Leak Testing Method (LT)

Leak Testing Method (LT)

Introduction
The leak depends on the size of hole, size of fluid particles, material and storage time.
Gross leaks are detected by vision, hearing (Sonics) or smell.
Smaller leaks are detected by bubble test, amplified sonic method (AE) or chemicals that
produce color change.
Very small leaks are detected by special materials that pass through leak.
The smallest leaks are detected
The smallest leaks are detected using Helium leak detectors.

Applications of LT

Containers leakage ( aerosol cans, food containers)

Manufacturing of sporting goods (basket ball, football)
Refrigerators and air conditioning systems
Petrochemical plants, communication lines, (under water lines)
Electronic devices
Nuclear power plants (fossil fuel), electrical power plants

Leak Testing Methods

Hydrostatic Testing
Immersion Bubble Test
Halogen Leak Test
Visual, Smell (mal odorant)

Soap Bubble Test

Sonic Leak Detection
Helium Leak Detection
Miscellaneous

Hydro Test (Proof Test)

Pressurizing from 1.5 to 2 times the operating pressure, water is preferred
The medium of the test is water (air, dry nitrogen, helium are dangerous)
Air test is dangerous as the compressed air may release its potential energy if the vessel
wall fails (like puncturing a balloon)
If the vessel wall test fails (using water), the pressure rabidly falls to zero with little
damage to the vessel
Leaks are detected by a sensitive pressure gage
The test sensitivity depends on the hydro test length of time
It is necessary to observe temperature control over long time to observe small leaks, as
the temperature changes, the sensitivity of the test decreases
leak location is detected by
adding a dye to the fluid ( the dye may be fluorescent)
adding ammonia or hydrogen sulfide to gases
leakage of gas can be detected using paper soaked in an reagent or
painting the vessel surface with reagent
phenol phethalein solution turns to bright red in the presence of ammonia
cadmium solution turns to yellow red in the presence of hydrogen sulfide

Leak Testing Method (LT)

Soap Bubble Test

Special fluid is applied (this fluid produces bubbles with gas)
A waiting period of at least 30 minutes for small leaks
Sensitivity will be about 0.01 cc/s at STP (10-2 cc/s)
Standard cc/s means the equivalent volume of air measured at 1 atmosphere, 0oC has
escaped in 1 second (i.e. at STP)

Immersion Bubble Test

A gas pressurized system be immersed in a container of liquid
Adding a surfactant or a detergent or alcohol to liquids to increase sensitivity level (as
detergent added it will lower the liquid surface tension, small surface tension forms small
bubbles with plenty amount so increases sensitivity but large surface tension forms large
bubbles (little amount) so decreases sensitivity
Sensitivity will be 0.001 cc/s at STP

I-1032 Bubble Solution

(a) The bubble forming solution shall produce a film that does not break away from the
area to be tested, and the bubbles formed shall not break rapidly due to air drying or low
surface tension. Household soap or detergents are not permitted as substitutes for bubble
testing solutions.
(b) The bubble forming solution shall be compatible with the temperature of the test
conditions.

I-1070 TEST
I-1071 Soak Time
Prior to examination the test pressure shall be held for a minimum of 15 min.

I-1072 Surface Temperature

As a standard technique, the temperature of the surface of the part to be
examined shall not be below 40F (4C) nor above 125F (52C) throughout
the examination. Local heating or cooling is permitted provided
temperatures remain within the range of 40F (4C) to 125F (52C) during
examination. Where it is impractical to comply with the foregoing
temperature limitations, other temperatures may be used provided
that the procedure is demonstrated.
Sonic Leak Detection
This method operates in ultrasonic range of 20-40 KHz to pick up the sound of gas
escaping through a small hole
The system consists of a very directional microphone (sensitive in ultrasonic range)
which drives an amplifier, then the ultrasonic frequency is converted into an audio signal,
so, it can be heard on earphones
Acoustic emission is another method for leak detection
Sensitivity is ranges from 10-3 to 10-10 std cc/s
Noise and vibration can affect sensitivity

Leak Testing Method (LT)

