen and other

gases are precipitated out of the gaseous mixture. Activated charcoal is used as a final

purification step, usually resulting in 99.995% pure Grade-A helium. The principal impurityin Grade-A helium is neon. In a final production step, most of the helium that is produced is

liquefied via a cryogenicprocess. This is necessary for applications requiring liquid helium

and also allows helium suppliers to reduce the cost of long distance transportation, as the

largest liquid helium containers have more than five times the capacity of the largest gaseous

helium tube trailers.

Helium must be extracted from natural gas because it is present in air at only a

fraction of that of neon, yet the demand for it is far higher. It is estimated that if all neon

production were retooled to save helium, that 0.1% of the world's helium demands would be
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satisfied. Similarly, only 1% of the world's helium demands could be satisfied by re-tooling

all air distillation plants. Helium can be synthesized by bombardment

oflithium orboron with high-velocity protons, but this process is a completely uneconomic

method of production.

Helium is commercially available in either liquid or gaseous form. As a liquid, it can

be supplied in small insulated containers called dewars which hold up to 1,000 liters of

helium, or in large ISO containers which have nominal capacities as large as 42 m 3 (around

11,000 U.S. gallons). In gaseous form, small quantities of helium are supplied in high-

pressure cylinders holding up to 8 m3(approx. 282 standard cubic feet), while large quantities

of high-pressure gas are supplied in tube trailers which have capacities of up to 4,860

m3 (approx. 172,000 standard cubic feet).

2.4 Does helium filled balloon defies the laws of gravity?

Gravity is known as agent that gives weight to the objects that has mass and causes

them to fall to the ground. Scientifically, it is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies

appear to attract each other with a force proportional to their masses. In the helium filled

balloon case, is it true it is defying the laws of gravity. Logically, all objects have their own

mass including gases such as helium. The balloon itself has mass. According to the law of

gravity, anything with mass will fall to the ground with a force proportional to their masses.

However, the helium filled balloon, acts the other way even though both helium and balloon

has their own mass. What makes the helium filled balloon floats not fall into the ground?

The earth that we live is surrounded by the atmosphere that consists of layer of gases.

The closer the gases or air to the earth, the denser the air. Helium known is lighter than any

gas except hydrogen. Due to the low mass, the density of the helium is also low and can be

approve by density formula,

, where (=density, m=mass and v=volume). We often

watch ship bottle floats when immersed in water influence by the law of buoyancy. The

concept applied here is Archimedes principle. Archimedes principle states that, any object,

wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the

fluid displaced by the object. The same concept is applied to the helium filled balloon.

Actually, helium filled balloon is immersed in the 'pool' of air in a natural way. Air is a type

of fluid. Due to the difference of density between air and helium, the helium filled balloon

displaces the air and float in the air as long as the density of helium plus balloon is less than

air it displaces. However, the main question has not been answered yet. Does the helium
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filled balloon defy the law of gravity? The answer is, no. The law of gravity applied to the

helium filled balloon. It also applied to the air in the atmosphere. Due to weight of the air that

is larger than the weight of helium, the air stays lower than helium. It caused the density of

air more dense near to the earth and became lesser dense as the height increased. This

explained why the helium filled balloon stop move upwards at certain height and do not float

through the atmosphere to the space. Once the helium filled balloon reached at certain level

where the density of air is equal to the density of helium filled balloon, the helium filled

balloon will stop move upwards and stay float at that level. The phenomenon of helium filled

balloon floats in the air is same as the phenomena when oil is mixed with water. The oil will

stay at the top of water due to the lower density of oil than water.

2.5 Other related cases

2.5.1 Hot air balloon

Hot air balloon seems like it is defying the gravity. How the hot air balloon that has

solid structure especially its basket can float in the air? Is it true that hot air balloon does not

affected by gravity because gravity tends to pull objects towards the earth?

Actually, it is affected by the gravity because the solid part (basket) remained at thebottom of the hot air balloon. Hot air balloon operated using very basic science principle. The

principle is warmer air rises in cooler air. This concept is similar to heating water concept.

When the water is heated in the water heater, the warmer water will move upwards and

cooler water will replace the previous warmer water place. This explains why the water

heater is designed so that the heating coil placed at the bottom of the water heater. In hot air

balloon case, the warmer air has less density than cooler air. When the air in the balloon is

heated, it become lighter and has less density than the ambient air. Therefore, large volume of

heated air can cause the hot air balloon afloat.

2.5.2 Steel ship afloat at sea

Steel is a type of metal and has higher density than water. But, why did the ship do

not sink into the bottom of the sea because of gravity pull? Is it defying the law of gravity?

According to Archimedes principle, an object in a fluid experiences an upward force equal to

the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. This means, if an object can displace water


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equal to its weight before sinking, it will float. The steel ships are designed to have shape that

will displace water equal to its weight before sinking. This phenomenon explains why the

ship does not sink into the water caused by the gravity. In fact, it is subjected to gravity. If

not, the ship would turn upside down and cannot stay afloat in the water.

2.5.3 Airplanes

How is the airplane fly in the air? Is it defying the law of gravity? Does gravity not

affected the steel airplane? Actually the plane wing is design to have an aerofoil shape. With

the aerofoil shape, the air that flow through the wing can cause lift and fly the airplane in the

air. Aerofoil shape of the wing caused the air flow velocity at upper side of the wing lower

than air flow velocity at the lower side of the wing. According to Bernoulli principle, higher

velocity of fluid low will caused higher pressure than lower velocity of fluid flow. When this

effect is applied to the airplane wing, it caused lift force acting on the wing of the airplane. If

the lift force is higher than weight of the airplane, the airplane will lifted up and fly in the air.

The gravity still affected the airplane. It is just the lift force that is higher than weight of the

airplane that caused airplane fly in the air.

2.5.4 Space Exploration Rocket

Rocket seems like defying the gravity when it is launch and move through the

atmosphere towards the space. Actually, rocket does not defy the gravity. In fact, it is follow

closely the Newton Third Law that states each action will have reaction. Rocket combustion

chamber is designed to connect to a nozzle. The product of combustion will burst out of the

nozzle at high pressure and force the rocket move upwards. The force produce is larger than

the weight of the rocket and thus lift the rocket through the atmosphere. The concept applied

is similar to when the air is release from a balloon that is filled with air.


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3.0 Conclusions

It can be concluded that defying gravity is an impossible because the gravity acts on

every objects that has mass. The applications that seem like defying gravity actually applied

other principles that manipulate gravity. For example, the airplane, ship and rocket. As long

as the objects has mass and exists in the earth, it is subjected to the gravity. Without the

gravity world will be in chaos and would not stay at certain place and move around like in the

space.

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EIS Helium