Helium, as we are all too well aware, has typically been a gas in demand. By geography, the greatest demand for helium comes from the US (36%), while Asia (28%) and Europe (22%) are the second and third-largest markets, respectively.
By end-user market, helium is used in its gaseous form in welding and cutting, fibre optics, electronics, aerospace applications, leak-testing, deep-sea diving, growing crystals to make silicon wafers, and in the inflation of balloons. Helium is also commonly used with a wide range of analytical instruments as a carrier gas or in calibration gas mixtures.
Demand growth in the electronics business has been significant, almost exponential in fact, and it had previously been widely accepted that this would only grow further in the future with the arrival of the 450mm wafer and a considerable increase in cooling needs as a result.
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