The demand for helium continues to grow, and the domestic industry is still in its infancy.

Helium, with the chemical formula He, is a colorless, odorless, non-flammable rare gas. Its chemical properties are inactive and it is difficult to react with other substances under normal conditions. It has the characteristics of good stability, strong thermal conductivity, and low solubility. , is one of the rare strategic materials indispensable for the development of national defense and high-tech industries, and is known as “gas gold”.

There are four helium preparation methods: natural gas separation, uranium ore, air fractionation and ammonia synthesis. Among them, natural gas separation is the only industrial method to obtain helium.

The upstream of the helium industry chain is the exploration and extraction of natural gas resources and the supply of purification and refining equipment; the midstream is the production and storage of helium; the downstream is widely used in nuclear magnetic resonance, welding shielding gas, low-temperature superconductivity, semiconductors and optical fibers, etc. Among them, nuclear magnetic resonance accounts for nearly 30% of helium applications, ranking first.

According to the “China Helium Industry Application Market Demand and Development Opportunities Research Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center, with As my country’s economic strength continues to improve and high-tech industries continue to develop, the demand for helium continues to grow and the market scale continues to expand. In 2022, my country’s helium demand will exceed 24 million cubic meters, and the market size will be close to 4 billion yuan.

Helium resources are mainly distributed in the United States, Qatar, Australia, Russia, Algeria and other countries. The United States is the country with the richest helium resources, accounting for more than 45% of helium production, followed by Qatar, accounting for more than 37%. With the continuous development of aerospace, semiconductor, quantum computing and other industries around the world, the helium market is in short supply.

The United States relies on its abundant helium resources and strong scientific and technological strength to master key technologies and equipment for helium extraction, preparation, liquefaction, and storage. It occupies a dominant position in the global helium trade. At the same time, Qatar, Algeria, Australia and other helium major Purification and liquefaction technologies in producing countries are also relatively mature. my country’s helium resources are relatively scarce, and resource exploration started late and the level of exploration is low. At the same time, because helium extraction is difficult, the process is complex, and there are high technical barriers, my country’s helium industry is still in its initial development stage and relies on imported products. Stronger. At present, my country’s imported helium mainly comes from foreign-funded enterprises such as Linde, Air Liquide, Air Chemicals, Iwatani Industrial Co., Ltd., Taiyo Nippon Sanso Co., Ltd., and Wujiang Messer.

Industry analysts said that driven by downstream market demand and national policies, my country’s research on helium detection and purification has With continuous deepening, the technology of crude helium extraction, refining and transportation has gradually matured, and helium production has also increased. In 2022, my country’s helium production capacity will exceed 3.2 million cubic meters, a year-on-year increase of approximately 40%. At present, my country still has a lot of room for development in the helium industry. Relevant companies need to increase investment in research and development, improve independent innovation capabilities, and accelerate the construction of helium production capacity.