Issues related to the extraction and purification of inert helium gas from impurities are discussed. A brief historical background of the discovery of helium is given. The areas of application are listed, and the increased need of various industries for highly purified helium is noted. Modern automated installations are needed to control the quality of extracted helium. The design of a chromatographic complex for determining helium purity is described. All components of the complex, which operates under software control, are considered and a diagram of its operation is provided. Particular attention is paid to sample preparation: for the preparation of helium samples, the chromatographic complex includes a cryoconcentration unit operating in automatic mode under the control of a specialized program installed on a PC.