Earlier quoted context omitted.
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Please make your substantive points thoughtfully and don't cross into personal attack on HN.
Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
111–120 of 675 posts
Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#112Aren’t there huge stockpiles of helium in the US? I can buy party sized tanks at Target or big tanks at the usual places like welding supply places.
Depending on who you go to, some places will not sell you tanks of Helium. We did a balloon launch expecting to use Hydrogen because Helium was going to be problematic. The sales rep at the supply place took a look at the group of us knuckleheads with absolutely no Hydrogen experience and ended up selling us the Helium while also exchanging all of our connectors. Hydrogen tanks use specific connectors different from all other tanks to make using a hydrogen take by mistake very difficult. I was nervous about using hydrogen and had no issue with the higher price for the helium knowing I wasn't going to catch on fire.
Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#113Somewhat tangential question - for the "Just Stop Oil" folks - is it the extraction of oil that is the problem, or the burning of it? If the former, then we have an opportunity to investigate more renewable sources.
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Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where are they supposed to put all that gas and oil if they can't transport it? I don't think they have much choice here. And as far as I understand, helium is a byproduct of the extraction, so they can't choose to keep only the helium.
However Qatar stopped production before the straits were officially closed and their stated reason is "due to military attacks", also Russian or Chinese ships can pass
The strait is now mined at least partially. Country of origin doesn't matter when there are mines in the water.
Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
BLM [(Bureau of Land Management)] completes $460M sale of federal helium reserve to private company | 12/12/2024 | https://www.eenews.net/articles/blm-completes-460m-sale-of-f... Messer Completes Acquisition of Federal Helium System from BLM | June 27, 2024 | https://www.messer-us.com/press-releases/messer-completes-ac...
BLM was required (to sell it) by Congress in the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, as the alternative was to not offer any H to the market due to the authorization to sell expiring. Sponsored by a Republican and passed basically unanimously with the proceeds used to pay of the debt (back when we cared about that)
The idea of selling things like our strategic helium supply for $460M to "pay off the debt" would be like me selling bricks from the foundation of my house for a penny to "pay off my mortgage".
Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#116Somewhat tangential question - for the "Just Stop Oil" folks - is it the extraction of oil that is the problem, or the burning of it? If the former, then we have an opportunity to investigate more renewable sources.
The goal is to keep the oil in the ground, to not be burned or to be made into plastics.
Isn't the main source of helium from oil production? It's not like we have fusion reactors turning H into He.
Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
BLM [(Bureau of Land Management)] completes $460M sale of federal helium reserve to private company | 12/12/2024 | https://www.eenews.net/articles/blm-completes-460m-sale-of-f... Messer Completes Acquisition of Federal Helium System from BLM | June 27, 2024 | https://www.messer-us.com/press-releases/messer-completes-ac...
BLM was required (to sell it) by Congress in the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, as the alternative was to not offer any H to the market due to the authorization to sell expiring. Sponsored by a Republican and passed basically unanimously with the proceeds used to pay of the debt (back when we cared about that)
Wouldn't another alternative be to renew the authorization to sell? This doesn't seem much different from just deciding to sell it.
Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#118Aren’t there huge stockpiles of helium in the US? I can buy party sized tanks at Target or big tanks at the usual places like welding supply places.
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Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where are they supposed to put all that gas and oil if they can't transport it? I don't think they have much choice here. And as far as I understand, helium is a byproduct of the extraction, so they can't choose to keep only the helium.
However Qatar stopped production before the straits were officially closed and their stated reason is "due to military attacks", also Russian or Chinese ships can pass
Are Russian or Chinese ships actually passing? Junior just released a decree saying not one liter of oil will pass. It didn't have an asterisk allowing Russian or Chinese ships.
I also find it funny that we just decided to allow Russia to pad its coffers by temporarily lifting sanctions on sale of Russian oil. Sorry Ukraine!
Re: Qatar helium shutdown puts chip supply chain on a two-week clock
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
BLM was required (to sell it) by Congress in the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013, as the alternative was to not offer any H to the market due to the authorization to sell expiring. Sponsored by a Republican and passed basically unanimously with the proceeds used to pay of the debt (back when we cared about that)
The idea of selling things like our strategic helium supply for $460M to "pay off the debt" would be like me selling bricks from the foundation of my house for a penny to "pay off my mortgage".
What if it's not actually your house, but some unspecified "somebody else's", and you only stand to profit from it? Starts to make sense why some unscrupulous people would go that way, shitty as it is.