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Helium was initially selected for the lifting gas because it was the safest to use in airships, as it is not flammable. At the time it was extremely expensive, and was only available from natural gas reserves in the United States. Hydrogen, by comparison, could be cheaply produced by any industrialized nation and had more lift. American rigid airships using helium were forced to conserve the gas at all costs and this hampered their operation. While a hydrogen-filled ship could routinely vent gas as necessary, a helium-filled ship had to resort to dynamic force if it was too light to descend, a measure that took a toll on its structure.
Despite a U.S. ban on helium exports, the Germans designed the ship to use the gas in the belief that the ban would be lifted; when the designers learned that the ban was to remain in place, they were forced to re-engineer the Hindenburg to use hydrogen for lift. Despite the danger of using flammable hydrogen, no alternative gases that could provide sufficient lift could be produced in sufficient quantities. One beneficial side effect of employing hydrogen was that more passenger cabins could be added. The Germans' long history of flying hydrogen-filled passenger airships without a single injury or fatality engendered a widely held belief they had mastered the safe use of hydrogen. The Hindenburg's first season performance appeared to demonstrate this.
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Can you use helium in an air balloon not hot air just ordinary party balloons?
yes, but when using Helium you must have the balloon completely sealed and used a mylar material for the balloon as Helium 'leaks-out' of ordinary materials.
Which process does the Sun use to produce energy?
The conversion of Hydrogen into Helium (nuclear fusion).
Why does then large hadron collider need helium?
Liquid helium is colder than anything else on the face of the Earth. They cool the magnets with helium so the wire they're made out of will superconduct - flow electricity with no resistance. The LHC's magnets use 1.5 million watts of power all tolled; imagine how much they would need if the wire had even a thousandth of an ohm per meter resistance!
A helium atom has 2 electrons in its first and only energy level. Would you predict that helium easily forms compounds with other elements?
No. Helium's two electrons completely fill the first electron energy level. Because they completely fill this level, helium will not try to borrow electrons. And, because the two electrons fill the energy level, it will not loan them out. As helium will not act to either borrow or loan out electrons, it is said to be chemically inert. It will not react with other elements. It won't even form a diatomic molecule with another atom of its own kind, as the other gaseous elements do (except the other inert gases). Helium is classed as an inert gas. It is lighter than air(hence its use in balloons) and does not support combustion. It is the only gas that shares both properties-Hydrogen is of course lighter but explosive. Helium was discovered on the rays of the Sun via the spectroscope prior to its discovery on earth. (Helios was a sun deity in Greco-Roman myth) Inert gases do not form compounds in the usual sense but can be used in mixtures in rare-gas lighting and some deep-diving gases. Strictly speaking an inert gas cannot form a compound. Noble gases indeed! They stand, or float alone!
What element makes glowing signs?
The orange colored lights seen along roadways use sodium. The white colored lights usually use mercury.
What type of gas filled the Hindenburg airship?
It was hydrogen. That's why it caught fire. Modern airships use helium.
The destruction of the Hindenburg marked the end of what element?
Hydrogen, newer airship designs use helium because it is slightly less volitile
How could the Hindenburg disaster been avoided?
no
Why does an airship float in air?
An airship uses helium which weighs less than air, and it cancels out the weight of the airship. Hydrogen weighs even less than helium, but it is combustible, so helium is preferred for use in airships.
What element was once used in the Hindenberg?
The Hindenburg was originally intended to be filled with helium, but a United States military embargo on helium forced the Germans to modify the design of the ship to use highly flammable hydrogen as the lift gas. (At the time the USA was the only country that could produce helium in the amounts required.) The Germans had considerable experience with using hydrogen and implemented necessary safety measures to preempt an accident. Prior to the Hindenburg disaster, their safety record was impressive.
When was the major disaster which heralded the use of helium in dirigibles?
The Hindenberg disaster.
Why was the Hindenburg filled with gas?
The Hindenburg was a Zeppelin (a German made lighter-than-air airship), similar to a modern day blimp. It was filled with hydrogen gas that gave it enough lift to allow it to get off the ground. Modern day blimps & balloons use helium gas. Helium has less lift capacity than Hydrogen, however it is not flammable. Hydrogen is flammable.
How did rocket fuel contribute to the Hindenburg disaster?
It didnt. Liquid Oxygen is what rockets use for fuel however the Hindenburg was filled with ahighly reactive gas called hydrogen which ignited shortly after the Hindenburg crashed.
What gas is used in a modern airship?
Some use hot air (like a hot air balloon) and others use helium.
Why hydrogen gas is used in air balloons?
It is not unless you have a deathwish - helium is used because it has a lower density than air.Added:The Hindenburg zeppelin disaster was mainly caused by the US ban on helium use in balloons.Read 'Related links' (link down at the bottom)
Why is helium used in hot air balloon?
It isn't. Hot air Ballons use Hot Air. Hot air being lighter and therefore less dense than normal air allow the balloon to float.
What gas do you use in airships today?
In their early history, buoyant airships (zepellins, blimps) were filled with hydrogen, a highly flammable gas. Since the Hindenburg disaster, hydrogen has been supplanted by helium, a much more expensive material, but one that is inert and hence much safer.
