헬륨은 높은 열전도율, 화학적 불활성 및 극저온 특성으로 의료 영상, 항공 우주공학, 화학 및 제약, 반도체 제조, 광섬유, 입자 물리학 등 여러 산업분야에서 중요한 역할을 하는 유한한 자원입니다. 헬륨 시장은 그 중요성에도 불구하고 생산 다변화 부족과 지정학적 요인으로 인해 만성적인 공급부족과 가격 변동성에 취약한 것으로 알려져 있으며, 에너지 전환 (전기자동차 및 배터리), 디저털 전환 (반도체, 전자, AI, 통신 등), 기타 (우주 탐사 등) 분야에서 핵심적인 역할을 하기 때문에 EU와 캐나다 등에서 핵심 물질로 분류하고 있습니다. 본 보고서에서는 헬륨 생산 전망, 주요 산업에서 헬륨의 역할, 대체재의 가용성과 실행 가능성, 헬륨 재생 기술 및 관련 산업동향을 포함하여 9가지 주요 응용분야별 세분화된 연간 헬륨 수요와 지역별 연간 생산능력에 대한 시장예측과 전망을 제공합니다.
이 보고서에서는 헬륨의 생산 및 공급, 주요 응용분야, 시장 전망 및 업계가 헬륨 보존 방법 (예: 재생기술)을 통해 만성적인 공급문제에 대처하거나 대체품을 채택하는 방법에 대한 통찰을 제공하며 주요 내용은 아래와 같습니다.
전세계 헬륨 상산 능력과 공급에 대한 평가
- 헬륨 시장의 역사적 공급 문제 및 변동성
- 천연가스 및 비탄화수소 공급원으로부터 생산능력을 높이기 위한 주요 활동
- 헬륨 분리 및 정제 기술
주요 산업에서 헬륨의 역할에 대한 평가
- 헬륨 공급 문제가 다양한 산업에 미치는 영향
- 헬륨 소비를 줄이기 위한 기술 발전
- 헬륨의 잠재적 대안으로서 대체품의 가용성 및 주요 지표 비교
- 헬륨 소비를 줄이기 위한 완화 및 보존 전략(예: 재생기술) 의 동향
시장 예측 및 전망
- 9가지 주요 응용분야별 세분화된 헬륨 수요 2023-2035
- 주요 헬륨 생산국별 세분화돈 생산 능력 2020-2035
- 예상 공급 능력과 수요 분석 2024-2035
이 보고서에서 다루는 주요 내용/목차는 아래와 같습니다.
1. 핵심 요약
2. 개요
3. 헬륨 생산 및 공급
4. 제조산업에서의 헬륨
- 반도체 산업
- 광섬유 산업
- 누출 테스트 (전기차 배터리, 항공우주 부품, 에어컨 등)
- 산업 인사이트
5. 극저온 및 열관리 관련 분야
- MRI 및 NMR
- 양자 컴퓨팅
6. 기타 헬륨 응용분야
- 리프팅
- 화학 분석
- 우주 항공
7. 헬륨 대체재 및 재생
8. 헬륨 시장 전망 및 향후 10년간 예측
- 생산 능력 예측
- 응용분야별 수요 예측
9. 기업 프로필
Helium is a finite resource that plays a critical role across several industries including medical imaging, thermal management systems for batteries, aerospace engineering, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, semiconductor manufacturing, fiber optics, particle physics, scientific balloons, and many more. Its high thermal conductivity, chemical inertness, and cryogenic properties uniquely lend itself to its applications with limited or no available alternatives in some cases. Owing to helium's key role in the energy transition (e.g. electric vehicles and batteries), digital transformation (electronics, AI, telecoms, etc.), and space exploration, it is classified as a critical mineral by governmental bodies, e.g. the EU and Canada. Despite its importance, due to a lack of production diversification and geopolitical strains, the helium market is renowned for its susceptibility to chronic supply shortages and price volatility.
IDTechEx's report critically assesses the outlook for helium production, the role of helium in key industries, the availability and viability of helium substitutes, and helium reclamation technologies. Market forecasts are given in yearly helium demand segmented by its main applications and yearly production capacity by region.
Figure 1: Key production sources and applications of helium. Source: IDTechEx
Helium in the Manufacturing Industry
Helium is widely used in manufacturing processes due to its cooling and inert properties. It is essential for thermal management during semiconductor production, fiber optics, and is a crucial component for quality control processes such as leak testing of parts including HVAC equipment, fuel tanks, battery packs, aerospace components, etc. It is also key for welding processes to produce numerous parts, including electrical and automotive components. In particular, advancing semiconductor manufacturing processes towards smaller nodes (critical for AI, autonomous vehicles, etc.) will also increase the semiconductor industry's reliance on helium, with no currently viable alternatives.
This report critically examines how these industries are navigating chronic helium supply challenges. Through interviews with key players, e.g. manufacturers of reclamation technologies such as Telstar and Rosendahl Nextrom, the report highlights the trends and market activity in helium conservation (e.g. investing in reclamation technologies) and adoption of helium substitutes where possible.
