How to Combat the Helium Shortage: Making the Switch from Helium to Hydrogen or Nitrogen

Importance of the Topic

Helium is a critical carrier gas in gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), but global supply constraints, price volatility and strategic scarcity drive the need for reliable alternatives. Transitioning to hydrogen or nitrogen reduces dependence on helium, controls operating costs and supports uninterrupted analytical workflows.

Goals and Study Overview

This whitepaper reviews methods and best practices for replacing helium with hydrogen or nitrogen in GC and GC–MS. It presents decision trees, safety considerations, instrument configurations, case studies for biodiesel and gasoline analyses, and hardware/software tools to minimize method revalidation and ensure equivalent performance.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Carrier gas decision tree guides choice: nitrogen for routine analyses with adequate resolution, hydrogen for speed and high resolution.
• Gas Saver and Helium Conservation modules integrate with Agilent 7890B/8860/8890 GCs to switch automatically between gases during idle periods.
• Hydrogen safety features: pressure shutdown, flow‐limiting frit, oven purge, explosion containment, external H₂ sensor.
• Recommended plumbing: stainless steel tubing, proper venting, leak detection with Agilent G6696A/G6693A detector.

Main Results and Discussion

• Holdup‐time matching maintains retention times when switching gases: adjusting flow or pressure yields <1% retention variability.
• Nitrogen at equivalent holdup time delivers “good enough” resolution for fatty acid methyl esters (EN14103) and glycerin analysis (ASTM D6584) with minimal peak shape changes.
• Nitrogen carrier supports two‐dimensional GC for oxygenate and aromatic separation in gasoline (ASTM D4815), complying with repeatability and reproducibility specifications.
• Gas Saver and Conservation modules extend helium cylinder life by up to fivefold while preserving chromatography and tune quality.
  

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Lower gas costs, reduced downtime and eliminated emergency helium procurement.
• Minimal method revalidation: retention time consistency and existing timed events retained.
• Safety compliance: built‐in protection for hydrogen use and automated switching logic.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Advances in software‐assisted method translation, broader adoption of hydrogen generators, and integrated conservation hardware will further simplify carrier gas switching. Expanded hydrogen use in non‐MS detectors and 2D‐GC platforms will improve throughput and resolution in complex matrices.

Conclusion

The helium shortage can be effectively managed by combining conservation techniques with strategic migration to hydrogen or nitrogen. Agilent’s hardware, software and safety solutions enable seamless transitions, cost savings and sustained analytical performance across diverse GC and GC–MS applications.