The conflict between Russia and Ukraine may intensify the tension between krypton gas supply and demand. China’s krypton gas industry needs to speed up production capacity layout

Krypton is a chemical element with the chemical element symbol Kr. The elemental gas is a colorless, odorless and tasteless inert gas. Krypton shows a yellow-green glow when discharged. It contains trace amounts in the atmosphere and can be obtained from Krypton through fractionation. Separated from liquid air. Krypton-infused light bulbs are very bright light sources and are often used to make fluorescent lamps. Krypton, like other inert gases, is extremely inactive chemically and does not easily interact chemically with other substances. Krypton gas can be used in electronics, light sources, medical treatment, marking materials and other fields. It can be specifically used in memory 3D NAND, aerospace, insulating glass, electric light source lighting, special tools and some scientific research fields.

In recent years, with the continuous development of digital technology and information technology, the demand for memory has continued to expand, especially the expansion of memory capacity, forcing the memory industry to accelerate technological innovation and seek new memory production processes. 3D NAND, as a new large-capacity storage The devices are favored by global memory leading companies such as Samsung and Hynix. As an important material in the 3D NAND process, the demand for krypton gas is also growing. In the field of aerospace, the krypton ion thruster used in Musk’s Starlink project is to ionize and eject krypton gas to generate power (xenon gas has a large atomic weight and is more suitable for satellite propellant, but because it is expensive, it is cheaper to choose Krypton gas). In addition, the development of light sources, insulating glass, special tools, medical and other fields has also greatly boosted the growth of krypton gas demand. According to the released “2022-2026 Krypton Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report“, in 2021, benefits Due to the expansion of output in the electronics industry, especially the memory industry represented by semiconductors, the demand for krypton gas has grown rapidly and has exceeded 150,000 cubic meters.

China is an important producer and exporter of krypton gas. This is mainly due to the development of the domestic steel industry and the progress of the air separation industry that supports the development of the steel industry. The large amount of krypton gas produced in China every year not only supplies the domestic market but is also exported in large quantities. To the international market, it is mainly exported to major semiconductor production countries such as Japan and South Korea. In recent years, due to the tightening relationship between supply and demand, the overall price of krypton gas has increased significantly, and some terminal markets have exceeded 20,000 yuan/cubic meter. In addition, as an important producer and exporter of krypton gas in the world, Ukraine supplies nearly 30% of the world’s krypton gas. Recently, the Russia-Ukraine war has hit Ukrainian rare gas production companies, which may aggravate the tension between krypton gas supply and demand, and then trigger A new round of price increases for krypton gas.

Analysts believe that in the context of tight global krypton gas supply and soaring product prices, China’s krypton gas industry needs to speed up production capacity construction and Product reserves to meet future market demand not only ensure the stability of the domestic supply chain, but also expand profits. In addition, companies in the krypton gas industry must increase technology research and development efforts and develop krypton gas suitable for the advanced semiconductor industry to improve the industrial chain of China’s semiconductor industry and promote industrial upgrading.