Sources for Helium-3 Isotope Extraction and Prospects of its Development

The article considers the current problem of helium-3 supply constraints for industry and science. The projected He-3 shortage is approximately 55000 liters (at 1 atm and 20 degrees C) in the world production market. Tritium is the only industrial He-3 source. Alternative sources of He-3 are discussed in this paper. Between 25 and 50% of the He-3 shortage could be addressed with natural gas extraction. To obtain high purity He-3 gas, low-temperature methods of separation (superfluid filtration, rectification and adsorption) are promising. The He-3 lunar mining operation could cover the entire worldwide shortage, but this is not a perspective over the next fifteen-twenty years. The controlled thermonuclear fusion is both an energy source and a new He-3 production alternative source. Between 10 and 25% of the He-3 shortage could be covered with this technology. The high molar concentration of He-3 in the obtained mixtures will make it possible to extract the rare isotope by the method of low-temperature adsorption with subsequent enrichment by the method of low-temperature rectification.

Automated summary

This article considers the current issue of helium-3 supply constraints for industry and science. It discusses alternative sources of helium-3 and presents various methods to address the shortage.