Halogen Leak Test

It is called gas tracer leak testing
The system is pressurized with a gas containing a halogen (halogen is halide from
fluorine, chlorine, bromine & iodine)
The most common used are Freon because it is not reactive, available, non toxic and
inexpensive
Halogen leak detectors are used for refrigeration systems, chemical plants that use vinyl
chloride
Halogen leak test consists of:
Special burner (attached to small propane bottle)
Rubber tube acts as sniffer to bring a sample of the leakage into the flame
The flame will turn from colorless to green or violet or purple (in existing of halogen)
The sensitivity ranges from 10-3 to 10-5 std cc/s
Electronic halogen leak test ionize the halogenated tracer gas to provide a signal
Sensitivity of electronic halogen leak test ranges from 10-3 to 10-6 std cc/s

III-1060 CALIBRATION
III-1061 Standard Leak Size
The maximum leakage rate Q for the capillary leak standard described in III-1033
containing 100% tracer concentration for use in III-1062 shall be calculated
as follows:

Where the actual percent test concentration is the concentration of the tracer gas that is
to be used for the test. See III-1072.

III-1072 Concentration of Tracer Gas

The concentration of the tracer gas shall be at least 10% by volume at the test pressure,
unless otherwise specified by the referencing Code Section.
3

Leak Testing Method (LT)

Helium leak test

It is a special mass spectrometer set to detect helium
It is the most sensitive leak test (10-4 - 10-12) std cc/s [1 std cc/s = 5555 oz Freon/year]

IV-1000 INTRODUCTION
IV-1010 SCOPE
This technique describes the use of the helium mass spectrometer to detect minute traces
of helium gas in pressurized components. The high sensitivity of this leak detector makes
possible the detection of helium gas flow from the lower pressure side of a very small
opening in an envelope or barrier separating two regions at different pressures, or the
determination of the presence of helium in any gaseous mixture. The detector probe is a
semiquantitative technique used to detect and locate leaks, and shall not be considered
quantitative.

The system consists of:

Roughing pump
Diffusion pump
Valves to isolate system or deliver a measured sampled
Small mass spectrometer (at low pressure)
Electronic systems to provide read out of small current (produced by helium ions)
The system operation:
Sample of gas is brought from the specimen into the mass spectrometer
Gas sample is ionized, +ve ions are accelerated through a hole to form a beam
that passes through magnetic field, other ions are deflected so that the only helium
ions pass through another hole
Ions lighter than helium are deflected more than helium ions, heavier ions are
deflected less
Only helium ions are collected to form small current, then amplified and
presented as a meter reading out
The principle behind helium leak detection is that ions lighter than helium ions are
deflected (by affecting magnetic field) more than helium ions also heavy ions are
deflected less than helium ions, so helium ions pass through magnetic field (undeflected)
forming a pure helium beam then amplified and displayed as a read out.
OTHER METHODS OF LT THAT USED IN STEAM PLANTS AND NUCLEAR
POWER PLANTS
1. Insulated Wire Method (Electrical Conductivity Method)
using a pair of wires wrapped with a unique insulation material
when the insulation is wet by water or steam leak, it forms a conducting
bath between wires at that point
measuring the resistance between wires, the leakage point is detected
this method is useful in remote areas

Leak Testing Method (LT)

2. Sensitive Tape Method

Making pilot holes in the insulation to connect the interest locations (such
as welds, flanges, threads...) with moisture sensitive tape (it contains an
activating material [ammonium nitrate])
Any moisture will activate the tape, locating the leak remotely

3. Radioactive Gas Tracer Method (Radio Isotopes)

pressurize the specimen with radioactive gas or place it in a pressurized

container
after exposure, clean the specimen then placing it in a radiation detector
chamber
any leakage of radioactive gas from the specimen to chamber is detected
the sensitivity is 1 std cc/500 year (6.3*10-11 cc/s) detected in repeaters
used on (under the ocean telegraph lines)
H3 and Kr85 used as gas tracer to trace gas leakage
Na24 and Sb124 used as radioactive material tracer to trace liquid leakage

Note: one year = 31.536*106 sec.