Principles of Various Leak

Detection Techniques Used in

the Canning Industry
 LEAK RATE UNITS
1 atms cc / sec = One cubic centimetre of gas,
at atmospheric pressure,
every second

Leak Types
Gross > 1 atms cc / sec
Medium > 0.01 atms cc / sec or 1x10-2

Micro > 0.000001 atms cc / sec or 1x10-6

Molecular > 0.00000001 atms cc / sec or 1x10-8
 Principles of Various Leak Detection
Techniques Used in the Canning Industry

PRESSURE DROP / RISE TEST

LIGHT DETECTION TEST

BUBBLE TESTING

DYE PENETRATION
HELIUM MASS SPECTROMETER
 PRESSURE TESTING

Pressure drop test Pressure rise test

METHOD

These tests are performed on a system pressurized to a recorded level.

The system is sealed and leakage is monitored by checking the rate at
which pressure drops or rises. Tests are relatively simple in principle.
 PRESSURE DROP / RISE 1x10-2 cc/sec

ADVANTAGES
Short test time
Fairly easy to perform in small test systems.

DISADVANTAGES

Can be used only for systems capable of being pressurized

Difficult to determine location of unacceptable leakage.
More suitable for measuring large rates of leakage.
 LIGHT DETECTION

METHOD

Light passing through any pin-holes in the end is detected by

a photo sensor.
LIGHT DETECTION TEST 1x10-3 cc/sec

ADVANTAGES

On line 100% test

Relatively low running costs

DISADVANTAGES

Poor sensitivity may allow 100% faulty products to go

undetected. Some leaks cannot be detected as very few holes
have a straight path. Larger leaks may be masked by the tab or
rivet.
 BUBBLE TESTING

METHOD
This technique involves the use of air as the tracer gas. One of the many
techniques available under this method involves pressurizing one side of
the system to be tested with air (tracer gas) and submerging in water. A
stream of bubbles will form at the point of leak.
 BUBBLE TESTING 1x10-5 cc/sec

ADVANTAGES
Bubbles locate leak position
Little skill and cost involved.
Procedure is safe in combustible atmospheres.
Appropriate equipment readily available.

DISADVANTAGES
Bubbles can come from sources other than leaks and give false signals.
Low reliability as water surface tension or impurities may plug the leaks.
Operator and time dependent.
Tested product can't be returned to the line without cleaning.
 DYE PENETRATION 1x10-6 cc/sec
METHOD
This test involves applying a penetrating dye to one side of the surface.
After a minimum of 15 minutes the other side is visually examined for the
presence of dye by using either a developer solution or ultraviolet light.

ADVANTAGES
Materials are relatively low cost.
The dye produces a visual indication of the leak.
DISADVANTAGES
Method is more sensitive than bubble, pressure and light testing, but the
results can be affected by the geometry of the leakage path.
Test is destructive.
Procedure is very slow
The dye can plug micro leaks.
Principle of Helium leak testing

• Seal end in test head

• Evacuate air from both faces

• Pressurise bottom with Helium

• Monitor top face for helium permeation

HELIUM MASS SPECTROMETER 1x10-6 cc/sec
METHOD
The tracer gas used in this method is inert Helium gas (He). The gas
is exposed to one side of the product and the other side is evacuated
through the mass spectrometer (detector). If any of the Helium
passes through a leak, the spectrometer sensor will detect the
presence of Helium atoms. The sensor responds with a signal in
proportion to the amount of Helium, and an alarm is triggered.

