Liberal Helium Plants

Gas pipelines converge at this gas plant north of Liberal, Kansas, including one that connects Denver to the Gulf of Mexico, and a 23-mile spur that connects to the Federal Helium Pipeline. Two commercial helium production plants are located here. One, the National Helium Plant, is a crude helium production facility operated by DCP Midstream, a large natural gas collecting, conveying, and processing company. It is one of three crude helium plants operated by the company as part of its larger gas refining operations (the others are the Sherhan and Rock Creek Plants in Texas).  Next to it is Air Products’ Liberal Helium Facility, the second of two major helium refineries operated by the company in the region (the other is the Panhandle Plant at DCP’s Sherhan plant in Texas). Both make grade A helium, which is 99.99% pure. It is pressurized, liquefied and trucked offsite in specialized helium tanker trucks.