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discovered_02_2013

FOCUS// The HZDR Research Magazine WWW.Hzdr.DE 16 17 THE HELIUM LIQUEFIER’S CENTERPIECE: Thomas Herrmannsdörfer at the coldbox, inside of which gaseous helium is purified and liquefied. Photo: Oliver Killig // Just in time, an important extension of the HZDR was recently completed: the new building for the helium liquefier which is scheduled to become fully operational by March 2014. The research community is currently bracing itself for a devastating price increase or, possibly, even a serious bottleneck for liquid helium. Thomas Herrmannsdörfer, division head at the Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory (HLD), sheds light on the situation. _Interview . Sara Schmiedel Scarce, scarcer, helium Mr. Herrmannsdörfer, why is it so important for the HLD to run its own helium liquefier? Here’s the issue: The global demand for helium has been increasing steadily over the last few years, for example through the economic and scientific catch-up of up-and- coming nations like China. In response, the global helium supply either stagnates or drops. There is also the very real possibility that the US National Helium Reserve will be shut down. Within a few years, two-thirds of the helium supply that had been built up over several decades were being sold out. This is now recognized everywhere and it could easily lead to a crisis. There is a real fear on the part of our US colleagues, e.g. at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee that they will no longer receive enough helium from the reserve. Are there no helium deposits outside the US? Here on Earth, helium is a natural gas by-product. Unfortunately, only a handful of large natural gas sources have been tapped that contain sufficient quantities of helium: outside the United States, the only other sources are in

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