Helium-3 de Gabriel A Ross

Helium-3: Critical Uses & Supply Challenges

Gabriel A Ross

The world is experiencing a shortage of helium-3, a rare isotope with applications in homeland security, national security, medicine, industry, and science. For many years the supply of helium-3 from the nuclear weapons program outstripped the demand for helium-3. The demand was small enough that a substantial stockpile of helium-3 accumulated. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the federal government began deploying neutron detectors at the U.S. border to help secure the nation against smuggled nuclear and radiological material. The deployment of this equipment created new demand for helium-3. Use of the polarized helium-3 medical imaging technique was increased. As a result, the size of the stockpile shrank. This book discusses the nature of the shortage; federal actions undertaken so far to address it and current and potential sources of helium-3 and options for increasing the supply.

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Cuprins

Preface; The Helium-3 Shortage: Supply, Demand, & Options for Congress; Managing Critical Isotopes: Weaknesses in DOE's Management of Helium-3 Delayed the Federal Response to a Critical Supply Shortage; Hearing Charter for "Caught by Surprise: Causes & Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis", before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight; Opening Statement by Chairman Brad Miller, before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight, Hearing on "Caught by Surprise: Causes & Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis"; Opening Statement of Dr William K Hagan, Acting Director, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, Department of Homeland Security, before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight, Hearing on "Caught by Surprise: Causes & Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis"; Statement of Dr William F Brinkman, Director of the Office of Science for the U.S. Department of Energy, before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight, Hearing on "Caught by Surprise: Causes & Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis"; Written Testimony of Thomas R Anderson, Product Line Leader, GE Energy, Reuter Stokes Radiation Measurement Solutions, before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight, Hearing on "Caught by Surprise: Causes & Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis"; Testimony of Richard L Arsenault, ThruBit LLC, Houston, Texas, before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight, Hearing on "Caught by Surprise: Causes & Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis"; Testimony of W.P Halperin, Physics Professor at Northwestern University, before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight, Hearing on "Caught by Surprise: Causes & Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis"; Statement of Jason C Woods, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Radiology, Physics, & Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science & Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations & Oversight, Hearing on "Caught by Surprise: Causes & Consequences of the Helium-3 Supply Crisis"; Index.