ADVANTAGES
Fast and efficient detection of faulty
product
Not dependant on operator judgment
Helium is readily available
Mass spectrometer system has
sensitivity up to 1 x 10-12 cc/sec
Auto-calibration with reference leaks
traceable to international standards
Method is reliable and consistent
Non destructive
DISADVANTAGES
Production-line units involve high initial cost.
This is offset by:
Returning the tested product to the
production line
No operator involvement in the testing
Reduction in costly returns
Equipment requires regular maintenance
by qualified person.
Leak Detection with
Thermography
&
Ultrasonic Acoustics
 Background
Detecting leaking fluids, whether it be steam, water or
different types of gases, is of major concern at AEP
power plants.
These leaking fluids can affect safety, operation,
maintenance, heat rate, and work performance.
Detecting leaks can be difficult in a power plant
environment.
AEP has discovered that the combined application of
Infrared Thermography and Ultrasonic Acoustics as
part of a plant Predictive Maintenance Program can
efficiently identify leaks in many areas.
 Infrared Thermography
Infrared Thermography (IR) can be used to detect
leaks on the following equipment/systems :
1. Leaking Process Valves
2. Steam Traps
3. Condensers
4. Heaters
5. Safety Valves
6. Boiler Casing
 Valve leakage
396.0°F
This leaking valve is over 177oC (350oF).
Most leaking valves are less evident.

AR01: >364.3°F

66.5°F

• Identifying leaking valves is probably the most effective

use of thermography to reduce heat rate losses and
operational problems.
• Temperature is key to identifying leaking valves. A small
temperature rise can indicate a leak through.
• Piping to a valve should be cool when it has a water leg.
If the line is hot the valve probably is leaking.
 Valve leakage
• Valves and lines going to the condenser,
boiler blowdown, miscellaneous drain tank,
reclaim tank, drip receiver, and priming for
pumps under vacuum should be checked.
• All boiler, turbine, stop valve, valve chest,
etc., drain lines need to be checked for leak
through.
• DO NOT over tighten valves!
 Valve leakage
• All boiler, turbine, stop
488.6°F

400

300
valve, valve chest, etc.,
200
drain lines need to be
checked for leak
SP01: 393.3°F

100
93.7°F

Leaking drain through.

AR01: *598.0°F 667.2°F

600 • Make sure a valve is

SP01: 533.9°F
500

400
totally closed before
300
inspecting.
200
176.6°F

Turbine reheat steam line drain valve leaking through.

 Steam Traps
361.0°F

• IR can identify leaking

350

300

SP01

bypass lines and

250

200

improper operation (must

150

monitor).
118.6°F

Steam trap stuck open.

• One must know the trap
103.2°F

100

SP01 cycle of operation.

95

90

• Comparison between like

85

80.2°F

Steam trap working normally.

equipment that is
operating the same often
confirms problems.
• Use Ultrasonic Acoustics
to confirm problems
Steam trap by-pass leaking.
 Condenser Air In-leakage
• Condenser air in-leakage can be identified with IR by
changes in temperature before and after flanges, valves
(packing), welds, safeties, etc. Detection can be
difficult and surface conditions always need to be
compensated for.
• Expansion joints are often difficult to see but should be
scanned.
• Checking a condenser tube sheet for leaks while the
unit is on can pinpoint the tube to plug. Remember to
confirm the leak with another method such as
Ultrasonic Acoustics or plastic. Water vapor can make
this difficult but once mastered it is very effective. A
large temperature difference between the air and tubes
help in identifying the leak.
 Condenser Air In-leakage
116.1°F

115
• Check all bolts,
AR01: 100.8°F

110 diaphragms and access

AR02: 103.1°F 105 doors on the condenser
100.9°F
and turbine shell.
Leaking condenser access cover.
• Condenser expansion
joints can be large source
of leakage but are often
difficult to view.
Ultrasonic Acoustics is a
Leaking condenser good alternative method.
expansion joint.
 Condenser Air In-leakage
• Visually these heater
144.3°F

140

120 vents look alike,

100
thermally there is a
85.5°F
difference. Cool air in-
Notice the temperature difference at flange. leakage can cause this.
196.2°F
• There is approximately a
180

160
12oC (20oF) difference
SP01: 153.4°F
140 across the flange.
120
SP02: 173.9°F

100

67oC 79oC 80
75.8°F
 Condenser Air In-leakage
• Using IR for air in-leakage requires a small
temperature span since the leakage cools the
downstream piping only by a few degrees.
• Changes in surface conditions (paint, rust,
etc.) must be accounted for or false
positives can result.
• Using ultrasonics or other methods to
confirm any leak is highly recommended.
 Heaters

