Leak testing equipment refers to a class of nondestructive testing equipment commonly used to measure the escape of liquids, vacuum or gases from sealed components or systems. There are some arrangement of leak testing equipment that require a separate sensor or leak detector as an input. These devices are often equipped with various other components such as calibrators, gauges, pumps and cases.

Methods of Leak Testing

There are various methods available for testing leaks. Some of them are:

• Bubble testing method is commonly used for applications that do not require high sensitivity. It involves dipping a pressurized test object in a water tank. Emergence of bubbles confirms presence of leak.
• The colorimetric method employs treating the surface with a developer that reacts with the activating tracer i.e. the leaking fluid, thereby causing a visible color change to take place at the point of leakage.
• In case of electronic gas detection, the test object is pressurized with a tracer gas and a sniffer probe is used to scan the object for leaking gas.
• Colorimetric developers are used for leak testing of large single and double walled tanks, vacuum and pressure vessels, complex piping systems, laminated, lined or double-walled parts, flexible containers such as aircraft fuel tanks, glass-to-metal seals in hybrid packages and systems that inherently contain or will contain the tracer such as water, ammonia, chlorine or oil.
• Developer application method is applied for aerosol spray, paint or treated paper.
• The mass flow method employs compensation of any pressure change measured by a pressure sensor by introducing air into the test part.
• There is another leak detection method known as an ultrasonic leak detector, commonly known as sonic or choked flow or turbulent flow. This detector is used to pick up sounds.

Salient features

Generally leak testing equipment feature:

• Timers
• Triggers
• Alarms
• Data logging or Memory
• Self-calibration

Applications

These equipment find a wide application in the following areas:

• Research & Development
• System Manufacturing
• Furnace/Metallurgy
• Refrigeration Manufacturing
• Air Conditioning Manufacturing
• Chemical Industry
• Analytical Requirements
• Automotive Component Industry
• Oil & Gas Plants