Texas court keeps the helium flowing

The helium can continue to flow in Amarillo, Texas, thanks to a ruling on Nov. 7 from Texas state judge Douglas R. Woodburn. It’s welcome news for helium users as about 9% of the global helium supply flows through Amarillo. The ruling concerns equipment for purifying helium leaving the large geological gas storage site that was, until recently, the US Federal Helium System . The industrial gas firm Messer bought the system at auction earlier this year, acquiring the underground formation that holds crude helium, a portion of the helium inside, and some of the supporting infrastructure. But the government didn’t own the crude helium enrichment unit. A partnership of industrial gas companies called Cliffside Refiners bought it in 1996 and leased it back to the government. Air Products and Chemicals, one of the partners in Cliffside, has been blocking the partnership from setting up a new lease with Messer,