• Heaters can also be checked with IR to

identify heat rate loss items.
• Shell safety valves, vents, drains, and
pumps are items to check during a survey.
• Both high pressure and low pressure heaters
should be scanned.
• Vacuum pumps, LP drain pumps, and other
types should be checked.
 Heaters
• Vacuum pumps, LP drain
186.4°F

180

160

SP01: *156.6°F
140
pumps, and other types
120
should be checked.
100

93.1°F

Shell vent has a vacuum leak

at the first union on the line
after the shell.
• Shell safety valves are a
common leak found. Once
they begin to leak they
normally do not re-seat
themselves.
 Safety Valves
• All safety valves should be scanned.
Especially those that do not vent to
atmosphere. Those that vent to reclaim or
miscellaneous drain tanks are often
overlooked. High energy piping safeties are
usually reset during outages and vent to
atmosphere.
 Boiler
• Infrared is very effective when used to identify
boiler and ductwork casing leaks.
• Boiler casing leaks increase auxiliary power
use by increasing load on fans and pulverizers.
• Reducing casing leaks improves combustion
and reduces excess air.
• Total air flow is often reduced (especially on
balance draft units) which decreases emissions
since precipitators, SCRs and FGDs treat less
exit gas.
 Boiler

SP01

• Casing leaks such as this one can be easily

identified with infrared.
 Ultrasonic Acoustics
Ultrasonic Acoustics (UA) can be used to detect
leaks on the following equipment/systems :
Leaking Process Valves Steam Traps
Condensers Safety Valves

How Ultrasonic Acoustic Leak Detection Works

During a leak, a fluid (liquid or gas) moves from a high
pressure to a low pressure. As it passes through the leak
site, a turbulent flow is generated. This turbulence has
strong ultrasonic components which can be heard with
specialized detection equipment.
 Ultrasonic Acoustics
• Ultrasonic Acoustics requires skilled personnel with
the proper training.
• When used to detect piping leaks it can be effective to
pin point small sources.
• Large leaks and background noise can ‘overwhelm’
many detectors and require continual adjustments to
find the source. Ultrasonic Acoustic requires turbulent
flow between low and high pressure sources.
• Vacuum leaks sound different than pressure leaks and
an experienced user can differentiate between the two.
• Shielding of the detector is a useful tool to eliminate
background noise.
 Ultrasonic Acoustics
• Inspection methods vary depending on the type of valve or steam
trap. Therefore the primary rule is to know the way a specific trap or
valve may work under specific conditions.
• To determine trap/valve conditions such as leakage or blockage:
1. Touch upstream of the valve or trap with a contact waveguide
probe and reduce the sensitivity of the instrument until the
meter/display panel reads about 50% of scale. If the instrument
has frequency tuning, you may also use this feature to hear the
trap or valve sound quality more clearly. Tune the frequency
until the sound you would expect to hear becomes clear.
2. Next, touch downstream of the valve or trap and compare
intensity levels. If the sound is louder down stream, the fluid is
passing through. If the sound level is low, the valve or trap is
closed.
3. When recording decibel levels and trending make all settings on
the ultrasonic instrument repeatable.
 Ultrasonic Acoustics

Example of a Good Valve

• Test Point A = 50 db
• Test Point B = 40 db
• Test Point C = 17 db
• Test Point D = 8 db
 Ultrasonic Acoustics
• Ultrasonic valve and steam trap inspection is considered
a "positive" test in that an operator can instantly identify
sound quality and intensity differentials and thereby
determine operating condition accurately. A steam trap
troubleshooting guide is usually available from the
factory upon request.
• Ultrasonic Acoustic is best when used with Infrared
Thermography to find leakage.
• Newer equipment can record Ultrasonic Acoustic wave
patterns and sound levels.
Steam leak Steam Trap
Air leak
 Summary
Infrared Thermography and Ultrasonic Acoustics
both provide accurate detection of fluid leaks
that commonly occur at a power plant.
When combined, the effectiveness of these leak
detection methods increases dramatically.
Confirming a suspected leak detected with one
technology by repeating the detection with a
separate technology is always a best practice.
Proper reporting of findings is key to the
successful application of these technologies.