Balloon Basics and Discount Helium of Dallas
A few uplifting facts about helium
by Tammy Latimer on 02/05/15
An article on Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/11/26/few-uplifting-facts-about-helium-which-makes-big-balloons-soar-in-nyc/
It'll never rank up there with turkey and pumpkin pie, but for millions of Americans the Thanksgiving experience just wouldn't be the same without ... helium.
For 364 days of the year, the colorless and odorless gas works quietly behind the scenes, doing jobs like chilling magnets in MRI imaging machines and helping welders protect their work from impurities.
But on Thanksgiving, the lighter-than-air element moves onto a much bigger stage. It's the stuff that makes Snoopy, Spider-Man, Papa Smurf and other huge balloons sail high above the crowd at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
Just so we can be properly thankful for the second most abundant element in the universe (it ranks behind hydrogen), we turned for some basic facts to Eric Bass. He is product manager for helium at Linde North America Inc. This week, for the 20th straight year, his company will supply the gas to the parade, which in turn is marking its 88th year.
Where does the parade helium come from?
It forms underground and tends to mingle with natural gas deposits. So when companies extract and process the natural gas, they separate out the helium and sell it to companies like Linde. Helium is shipped worldwide, so the stuff that will pump up Paddington Bear or Pikachu could come from as close as Kansas or Wyoming, or as far away as Qatar, Africa or even Australia.
How does it get to the parade?
First, the gas is chilled to make it a liquid so it's easier to transport. Huge, specialized containers of the stuff are shipped to a plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Gas floats above the liquid in these containers; this gas is drawn off and compressed. The gas is loaded into heavy steel tubes, and 10 to 12 tubes are put on each of four flatbed trucks. The day before the parade, the trucks drive into Manhattan for the inflating of the parade balloons. Crews fill the balloons with long hoses, topping them off on parade day.
How much helium is needed?
Enough to fill 600,000 to 700,000 Mylar party balloons. But the parade helium is 99.999 percent pure, whereas the stuff in a party balloon might be only 97.5 percent pure.
How big are the balloons?
They come in a variety of sizes. According to Macy's, Snoopy is as tall as a three-story building, as long as 11 bicycles and as wide as five taxi cabs. The big balloons are made up of multiple chambers that are inflated individually.
What happens to the helium after the parade?
It escapes to the atmosphere as the balloons are deflated. In 2008, Linde tried recycling some of the gas by withdrawing it through tubes put into some of the balloons. But Bass said the process was expensive, and there wasn't enough time to recover most of the gas before the streets had to be cleared for traffic.
Order calendars now
by Tammy Latimer on 07/11/12Now is the time to begin considering your calendar purchase for next year. People get used to having a calendar in plain sight and when it is not there, they feel lost. This is why calendars are such a great promotional product. Keep your message top of mind all year long.
Helium Demand on the Rise
by Tammy Latimer on 07/27/11
This information came from the blm.gov website from 2007:
Demand is Ballooning
Demand is Ballooning
Where Has All the Helium Gone?
By Leslie Theiss, Manager, BLM Amarillo (TX) Field Office
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a major supplier of crude helium to refiners in the
For 350 days last year, the BLM’s crude helium enrichment facility was operating at full capacity, supplying more than 6 million cubic feet a day or 2.1 billion cubic feet per year. |
As demand for helium is rising, supplies of crude helium are tightening. Our agency’s role in helping meet the demand by refiners is expanding even though ‘our’ crude is sold at a Congressionally mandated price that is higher than most private sources of crude.
We knew helium hit the big time last fall when Jay Leno included a joke in his monologue that went something like this:
The American Helium Association announced there’s a shortage of helium until December. In fact there might not be enough helium for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. When asked why there was shortage they responded by saying (in a high pitched voice) “We have no idea.”
[BLM disclaimer: Inhaling helium is not a good idea. Because helium is less dense than air, inhaling it creates the potential for collapsed lungs. Really.]
