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Premier Control Technologies Flow, pressure, level and temperature solutions

Leak Detection

Industrial Leak Detection

A Pipe or Component can leak causing significant inconvenience and cost and environmental concerns. Having equipment installed to check flowing systems can allow for the earliest often smallest leaks alerted before catastrophic failure. Likewise, components can be leak tested prior to being packed for sale or installed on a larger system improving customer satisfaction and reliability of systems.

What is Pressure Decay?

Pressure Decay is essentially the drop in pressure within a component over time. This occurs as one (or many) locations have started to allow fluid or gas to escape - and it is this leakage that we are trying to measure and locate.

What is needed for a Leak Test?

A Pressure measurement at different locations and / or a Flow measurement. Comparing measured values to pre set standards allows for a pass/ fail of a component. Similarly this same set of parameters can be used on a system, pipeline or other product where leakage could occur.

What are the Instrumentation requirements?

A Component may need a set pressure of a fluid (liquid or Gas as the fluid), by incorporating a Pressure controller device the pressure can be held stable in the component. A Flow Meter is used to measure if there is any leakage by flow from the pressure controller after the setpoint of pressure has been reached. If there is still flow once the pressure setpoint is reached this indicates the pressure controller is still allowing the fluid to pass to maintain the desired pressure. This flow is the leak rate.

A specific leak rate may be a desired requirement of a system and the same principle can be utilized for this purpose too.

At Premier Control Technologies we are specialists in flow and pressure instrumentation for either fluids (Liquids or Gas). Depending on the gas type or liquid type we can offer a solution with suitable materials of construction for that fluid.

ATEX may be a requirement for the test here we can use our specialist pressure and flow instrumentation to meet your demanding needs.

Ingress protection of the instruments is possible by selecting a higher IP rating for the environment where the leak test is to be carried out.

Leak rates can be small partially for automotive engine parts where a know leak rate must be achieved for optimal performance of a part. This maybe for a specific oil to flow at an exact pressure here a Coriolis device comes to the top of the list of possible solutions.


Video: Leak Checking Demo with an Alicat Mass Flow Controller

Examples of instruments that can be useful


Video: Demo Controlling Pressure in a Closed System with an Alicat Pressure Controller

Examples of instruments that can be useful in a closed loop system

Alicat PCD - Dual Valve Differential Pressure Controller

In closed loop (sealed containers/ systems) an Alicat Dual Valve Pressure controller has the ability to both fill or exhaust after the test

Alicat CODA coriolis flow meter

The Alicat CODA Coriolis type Flow Instruments available as Flow Meters or Flow Controllers with a small footprint can be used on Liquids or Gases

The Alicat Mass Flow range includes Flow Meters and Flow Controllers. These are suited to gas leak testing, suitable for a range of gas types particularly for Helium leak testing. With the lowest flow range available we are sure to find a leak if there is one!


Leak detection in compressed air systems

Compressed air systems in buildings is a very expensive gas to waste through leakage, this is due to the electricity consumed in creating the compressed air. A simple check from a sophisticated CS Instruments leak detector can help maintain a leak free compressed air system saving great costs to your company. Why not book a visit for a leak detection inspection of your sites compressed air.

View all Leak Detectors

We have written a very useful article that explains actual costs of you compressed air leakage, read this here: The unknown costs of your compressed air


In summary

In its simplest form we have been involved with controlling the flow for Helium Leak Checking and controlling pressures for Pressure Decay Tests. More commonly, however, we provide solutions for Faster Leak Checking with combinations of constant pressure, variable flow and/or constant flow, variable pressure depending on the application in question.

Advantages of the Alicat product range include:

  • Alicat offer the lowest measurable flow rate on the market (0.0025 ml/min) for extremely fine leak rate measurement.
  • Laminar Flow Element measurement technique rather than a Thermal sensor. Thermal sensors suffer from signal “foldover” whereby a high flow rate (for example as a result of catastrophic failure of the device being leak tested) actually cools the thermal sensor and gives a false low output. This could result in a failed component actually being passed as acceptable.
  • Remote porting can be designed to include multiple test points within the one device.

If you have an application whether a gas or liquid leak detection is required we would be delighted to support you - contact us today.

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