In order to transport this valuable raw material from its sourcing locations to customers all over the world, Linde has developed special cryogenic transportation tanks marketed under the name HELICS™ (formerly Helicon). Around 250 of these tanks are currently in use around the globe. Richter and his team are able to pinpoint the exact location of each HELICS tank, coordinate the retanking process, and arrange global transport routes. The 12-meter-long containers can be filled with approximately 40,000 liters of liquid helium, which corresponds to around 28,000 cubic meters of helium in gaseous form. At the core of every HELICS tank is a stainless steel vessel filled with liquid helium. This is suspended in a vacuum-insulated space by means of a sophisticated fixture. This helps to protect against vibration and shock, while also keeping ambient heat transfer to a minimum. The tanks feature an extremely effective vacuum, which is virtually free of molecules which would otherwise conduct heat,” says Richter. In addition, the vessels are surrounded by a super-insulation layer and an “icy shield” composed of over one metric ton of liquid nitrogen. This liquid nitrogen slowly evaporates and has to be topped up periodically. By refilling the liquid nitrogen, the Linde experts ensure that very little heat reaches the cryogenic helium. Richter explains the structure as follows: “The insulation layer combines materials that reflect the thermal influx with materials of low conductivity. This keeps the interior temperature as low as possible.”