RE: AMMRL: helium rationing?

From: Sean Moran <seamus_at_bioc.rice.edu>
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:37:53 -0500 (CDT)

Sounds like there's a lot of regional variation in the behavior of the
companies. Here in Houston we get use Praxair for large volumes on our
800 and Matheson-TriGas for smaller volumes on our smaller magnets
(although I think they get their liq. helium from BOC). We place Praxair
orders in NJ and get them delivered from Dallas; they're very reliable,
but they only deliver one day a week (5 hr. from Dallas to Houston).
Math-3G is much more variable, both delivery times, volumes, and dewar
quality; none of the dewars have ever been heinously short volume-wise,
but I did have a dewar with significant ice in the bottom (service rep.
asked how I was sure there was ice, tried to explain to him that I've
chipped ice off sidewalks after ice storms when I lived in the Northeast,
so I know what metal on ice feels like, that crunchy give when the
transfer line hit the ice at the bottom of the dewar). But I guess out
West Math-3G does a better job than Praxair.

Sean

-- 
 					Sean Moran
 					Bio-NMR Facility Manager
 					Dept. Biochem. & Cell Biol.
 					Rice Univ.
 					Houston, TX  77005
 					(713)348-3475 (lab)
 					(713)348-4255 (off)
 					(832)398-4208 (cell)
 					(713)348-5154 (fax)
 					seamus_at_rice.edu
On Thu, 14 Jun 2007, Jeffrey G Pelton wrote:
> tatus: O
> X-Status:
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>
> I agree with the comments concerning Matheson-Trigas.
> Beautiful dewars, and correct quantities.
>
> We were asked to switch to Praxair as part of a
> systems contract. We got spotty performance with them -
> an empty dewar, long lead times, poor delivery estimates,
> confused customer service reps.
>
> I tried to re-establish contact with Matheson.  Unfortunatley,
> they refused our business due to supply concerns.  So,
> Praxair it is.
>
> Jeff Pelton
> Central California 900 MHz NMR Faciltiy
>--713060633-586912802-1181875073=:21359--

Received on Fri Jun 15 2007 - 10:24:08 MST