Breaking the Helium Crisis: Domestic Helium Extraction Equipment Strengthens Industry Chain Security

Publishdate：2026-05-29 Source：微信公众号 Views：47

Currently, the global helium market is facing unprecedented tightness. Due to the interruption of core production capacity in Qatar and Russia's extension of export controls until the end of 2027, nearly 42% of global helium production capacity has exited circulation. As of April 2026, the price of high-purity helium in China has surged by over 450% compared to the beginning of the year, with imported helium prices rising by more than 370%. The scarcity of helium has become a common dilemma for high-end industries such as semiconductors, medical MRI, and aerospace.China's helium self-sufficiency rate is less than 7%, with over 95% reliance on imports, making the risk of strategic resource bottlenecks increasingly prominent. In this context, Helium Extraction from Natural Gas has become the core path to resolving supply dilemmas and achieving autonomous control, highlighting its unprecedented strategic importance.

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China's helium resource endowment is limited, accounting for only 2% of the global total, and the helium content in natural gas is extremely low, making traditional extraction technologies difficult and costly. However, through natural gas cryogenic and BOG (Boil-Off Gas) helium extraction processes, associated helium can be efficiently enriched. This not only revitalizes local natural gas resources but also hedges against import dependency risks, offering the optimal solution that balances resource security and economic feasibility.The core of the helium extraction process relies on the Diaphragm Compressor as the "power heart." Due to helium's strong permeability and high chemical inertness, conventional compression equipment is prone to leakage and contamination. Technological breakthroughs in domestic diaphragm compressors have become the core support for the large-scale implementation of natural gas helium extraction.

As a national-level Specialized, Refined, Unique & Innovative SME "Little Giant" enterprise, Zhongding Hengsheng Gas Equipment (Wuhu) Co., Ltd. has reshaped the helium purification landscape with independent technology, becoming a core force in domestic helium extraction equipment.The company's self-developed diaphragm compressor adopts a special sealing structure to achieve zero-leakage helium compression, perfectly preserving gas purity; its precise pressure control technology adapts to the pressure requirements of the entire helium extraction process, providing a stable gas source for high-purity helium production.

Zhongding Hengsheng's hardcore strength has been firmly verified in multiple national-level Benchmark Projects. As a strategic partner of Wanrui Cold Electric,Zhongding Hengsheng supported the Yan'an Natural Gas Helium Extraction Project in Shaanxi with 4 high-performance diaphragm compressors as the core, producing helium with a purity of 99.99997% (6N9 Grade Helium (99.99997%)), setting a new domestic record. At the Yanting Natural Gas Processing Plant of PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gas Field—the first domestic demonstration project for full-chain cryogenic processing of natural gas—Zhongding Hengsheng provided 14 diaphragm compressors covering the entire process flow of crude xenon gas, circulating gas, mixed gas, high-purity helium, and impure xenon gas, filling the gap in China's full-chain cryogenic development of natural gas. In the Chongqing Sinopec Fuling LNG Helium Extraction Project,Zhongding Hengsheng provided a 6N-grade filling system, helping the first large-scale recovery project of shale gas-associated helium in China achieve helium output with 99.999% purity, completing the full-chain domestic breakthrough from exploration to high-value-added utilization.

(Some images sourced from the internet)

From following to leading, Zhongding Hengsheng takes domestic substitution as its mission, breaking the long-term monopoly of overseas companies in the field of high-end helium extraction equipment and laying a solid equipment foundation for China's autonomous control of helium. Amidst current global supply chain turbulence, Zhongding Hengsheng's technology and practices not only verify the feasibility of natural gas helium extraction but also demonstrate the responsibility and strength of domestic brands in the field of strategic resources.

On June 9, Zhongding Hengsheng will appear at IG CHINA 2026 International Gas Industry Chain Exhibition, delivering a keynote speech on case applications of natural gas helium extraction, sharing domestic technical solutions and project practices for high-purity helium production. We sincerely invite domestic and international gas industry colleagues to visit Booth 1D102 to explore ways to break through the helium industry dilemma and jointly build a new ecosystem for the high-quality development of domestic gas equipment!

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