Helium Shortages: Is Carrier Gas Migration Right for Your Laboratory?

How Is the Helium Shortage Affecting Gas Chromatography Laboratories?

Helium shortages can increase operating costs, disrupt testing schedules, and create uncertainty about long-term gas availability.

An October 2026 CBS News 60 Minutes report highlighted how conflict involving Iran and disruptions to Qatar’s natural gas infrastructure have affected global helium supplies. For laboratories that rely on helium for routine analysis, these supply challenges raise questions about the long-term reliability of their carrier gas.

As laboratories review operating expenses and supply requirements, reducing helium dependence may become a key consideration.

Can Laboratories Replace Helium with Hydrogen or Nitrogen in Gas Chromatography?

Yes. Hydrogen and nitrogen can replace helium in certain gas chromatography applications, but neither suits every instrument or analytical method.

Helium is widely used because it is chemically inert and provides reliable chromatographic performance. Alternative carrier gases offer different advantages and limitations that laboratories must consider before conversion.

When Can Hydrogen Replace Helium as a Carrier Gas?

Hydrogen can be a suitable alternative for compatible GC and some GC-MS applications. It can support efficient separations, shorten analysis times, and potentially reduce operating costs.

However, hydrogen is flammable and requires appropriate safety precautions. Its chemical reactivity can also affect certain analytes, while GC-MS applications may experience changes in sensitivity or mass spectra.

Before converting to hydrogen, laboratories should evaluate:

• Instrument and detector compatibility
• Required resolution, sensitivity, and reproducibility
• Potential interactions with target analytes
• Gas delivery, ventilation, and leak detection requirements
• Necessary method adjustments and validation

Manufacturer guidance and qualified laboratory safety personnel should be involved throughout the evaluation. A successful conversion must maintain the analytical performance required by the laboratory’s testing methods.

Can Nitrogen Replace Helium in GC or GC-MS?

Nitrogen may be a practical alternative for certain GC methods, particularly when longer analysis times are acceptable. Nitrogen is widely available, relatively inexpensive, and chemically inert under normal GC operating conditions. However, achieving optimal separation efficiency generally requires lower carrier gas velocities, which can increase analysis times.

GC-MS applications require additional consideration. Nitrogen is generally not recommended for electron-ionization GC-MS because it can reduce sensitivity and affect mass spectral library matching. For laboratories processing large sample volumes, longer run times may offset savings from lower carrier gas costs. The appropriate choice depends on each instrument’s configuration, analytical requirements, and operating workload.

When Should a Laboratory Consider Switching from Helium to an Alternative Carrier Gas?

Laboratories should consider evaluating carrier gas migration when helium costs, supply restrictions, or availability concerns begin affecting routine operations.

A conversion assessment may be worthwhile when:

• Helium costs are increasing laboratory operating expenses.
• Supply interruptions threaten testing schedules or turnaround times.
• Existing GC instruments may support alternative carrier gases.
• Analytical methods can accommodate necessary adjustments.
• Laboratory management wants to reduce long-term supply risks.

Potential applications include petroleum analysis, environmental testing, residual solvent analysis, pesticide testing, and other compatible analytical methods. Not every method is suitable for conversion. Some laboratories may benefit from converting selected instruments while maintaining helium for applications with strict sensitivity, regulatory, or method requirements.

A broader laboratory operational assessment can help connect these technical decisions with equipment utilization, laboratory workflows, and operating costs.

What Should Laboratories Evaluate Before Switching a GC or GC-MS System from Helium?

A successful carrier gas conversion requires evaluating more than the cost or availability of the replacement gas. Laboratories should begin by reviewing existing instruments, analytical methods, and helium consumption. An accurate laboratory asset inventory and management strategy can help establish which instruments may be candidates for conversion.

Five considerations should guide the assessment:

1. Analytical performance: Can the alternative gas maintain the resolution, sensitivity, detection limits, and reproducibility the method requires?
2. Instrument compatibility: Can the existing GC or GC-MS configuration safely and effectively operate with the proposed gas?
3. Safety requirements: Are appropriate gas delivery systems, ventilation, leak protection, and operating procedures available?
4. Method adjustments: Will changes to analytical conditions, instrument qualification, or method verification and validation be necessary?
5. Total conversion costs: What hardware modifications, training, maintenance, and operational changes are required?

Laboratories should also review their current methods, sample volumes, detectors, and manufacturer requirements before moving forward. These considerations help determine whether conversion is technically feasible, economically practical, and appropriate for the laboratory’s existing workload.

What Should a Laboratory Carrier Gas Migration Plan Include?

A carrier gas migration plan should establish how instruments and analytical methods will be evaluated, modified, and returned to routine operation without compromising required performance.

The process typically includes:

• Gas process analysis: Reviewing current helium consumption, instruments, and analytical applications to identify potential conversion opportunities.
• Alternative gas assessment: Evaluating hydrogen and nitrogen against instrument specifications, analytical requirements, and operating conditions.
• Method development and validation planning: Identifying necessary analytical adjustments and establishing acceptance criteria for converted methods.
• Hardware retrofitting: Determining whether gas delivery systems, instrument components, or supporting equipment require modification.
• Implementation and training: Coordinating testing schedules, updated procedures, personnel training, and ongoing maintenance requirements.

Instrument qualification and analytical method validation should be coordinated as applicable. Confirming that an instrument operates correctly does not automatically demonstrate that a converted method continues to meet the laboratory’s requirements.

The migration plan should also account for testing continuity during implementation, especially for laboratories with demanding production schedules or high sample volumes.

How Can Laboratories Reduce Helium Consumption Without Switching Carrier Gases?

Laboratories that cannot convert certain methods may still reduce helium consumption through improved gas management and instrument-specific conservation measures. Possible approaches include reviewing helium usage, identifying unnecessary gas losses, evaluating manufacturer-supported gas-saving features, and improving supply planning. For regulated methods or high-sensitivity applications that require helium, conservation may be more appropriate than conversion.

A combined strategy can also be effective. Laboratories may convert compatible applications to hydrogen or nitrogen while reserving helium for testing methods that still depend on it. The goal is to reduce unnecessary helium consumption without compromising analytical results or laboratory operations.

How Can Overbrook Support Services Help with Carrier Gas Migration?

Overbrook Support Services helps laboratories evaluate carrier gas alternatives and develop migration plans based on their instrumentation, analytical methods, and operating requirements. Through its Carrier Gas Migration Services, Overbrook supports gas process analysis, alternative carrier gas assessment, method development planning, and hardware retrofitting evaluation.

Rather than treating every instrument as a conversion candidate, Overbrook’s assessment-first approach helps laboratories identify where migration is practical and where continued helium use or conservation makes more sense. With experience in laboratory equipment, lifecycle support, and operational planning, Overbrook helps organizations consider the technical and operational factors involved in changing laboratory instrumentation.

How Can Gas Chromatography Laboratories Reduce Their Long-Term Dependence on Helium?

Reducing helium dependence begins with understanding where the gas is used, which analytical methods can support alternatives, and what changes are needed to maintain reliable testing. Not every laboratory needs a full carrier-gas conversion. For some, transitioning selected applications to hydrogen or nitrogen may be appropriate. Others may benefit more from conservation measures and improved supply planning.

By reviewing these options before additional supply disruptions occur, laboratories can make informed decisions about their long-term carrier gas requirements.