Alerted to the research community’s impediments to obtaining liquid helium, the Materials Research Society (MRS) in conjunction with the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Chemical Society (ACS) has just released a crucial policy report on helium (He). The report, Responding to the U.S. Research Community’s Liquid Helium Crisis, outlines the essential role that liquid He plays in US innovation, details the current issues impacting the use and availability of He across the scientific community, and provides specific recommendations to scientists and policymakers to promote responsible stewardship of this vital and nonrenewable natural resource.

Liquid He is “the professional lifeblood of tens of thousands of [US] scientists and engineers” as stated in the report and is further described as being irreplaceable and crucial to future scientific advancements. The report also points out the essential role liquid He has already played in the development of billion-dollar industries, its importance in medical diagnostics as a coolant in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, and its use in a broad range of research fields enabling thousands of patents and several Nobel prizes.

MRS and partner societies are shining a spotlight on liquid He now because the landscape for procuring He is rapidly changing and has left many scientists scrambling to find new ways to maintain a reliable and affordable supply of He. The Helium Stewardship Act diverted an immediate helium shortage in 2013 and provided some short-term solutions by extending the life of the US Federal Helium Reserve and setting up a gradual transition to a fully private He market by 2021 (see the article in the December 2013 issue of MRS Bulletin for more details). However, the transition has not been without setbacks and many laboratories dependent on He have seen recent shortages and price hikes as reported both in the September 2014 issue of the MRS Bulletin and within the helium report.

“Affordable access to helium has started to limit the ability [of He-dependent researchers] to conduct research, and while we aren’t in an ideal situation right now, it could get much worse if we don’t address some of these issues soon,” says Mark Elsesser, APS Senior Policy Analyst. Elsesser adds that “the report really focuses on long-term solutions, with one of the most obvious options being the conservation of He in research labs facilitated by switching over to recyclers and reliquefiers. Weaning researchers off helium reduces dependency on the market and helps the research community better weather fluctuations in helium price and availability.”

The capital investment required to purchase and install new equipment with recycling capabilities is cited within the report as a significant hurdle to recycling He in research laboratories across the country. But the report also points out that investment in a small-scale liquefier can pay for itself in a relatively short period of time (less then three years in some cases). In addition, the report highlights alternative financing options offered by manufacturers that would allow researchers to set up payment plans or lease-to-own options for helium-reducing systems.

The final recommendation within the report centers on scientific societies helping researchers find economically viable ways to conserve He. “It is important for the societies to not only make the recommendations, but to be a part of the solution where possible,” says Damon Dozier, MRS Director of Government Affairs. To this end, APS has launched a website in conjunction with the He report where researchers can explore various He conservation options available to them and be matched directly to the manufacturers of He recycling and liquefying systems.

“MRS sees this as an opportunity to be a part of a community solution to the problem of acquiring helium for essential research purposes and we encourage our members to take advantage of this website,” Dozier says. In addition, Dozier points out that He recycling is not a purely domestic issue and says, “we hope that international users of helium can also take advantage of the matching process.”

Read the report here.