Carbon footprint of helium recovery systems

Abstract

Helium is a finite global resource, which is becoming vitally important to recover and reuse as it continually diminishes. The helium recovery process uses plant machinery that can consume significant amounts of power and generate a large carbon footprint. Many organizations around the world are actively trying to reduce their carbon footprint and, therefore, lessen the impact of their operations on the climate. Here we have assessed the CO2 produced per litre of liquid helium, when processed by the ISIS helium recovery system, and compared it with the estimated carbon footprint of liquid helium that is supplied by the gas companies. The comparison clearly demonstrates that the carbon footprint of liquid helium from the recovery system is significantly smaller than that of liquid helium supplied by the gas companies.