New and Sustainable: Helium Recovery at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung
Innovative Helium Recovery System Reduces Consumption and Enhances Supply Security in NMR Spectroscopy
The helium supply situation at the Chemistry Campus had become increasingly challenging over the past few months. Emails from the Technical Services Department had highlighted the strained supply situation, and behind the scenes, discussions had been ongoing for some time about how to deal with rising costs and uncertain availability. Helium is an indispensable resource for the institute’s analytical NMR spectrometers. Now, on behalf of the Executive Board, Dr. Christophe Farès has implemented an innovative solution through the introduction of a helium recovery system.
For nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, liquid helium is used to cool the magnets. The magnet coils must be kept constantly at approximately –269 °C (4 Kelvin) in order to remain superconducting. Helium is particularly well suited for this purpose because of its extremely low boiling point and its chemical inertness. However, the price of high-purity helium has risen dramatically over the past five years. Production outages, geopolitical developments, and increasing demand - particularly from the semiconductor industry - have further exacerbated the situation.
“We had been considering the installation of a helium recovery system for quite some time because the amount of helium continuously evaporating from our NMR instruments is enormous. KOFO consumes approximately 4,400 liters of helium per year, while the MPI CEC uses around 3,200 liters annually (figures from 2023). Every two to three months, we need to refill each of the institute’s ten NMR magnets with around 50 to 60 liters of liquid helium. When I started here 16 years ago, one liter of helium cost about €9.50. Today, it costs around €35.00. It became a question of economic viability, and that was discussed in our Management Board,” says Christophe Farès.
The helium recovery project was launched in 2022 on behalf of the Management Board and was originally planned with the future construction of the new Analytical Sciences building in mind. Based on the economic feasibility study, helium recovery was approved as a pilot project for the NMR facility, and a system from Quantum Technology Solution (Canada/USA) was ordered. The system was installed in the basement of the Physics Building in 2025 and has been in operation since February 2026.
How Helium Recovery Works at the Institute
The helium recovery system captures the helium that continuously evaporates from the magnets. A newly installed pipeline transports the gas through specialized hoses to the basement. All six major instruments in the Central NMR Department in the Physics Building have been retrofitted and connected to the helium recovery system, which has the unique capability of directly reliquefying helium, operating autonomously during periods of peak demand, and delivering high-purity helium. Since there was no space on campus for large storage tanks, this compact solution was developed instead. “We are now able to recover around 90 percent of the helium we use,” explains Christophe Farès. “Even if the system is connected only to our department, the investment of around €300,000 is expected to pay for itself within approximately ten to fifteen years. If additional helium users on campus are connected, the system will become economically viable even sooner.”
A Showcase of Successful Teamwork
The implementation is an outstanding example of successful teamwork. From planning to installation, almost every aspect of the helium recovery project was carried out in-house. “Our mechanical workshop and Facilities Management did an outstanding job. Special thanks go to Mr. Konermann, Mr. Jakubowski, and Mr. Henkel. Together with my colleagues David Dunschen and Wolfgang Endler, they worked seamlessly hand in hand,” says Christophe Farès.
Administrative Director Dr. Verena Schultz-Coulon was equally impressed: “This project is an outstanding example of successful collaboration across the campus. Everyone contributed their commitment, expertise, and creativity, resulting in an excellent implementation.”
Phase One Completed – Further Expansion Is Possible
Phase One of the helium recovery project is now in operation—and there is room for further expansion. The system has the capacity to liquefy significantly larger quantities of helium. “The concept allows for the modular integration of additional users. We could also connect the four instruments in the laboratory high-rise or additional instruments on the campus. This would require additional piping, but the campus already has utility shafts that we could use,” says Farès.
Therefore, the Management Board has decided that the other consumers on campus should also be gradually connected to the helium recovery system.
