In addition to hydrogen, helium is the most common element in the universe, but despite its universal abundance, it is surprisingly difficult to find on Earth. Part of the problem is that it is non-renewable, so if it is not specifically captured during mining, its low density means that it simply escapes the atmosphere. For this reason [Meow] Maintains a helium recovery system for a lab that is detailed in this build.
The purpose of the system is to provide a refrigerant to other lab projects. Liquid helium is about 4 Kelvin and is effective throughout a variety of lab tests, but it is extremely expensive to obtain. [Meow]Its recovery mechanism is given the gaseous helium recovered from these experiments, and the equipment returns it to extremely cold liquid helium in a closed-cycle process. The post outlines the system as a whole, plus fixes some of the problems they’ve had to deal with recently, as well as many special tools needed.
Such low-weight gases can also be particularly difficult to deal with because of their small atomic size, which means they can get out of fittings, plumbing and equipment much more easily than other gases. As a result, these tools are very special and worth a look. For a less lab-based helium project, though, move on to this helium-filled guitar instead.