He3 Supplier

This area is for discussions involving any fusion related radiation metrology issues. Neutrons are the key signature of fusion, but other radiations are of interest to the amateur fusioneer as well.
Post Reply
Eldarion
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:31 pm
Real name:
Contact:

He3 Supplier

Post by Eldarion »

Does anyone know a good supplier of He3? I don't need a lot, just enough to fill a 1/2"x12" tube at about 6 atm.

Thank you in advanced,
Nelson
User avatar
Richard Hull
Moderator
Posts: 14992
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2001 9:44 am
Real name: Richard Hull

Re: He3 Supplier

Post by Richard Hull »

There are a few suppliers, but be ready for a $2000.00 bill for a tiny, desktop lecture cylinder. I have been told it is in short supply just now and what of it there is has blown through the roof like gold and silver. BOC gases might be a start, but take a fat wallet with you.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
User avatar
Chris Bradley
Posts: 2930
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 7:05 am
Real name:

Re: He3 Supplier

Post by Chris Bradley »

In which country do you wish to obtain this? In UK you could try CK Gas http://www.ckgas.com/Stable-Isotopes.html
User avatar
Doug Coulter
Posts: 1312
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 3:18 pm
Real name: Doug Coulter
Location: Floyd, VA, USA
Contact:

Re: He3 Supplier

Post by Doug Coulter »

I recently attempted to buy some, for the same reason, I figured it might be cheaper to make my own tube with it. And fun besides.

The gas is "on allocation" in the US for government projects only, period, what's your government prioirty number" I was told by several suppliers that listed it. So, if you're looking in the USA, as of last month, forget it -- not for sale to us at any price.

So I went to LND and got quotes on 3He tubes, zowie -- the lowest price was well over $700, and that tube had the highest price per neutron count in a given field. The sweet spot for even a larget budget was closer to $2500 for a fairly small (less than 1" by 1') tube.

Thanks once again BillF for finding one at pennies on those dollars surplus....and thank heavens it works. I am using it and planning to cross calibrate with BTI as Richard did, along with a couple of B based tubes and a Hornyak button I bought. If you're making a lot of neutrons, any of those should be fine.

It's bad out there for 3He just now, CERN and some other people are using a lot of it up, and we let our strategic He reserve go awhile back as the last president didn't want to pay the rent on the salt dome it was stuffed into or something like that -- I forget the utterly short sighted justification, and new sources of He, mostly oil wells, don't have much 3He in them..
Why guess when you can know? Measure!
User avatar
Chris Bradley
Posts: 2930
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 7:05 am
Real name:

Re: He3 Supplier

Post by Chris Bradley »

I believe that 3He is synthesised, as the recovery from natural 4He is essentially non-viable.
Chris Seyfert
Posts: 37
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:51 am
Real name:

Re: He3 Supplier

Post by Chris Seyfert »

As the previous posts have said, the going rate is $2000/liter, and that only if you're sponsored by the government:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/us/23 ... l?_r=3&hpw
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/s ... 6/5954/778

Helium-3 is only harvested from tritium decay. According to the NYT article, gov't tritium production mostly stopped back in '89.

I think that there's going to be a comeback of BF3 tubes, poorer detection capabilities notwithstanding, as I don't see He-3 prices going down anytime soon.
User avatar
Richard Hull
Moderator
Posts: 14992
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2001 9:44 am
Real name: Richard Hull

Re: He3 Supplier

Post by Richard Hull »

Canada and India were always the big Tritium and, thus, He3 suppliers.

Regarding the US helium supply.....It was Bill Clinton who authorized the massive US helium reserve sell off. (combo cost cutting and perceived reduced need for being the world biggest supplier.) The price of helium, which was very high, plunged, of course and US cofers swelled a bit as Clinton hoped to leave office with a surplus, which turned out to have been creative book keeping smoke and mirrors in the end. Bush did not staunch the flow of helium on his watch, either.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
Eldarion
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:31 pm
Real name:
Contact:

Re: BF3 Supplier

Post by Eldarion »

Well then, does anyone know where abouts I might obtain BF3?
Tyler Christensen
Site Admin
Posts: 551
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:08 pm
Real name:

Re: BF3 Supplier

Post by Tyler Christensen »

Most specialty gas suppliers will have it, just talk to your local one. I'm not sure if it will be easy to get if you don't have a business and credentials due to its very hazardous nature.
User avatar
Carl Willis
Posts: 2841
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2001 7:33 pm
Real name: Carl Willis
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Contact:

Re: BF3 Supplier

Post by Carl Willis »

Not a snowball's chance in hell that a gas distributor would sell you compressed BF3!

This is right up there with calling Sigma Aldrich and asking for a pound of sodium cyanide...suffice it to say, a good time never comes that easily. You'd probably at a minimum have to show a recognized HAZMAT certificate to even drive away with it, and have a registration with your secretary of state's business office that the seller could check out. You will be asked to furnish copies of standard and emergency operating procedures, a facility description, address and zoning information, references, and all kinds of other proof that you are a qualified user. Approval to order such things, if granted, could be weeks or months in the coming, but most surely approval will not be granted. That's the world we live in.

Deuterium and He-3 are a breeze to obtain, relatively speaking.

BF3 proportional tubes are better in some respects than He-3 tubes. The capture reaction is more energetic, so the discrimination against gamma rays and noise is usually superior. In other respects, they are inferior. The main drawback is that the BF3 must be present at below one atmosphere in the tube in order for the tube to be shippable by ground as a non-HAZMAT article, or by air at all. He-3 fills can be many atmospheres. You will much sooner find a BF3 tube than get approved to order BF3 gas.

-Carl
Carl Willis
http://carlwillis.wordpress.com/
TEL: +1-505-412-3277
User avatar
Doug Coulter
Posts: 1312
Joined: Sun May 27, 2007 3:18 pm
Real name: Doug Coulter
Location: Floyd, VA, USA
Contact:

Re: BF3 Supplier

Post by Doug Coulter »

Carl,
BTW, I had to go through all that stuff for just plain old D (research grade, big tank), though I hear others have not had to.
In any case, I guess I'm now "in the clear" to get more weird things from them, if they have them.

I wonder if the stuff that's isotopically right is available for any price one could deal with? I'd guess the natural mix BF3 would work "at all".

I had also heard of work using just plain He for fast-N detectors, via the recoil mechanism, and plan to try it as I do have plain old He. Probably not very sensitive, but probably a good bit faster and less time smeared than anything needing a moderator. I'm still working up to that RF drive set of experiments here, and will want all the time resolution I can possibly have, for which one of the plastic scintillators is looking the best, but "deef as a post" too. Doesn't matter as much in that app, as you can average synchronously (boxcar kind of thing) and get a good signal that still have the time resolution.
I doubt the hornyak will even come close in that -- the phosphor is a slow one.
Why guess when you can know? Measure!
Post Reply

Return to “Neutrons, Radiation, and Detection (& FAQs)”