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I see nothing wrong with your opinion…or maybe...just maybe.....the government is being run by fucking idiots.
I see nothing wrong with your opinion…or maybe...just maybe.....the government is being run by fucking idiots.
Even with a non-Helium dependent magnet for MRIs, the price for replacement will likely be cost prohibitive enough that most hospitals will be slow in making the switch which means demand for Helium for that specific use will likely continue at its current demand for some time to come.
Really hate to hear that, trulyThe steel mill in my town just shut down because of that Nippon deal, putting thousands of people outta work and taking millions outta the local economy by losing all those well paying jobs
Big thumbs down
Supply chain guy here.
There's a big difference between ammo and helium.
I'm not an expert in weapons and munitions, but from what I understand, Ammo while technically having a nearly infinite shelf life has a recommended use by date of roughly 10 years from the date of manufacture. So you want to cylcle through it and replace it if needed rather than scrap it or dump it into goverment surplus markets.
Seems like standard business practice to me. You currently have a supply so you sell the product and then when citizens of your own country need that product you raise the price and pass it on to the consumer. You make money now and when the product is needed you bump up the cost due to low supply and make money later.
It's a smart business move.
this administration is trying to destroy the countryWtf for
Supply chain guy here.
There's a big difference between ammo and helium.
I'm not an expert in weapons and munitions, but from what I understand, Ammo while technically having a nearly infinite shelf life has a recommended use by date of roughly 10 years from the date of manufacture. So you want to cylcle through it and replace it if needed rather than scrap it or dump it into goverment surplus markets.
I have more expertise in Helium. Helium is a non-renewable element and it can't be "made" it's a natural biproduct of Uranium decay but uranium has a half life of between 160,000 and 4.5 billion years. Because of the molicule size, and what temp it liquifies, and how little exists in the atmosphere, we can't harvest it from the air.
And my guess is the reason that (despite all of that) they deemed it wise to sell some reserves is 2 fold. 1) Helium is very valuable now so it will sell at a very high price. 2) Philips has figured out the helium free MRI magnet which will effect demand in coming years. I'm also hearing about a completely lossless transportation system but I'm not 100% on that.
Helium-free MR Magnet | BlueSeal | Philips Healthcare
Transition you department to more productive helium-free MR operations. Explore what Philips revolutionary fully sealed BlueSeal magnet can do for your organization.www.usa.philips.com
Edit: I just want to add that the reactionary horror from the people who didn't know we had this reserve a week ago and don't understand the market is a think of beauty.
I believe Russia is the other non-US supplierThere were concerns about a helium shortage a couple of years ago. But, back then, the concern was that there were only two major players in the world: The US and Qatar.
I know the crux of the article within this thread was specifically about MRI machines. But, the concern from a couple of years ago was that helium is needed for lots and lots of manufacturing plats from highly technical goods (e.g. cleaning computer parts while on an assembly line).
One would assume that the US and Qatar would have a lot of leverage on much of the world market with such a rare element within their borders.
GermanyWho did they sell it to? Hopefully not China, as there will be many more "spy balloons"
Rise up?
Just wait till the clowns rise up in sadness and fury.
Well playedRise up?
Not without the helium to do so...
It's not much of a secret, really. New sources of helium have been discovered and they're already gearing up to exploit them.Apparently there is more than enough stockpiled that they are not worried , or have come into a large supply that nobody knows about.
Or even better, they discovered something new that they feel we shouldn’t know about yet.
Deemed not worth worrying about stockpiling anymore.