In the back drop of depletion of Helium availability throughout the world, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited has launched a pilot project in order to extract helium from Natural Gas by making use of a four-stage pressure swing adsorption technique for the first time in India.

The project, launched at Kuthalam near Mayiladuturai in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, is an important step towards the objective of assimilating new technology to make India self- reliant in helium.

The plant was designed, manufactured and installed by the Adsorption Research Incorporated, (ARC) USA.

Helium is a critical gas, which can be used in a wide range of applications such as in nuclear reactors, space fuel, satellites and medical devices. India fulfills 100% of its requirement from the United States.

Mr. R S Sharma, ONGC’s chairman & managing director, who launched the project, stated, “This is the technology breakthrough of ONGC in association with Saha Institute of Nuclear Science and Department of Science & Technology, and this will take India in the global map of ‘strategic gas’ development on the lines of the US and other countries.”

While addressing a gathering at the plant site, Mr. Sharma told, “This is the pilot project and will not be of commercial use now. We need richer and continued gas availability to make it commercially viable.”

Besides, the company is also looking at places including Rajasthan and Bombay to discover and develop helium.

But, all depends on the availability of richer gas, Mr. Sharma said.

Mr. Bikash Sinha, SINP director said that in India, most producing gas fields are present in geologically younger formation, younger than 60 million years, and have little or no helium. However, since Kuthalam is the cretaceous age gas field, it contains 0.05% of helium.