Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by ramraj07 878 days ago
The simpler thing to do seems to regulate helium use in birthday balloons.. not a hard choice between life saving diagnostics and large numerically shaped balloons..
4 comments

I have 3 foil party balloons still inflated after 2 months and 3 days. I left them by the window as heat from the sun provides kinetic energy to the helium atoms to improve the balloons longevity. These three balloons have provided me with enough joy to keep me inside staring at them all day not outside at risk of injury which ultimately leads to an unnecessary MRI.
When those balloons finally fail, sounds like it’s just a matter of time before you end up in the noisy donut once again.
Everything we know is matter and time. No one is immune.
No kidding, tell me about it. My personal odometer is ticking over right now.
Haha, You got this survivor.
My father turned 80 and they kept his mylar balloon around in the living room for at least 18 months. It's one of the few things that survived the cat.
I love this story. There is something about a helium balloon that is awe inspiring to observe. For helium atoms even the sky is not a limit.
> heat from the sun provides kinetic energy to the helium atoms to improve the balloons longevity

How does that work?

Gas pressure is the atoms/molecules bouncing off something else. If the atoms have more energy, then they impart more energy into whatever they bounce off (inside of the balloon), which essentially means higher pressure i.e. the balloon appears inflated again. Until the sun goes away and the OP's party dies for a time. :)
How does that increase longevity, thought? Seems like it just inflates the balloon more?
idk if not going out for 2 months and 3 days puts you closer or further from the need of an MRI ...
Touché, however i’m joking to illustrate a moot point for no reason at all. I am just pro floaty balloons.
Party balloons are normally filled with what’s known as “balloon gas”. It’s a mix of air and helium that’s not suitable for use in medical equipment.
Balloon gas is 97% helium, so from a helium consumption standpoint it's about the same either way:

https://www.boc.com.au/shop/en/au/balloon-gas

I had to do some digging to find more about this.

> "Balloon Grade" Helium represents a slightly impure Helium. While there is no scientific definition of this quality, it is often accepted that the purity of "Balloon Grade" Helium is around 99%

https://www.quantum-technology.com/recover/balloon-grade-hel...

Sounds high, but not pure enough for MRI applications, and it isn't currently economical to reliquefy without shipping it to a processor.

> Manufacturers have stated that this wasted helium is considered a ‘recycled product’ as it would have been lost to the environment had it not been captured and re-purposed. If the balloon market demand declined, manufacturers would have to re-evaluate other markets and consider the possibilities of re-liquefying it. Re-liquefying is currently considered uneconomical from the locations of where the filling application take place.

https://www.partysafe.eu/balloon-and-gas-helium

Also it's small, but not insignificant, sector of the market:

> "A reasonable estimate is that latex 'party' balloons and their foil equivalent account for between 5% and 7% of the total helium usage."

https://www.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2012/dec/11/sh...

Why? I like party baloons. My MRI, not so much.
why don't you fund the life-saving diagnostics enough that they can outbid birthday party planners? i'm not convinced birthday party planners are rich enough anywhere in the world that this is an actual problem