I really do hope that BNL can get some working wells before this...

I really do hope that BNL can get some working wells before this mob start producing - 10.5% He with high pressure.

A Potential World-Class Helium Discovery in Minnesota (msn.com)

A PotentialWorld-Class Helium Discovery in Minnesota

Amining project south of Brch Lake, Minnesota, could put the area on themap for something other than copper-nickel exploration: helium mining. PulsarHelium plans to drill in February off the Dunka River Road to test a gaspocket that could contain one of the highest concentrations of helium everreported in a natural gas.

The story of this discovery dates back to 2011, when Phil Larson, nowproject advisor for Pulsar Helium, was working with a copper-nickel explorationprogram doing test drills near Babbitt, a small town about 20 miles south ofEly.

“One day, we hit a gas pocket, a pressurized gas pocket. It was a lot ofpressure and blew the core tube out of the drill stream,” said Larson in aninterview. “The gas flowed for four or five days while we were carefully tryingto figure out exactly what we were dealing with.”

At first, there was worry about the gas coming out of the hole beingexplosive, but it was not. The team managed to close the hole after five days,but not before gathering some gas samples. The gas consisted of carbon dioxide,nitrogen, methane, and helium, with a precise helium content of 10.5%.

“At the time, we were just kind of scratching our heads, notappreciating what that meant,” said Larson. “We walked away from the hole as itwas not part of what we were targeted or even had a lease to do.”

“Only after the hole was sealed we started reviewing the information andrealized, ‘Oh, wow, that actually is, that’s pretty high. There is potentiallysomething there.’” said Larson.

There have been only two other documented cases of 10% helium in a gaspocket in North America. Most helium is extracted as a byproduct of gasproduction and usually accounts for less than 1% of the composition of thesegas mixtures. Helium is a valuable and scarce resource that has manyapplications in science, medicine, and industry, such as MRI machines, rocketfuel, and balloons.

There is a growing helium shortage in the US and worldwide, resulting insignificant price increases with no signs of stopping. The shortage hasgotten to a point that the federal government has been winding down itsstrategic helium reserve, which was established in 1925 to ensure the supply ofhelium for military and scientific purposes.

Pulsar Helium’s plan is to re-drill the hole filled in in 2011 andconduct a thorough assessment to determine the size of the reservoir andprovide an estimate of its capacity. “We won’t know until we drill theborehole,” said Larson.

If the test confirms the high helium concentration and the size of thereservoir, Pulsar Helium could be sitting on a gold mine of helium. “It is oneof the highest helium concentrations ever reported in a naturally occurringgas,” said Larson. “This is potentially a world-class discovery.”