11 Jun
2007
11 Jun
'07
8:40 a.m.
From: jd <onymouse at garlic.com>
jd wrote:
[snip]
Hi
As I said before, helium is a waste biproduct of natural gas. Nitrogen has
to be
extracted from an air mix. Nitrogen and oxygen boil at almost the same
temperature
to separating them is expensive. They usually burn off the oxygen first then
condense the nitrogen, what remains is mostly argon. Things like CO2 freeze
out early.
Dwight
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IIRC, helium costs less than argon. There's something else about argon
that
makes it undesireable as an inert gas except for
welding. What that is I
do not
know.
I hear now that argon now costs less. Have yet to see a price list. (Hello?
Air
Products?)
Not too long ago a 5ft cylinder of 99.995% helium @ 3600psi costs $75.00
plus
whatever deposit and demurrage, and the same cylinder of 99.95% argon @
around
1200psi cost around $100.00. There's much more helium in the cylinder than
argon.
I'm sure nitrogen was more expensive. I remember thinking that it was odd
that
common nitrogen was so much more expensive than helium.