Author: Lawrence Haynes

Lawrence Haynes | 7 minutes | 07/22/2026

What Is Sulfur Hexafluoride Used For?

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is used mostly as an electrical insulating gas, with smaller roles in eye surgery, ultrasound imaging, semiconductor etching, and leak tracing. Roughly 80% of all SF₆ produced goes to the electric power industry. WestAir supplies sulfur hexafluoride across California and Arizona. What Properties Make Sulfur Hexafluoride Useful? Nearly every SF₆ application comes …

Lawrence Haynes | 8 minutes | 07/22/2026

What Is Neon Used For?

Neon is used in signs and lighting, high-voltage indicators, cryogenic refrigeration, deep-sea diving equipment, laser systems, semiconductor manufacturing, and emerging technologies like quantum computing and aerospace. Most people hear “neon” and picture a buzzing bar sign. Fair enough. That’s the famous one. But neon does so much more than that.  WestAir supplies neon across California …

Lawrence Haynes | 3 minutes | 07/16/2026

Is Krypton Rare?

Yes, krypton is rare. It makes up about 1.14 parts per million of air by volume, or roughly one krypton atom for every million molecules of air around it. That works out to 0.0001% of the atmosphere. It isn’t the rarest gas on Earth, though. Xenon is scarcer, at about 0.087 parts per million, which …

Lawrence Haynes | 4 minutes | 07/16/2026

Why Is Nitrogen Used in the Pharmaceutical Industry?

Nitrogen is used across pharmaceutical manufacturing because it keeps oxygen and moisture away from drugs that degrade on contact with either. It shields reactions, clears equipment, fills the space above a sealed dose, and freezes biological material for storage. This one gas covers all of it, which is why it shows up at nearly every …

Lawrence Haynes | 6 minutes | 07/16/2026

How Long Do Neon Signs Last?

Neon signs typically last 8 to 15 years with proper care and maintenance. The signs that hit 15 years aren’t built from magic glass. They’re well-supplied and well-maintained, and both of those things are under your control. WestAir supplies neon across California and Arizona. What Actually Determines a Neon Sign’s Lifespan? Gas purity, electrode quality, …

Lawrence Haynes | 7 minutes | 07/09/2026

CO₂ Grades Explained

A CO₂ grade is a certified minimum purity level with capped limits on specific impurities, set by a governing standard and matched to how the gas will be used. The grade tells you what’s guaranteed to be in the cylinder and, just as importantly, what’s guaranteed to be kept out. Why Does Using the Right …

Lawrence Haynes | 6 minutes | 07/08/2026

What Is Food Grade CO₂?

Food grade CO₂ is carbon dioxide purified and tested to a level safe enough to put directly into food and drink. In practice that means at least 99.9% pure, with tight caps on specific contaminants measured down to parts per million and even parts per billion. The number alone isn’t the whole story. What earns …

Lawrence Haynes | 5 minutes | 07/07/2026

Helium Grades Explained

Helium grades refer to the purity levels of helium gas, ranging from industrial-grade blends to ultra-high-purity gas used in labs and medical devices. The grade you need depends entirely on what you’re doing with it, and picking the wrong one either wastes money or wrecks your results. Let’s break down what these grades actually mean …

Lawrence Haynes | 6 minutes | 06/30/2026

What Gas Is Used for Leak Detection?

Helium is the most widely used gas for leak detection, because it’s inert, non-toxic, non-flammable, and small enough to slip through openings that stop everything else.  A 5% hydrogen, 95% nitrogen “forming gas” blend is the main budget alternative, with nitrogen, sulfur hexafluoride, refrigerant tracers, and plain compressed air covering more specific jobs.  The right …

Lawrence Haynes | 9 minutes | 06/30/2026

What Gases Are Used by Pharmaceuticals?

Pharmaceutical manufacturing runs on a handful of core gases: nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and argon, with ethylene oxide handling sterilization. They show up at nearly every stage, from synthesizing the active ingredient to packaging the finished dose, and they all have to meet pharmaceutical purity grades before they touch product. WestAir supplies gases to …

Lawrence Haynes | 11 minutes | 05/21/2026

2026 Helium Shortage: Why Recovery Will Take Years, Not Weeks

Roughly one-third of global helium supply is offline after March 2026 missile and drone strikes destroyed key production trains at Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility.1 Even when the situation in the Strait of Hormuz fully resolves, the supply damage will take years to repair. U.S. distributors are rationing supply and spot prices have skyrocketed. What’s Happening …

Lawrence Haynes | 8 minutes | 05/18/2026

Helium Alternatives: Where They Work and Where They Don’t

Helium has viable substitutes for some applications (welding blends, gas chromatography) with manageable trade-offs, but no real alternative exists for MRI cooling, leak detection, semiconductor production, and a handful of specialty welding and purging jobs. The helium market is one of the most volatile in industrial gas, with prices and availability swinging hard on supply …