Besides its use in party balloons, helium is essential for things that require its unique properties – its inertness, its incredibly low "boiling point" and its high thermal conductivity. Helium is used to pressurize liquid propellants used by the space shuttle and in the semiconductor/computer chip manufacturing process. Liquid helium is used to cool magnets used in MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) equipment.
Sounds boring until you need it.
Helium was pretty much unknown before the twentieth century. It was first discovered in natural gas in 1903 when an exploratory well in
BLM's Crude Helium Enrichment Facility near Amarillo, Texas. The facility provides crude helium to refiners that suply about about 40% of U.S. helium production.
A federal helium program was created in 1925 to ensure that the gas would be available to the government for defense needs. Over time, it evolved into a program to supply the government with refined helium for research and aerospace uses.
By the 1990s, the demand for helium by the private sector was ballooning and far surpassed government needs. Congress decided that the feds didn’t need to be in the business of supplying refined helium to
The Helium Privatization Act of 1996 redefined the program’s mission as operating a crude helium storage reservoir and pipeline system, and providing crude helium (enriched to about 80 percent helium) to private refiners.
So why is the
The short answer is that demand is up and several overseas helium plants that were expected to be up and running in 2006 were delayed and down. Throw in things like the New Year’s storm in
So what about the BLM – are we holding up our end of the bargain?
Our Cliffside Gas Field, 15 miles northwest of
The BLM is selling and delivering more helium than ever before but supplies remain tight. We took our helium enrichment plant down for several days last summer when a compressor failed, and 10 days for annual plant maintenance in November, temporarily reducing deliveries of crude helium to refiners on the pipeline. BLM also had to reduce deliveries of crude helium during the week of January 15, 2007, when its plant experienced an unexpected shut down due to severe weather.
However, for 350 days last year, the BLM’s crude helium enrichment facility was operating at full capacity, supplying more than 6 million cubic feet a day or 2.1 billion cubic feet per year. We can’t increase production because this would result in adverse impacts to the gas field, wells, compressors and other equipment.
The amount of helium offered for sale by the BLM to private industry over the past four years was 2.1 billion cubic feet (bcf) each year. The amount of helium purchased ranged from 0.7 bcf in 2004 to 1.6 bcf in 2006. The BLM delivers crude helium to refiners along the Helium Conservation Pipeline; deliveries ranged from 1.3 bcf in 2003 to 2.1 bcf in 2006 (including reserves from previous years).
The bottom line in terms of helium supply is that there is very little excess helium refining capacity, and domestic supplies of crude helium are growing ever tighter. Until overseas plants are fully online and/or additional plants are built, we’re potentially facing additional supply disruptions, if not shortages.
The Bureau of Land Management is committed to providing its share of crude helium to the marketplace, and will continue to do so.
Getting started in the balloon business
by Tammy Latimer on 05/23/11
Do you think just anybody can start a balloon business? There are some keys to success that will you not only start off on the right foot, but stay in business and be profitable. Get connected with the industry. Check with manufacturs sites and www.balloonhq.com for information. I also highly recommend www.conwinonline.com. On Conwin's website you will find a great article entitled "Starting a Balloon Business.
Be sure to invest in the proper equipment you will need to do the job right. Be professional and look professional...the right tools help with this. You will want to invest in a great balloon inflator. Safely securing your helium cylinder is an absolute MUST at all times. Tanks have to be chained and secured. This is true even when you are decorating for an event. Keep a tank safely secured on a cylinder stand when in use.
Learn what others are doing. You never want to copy design ideas, but use them as inspiration to help you create one of kind designs that will set you apart from the competition. Good luck and happy decorating!
Summer Balloons 2011
by Tammy Latimer on 04/25/11Our summer brochure which includes balloon for graduation, Father's Day, Memorial Day and 4th of July. These balloons are ready to order today. We would be happy to send you a copy!