Helium as a Cryogen
With a normal boiling point of 4.2K, helium is the only liquid at temperatures close to absolute zero (0K). It is therefore critical for operations of superconducting devices such as MRI and NMR machines in medical and chemical industries, particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider, and some nuclear fusion reactors. For quantum computing, several qubit modalities require cooling between 10mK and 4K in some aspects of the initialization, manipulation, and readout chain. To access mK (1mK = 0.001K) temperature, the use of helium within cryostats is currently essential.
In recent decades, MRI scanners have been the leading application of helium by end-use. However, improvements in hardware design (e.g. sealed-for-life designs), software (e.g. AI, deep learning), and material developments (e.g. metamaterials, high-temperature superconductors) are heralding a success story in reducing helium requirements. This report critically analyses the technological advances driving emerging trends in helium demand for MRI, NMR, quantum computing, and more.
Helium in the Aerospace Industry
Helium plays a significant role in many aspects of the aerospace industry. Helium is used as an inert gas to purge hydrogen systems, pressurize ground and flight fluid systems, leak-test components, and as a shielding gas during precision welding. It is also used as a cryogen to cool components. Over the last five years, the frequency of orbital launches has surged, with commercial entities becoming increasingly pivotal to the industry's expansion. This growth underscores the critical role of helium, further cementing its status as an indispensable resource within the sector. IDTechEx's report provides a 10-year forecast detailing the anticipated demand for helium within the aerospace sector.
Trends in Helium Production
Although helium production capacity is expected to increase with Qatar and Russia expected to ramp up production, it does not necessarily guarantee a disruption-free helium supply moving forward when considering geopolitical tensions.
A growing number of small independent players are exploring primary/green helium from geological reserves where it is present in non-hydrocarbon gases. Nonetheless, elucidating the prospects for production capacity in the medium and long term requires extensive data and validation. These projects are leveraging low-capex separation systems, e.g. membrane and PSA technologies to upgrade and purify helium at well sites or local processing facilities. Informed by insights gleaned from providers of helium separation technologies, e.g. UGS and Generon, this report comprehensively compares the merits and challenges of helium separation and purification technologies.
Figure 2: Forecast of growth for helium demand. Source: IDTechEx
IDTechEx Outlook
Historically, helium pricing has been low which rendered it economically unfeasible to drive innovations, explorations, and adoption of helium reclamation technologies. However, helium supply security is encumbered by geopolitical tensions and multifactorial contributions that affect the market. Specifically in industries where there are no viable alternatives to helium, higher helium prices are likely to push companies to consider conservation strategies and invest in reclamation technologies.
IDTechEx's latest report on Helium Market 2025-2035: Applications, Alternatives, and Reclamation provides key market insights into the production and supply of helium, the major applications, outlook, and trends in how industries are adapting to cope with chronic supply challenges with helium conservation methods (e.g. reclamation technologies) or adopting substitutes where possible. Despite conservation strategies and substitutions, IDTechEx forecasts the demand for helium will nearly double from 2024 to 2035.
Key Aspects
The report provides key market insights into the production and supply of helium, the major applications, outlook and trends in how industries are adapting to cope with chronic supply challenges with helium conservation methods (e.g. reclamation technologies) and/or adopting substitutes where possible.
The report considers the global production capacity and supply of helium with an assessment of:
- Historic supply challenges and volatility in the helium market
- Activity from key players to increase production capacity from natural gas and non-hydrocarbon sources (e.g. green helium)
- Technologies to separate and purify helium
The role of helium in key industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing, fiber optic manufacturing, leak testing of critical components, aerospace, cooling superconductors for MRI, NMR, particle accelerators, quantum computers, and more, are covered with detailed evaluations of:
- Impact of helium supply challenges on different industries
- Technological advances to reduce helium consumption (e.g. developments in superconducting magnets for MRI, NMR, and particle accelerators)
- Availability of substitutes and comparison of key metrics to determine the viability of replacing helium with potential alternatives
- Trends in mitigation and helium conservation strategies (e.g. reclamation technologies) to reduce helium consumption where viable substitutes are unavailable
The report also provides 10 year market outlook and forecasts with analysis on:
- Total demand for helium (million cubic meters) segmented by 9 key applications:
- Semiconductors and fiber optics (million cubic meters): 2023-2035
- Leak testing (million cubic meters): 2023-2035 (with and without reclamation)
- MRI (million cubic meters): 2023-2035
- Lifting gases (million cubic meters): 2023-2035
- Analytical, R&D, and specialty gases (million cubic meters): 2023-2035 (with and without reclamation)
- He-4 and He-3 for quantum computing (L): 2024-2035
- Diving (million cubic meters): 2023-2035
- Welding (million cubic meters): 2023-2035
- Pressurization & purging (million cubic meters): 2023-2035
- Total global production capacity segmented by key helium producing countries (million cubic meters): 2020-2035
- United States
- Qatar
- Russia
- Algeria
- Canada
- South Africa
- Poland
- Australia
- Comparison of projected supply capacity and helium demand (million cubic meters): 2024-2035