by
John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter | September 19, 2022
From the September 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Chillers should also have freeze protection to prevent ice crystals from forming in the solution. Its breakdown in any way can also lead to coldhead failure. The coldhead keeps temperatures profoundly cold at either 10 degrees or 4 degrees Kelvin, depending on the system, to re-condense helium back into liquid form from gas.
Additionally, as coldheads age, the risk for failure increases, with the component losing around 10% of its cooling capacity each year. This decreases its ability to preserve helium in liquid form, and replacements are recommended every four-to-five years (three-to-four years if using a refurbished product). Replacing a coldhead ranges from $5,000-$10,000, According to Block Imaging, a medical imaging equipment supplier in Holt, Michigan.
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Another problem with coldhead aging is that filers and adsorbers can become saturated with impurities, allowing oil to leak into the compressor. Power outages can also lead to oil leaks. Should this happen, the helium will become contaminated, causing the coldhead to fail and cooling capacity to drop, according to Kings Medical Group, a diagnostic medical imaging center of fixed and interim scanners, located in Richfield, Ohio.
If not detected, the breakdown of any of these components will cause the liquid helium to evaporate and the magnet to lose its superconductivity and become quenched. In severe cases, scanners can be out of commission for weeks due to repairs, leading to backlogs and delays in imaging. Additionally, providers are left with hefty repair bills, with severe quenches costing around $50,000 or more to fix. They also must spend thousands to replace the lost liquid helium.
Helium costs rising
The cost of a liter of helium typically ranges from $15 to $30 but has since risen due to ongoing supply chain challenges and the current helium shortage, which is the result of various incidents.
Earlier this year, the Bureau of Land Management, which operates a helium storage reservoir, shut down once for planned maintenance, only to be closed a second time by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for safety violations. Two brand new helium plants in Russia also were shut down after being damaged in early 2022 by fires.
The U.S. and Russia are two of the largest producers and suppliers of helium. Already a hard-to-find nonrenewable resource, these incidents have made helium even harder to come by and created a shortage that has dealt heavy financial blows to imaging providers.
