Detecting leaks in a heat exchanger at an early stage is essential to ensure safety in any manufacturing industry. Regular professional heat exchanger integrity testing has become an integral part of many industries due to the increasing regulations, codes, and standards for preventing cross contamination.

The method introduces hydrogen in the heat exchanger and detects the leak using various methods. The common method to detect hydrogen leaks are with highly sensitive sensors. These methods can help detect even the smallest of leaks. Finding leaks before they grow into a critical problem, ensures safety and reduces downtime of the heat exchanger.

A] What Makes Hydrogen The Ideal Choice For Gas Tests?

Hydrogen is widely preferred for gas testing in heat exchanger systems due to its effectiveness in detecting leaks and several other reasons:

• Easier to detect the smallest leaks: The small molecular size of hydrogen allows it to pass through even the smallest of cracks and makes it easier to detect the leakage, ensuring higher efficiency for businesses.
• Non-toxic and Safe: Hydrogen does not stick to the surface of the heat exchanger or react with other components of the machine making them safer to use. It is also non-toxic.
• Uniform concentration: Hydrogen spreads rapidly, leading to uniform concentration throughout the heat exchanger. This allows accurate readings.
• Environment friendly: Unlike other gases, hydrogen is a renewable resource and evaporates after use.
• Low background level: The level of hydrogen in the atmosphere is very low, so there can be no change in false hydrogen readings. This allows for accurate data collection and notifies even the smallest of leaks.
• Cost Effectiveness: Hydrogen, being readily accessible and cost-effective, offers significant cost savings during the leak inspection process, making it an economical choice for businesses.
• Versatility: The hydrogen method for leak testing can be used in several industries where various types of heat exchangers, such as plate heat exchangers and tubular.

B] What Are The Types of Methods Used For Scheduling A Heat Exchanger Inspection?

Listed below are the four primary methods used for scheduling a heat exchanger inspection:

• Time-based inspection: The inspection is done on a set interval of dates and is usually fixed during holidays or turnarounds to minimise downtime.
• Condition-based inspection: The condition-based inspection depends on the deterioration rates of the system and it is scheduled by monitoring the physical attributes of the machine.
• Risk-based inspection: The risk-based inspection method evaluates the factors that are harmful to the machine and schedules the inspection mostly after a heavy-duty task.
• Consequence-based inspection: Consequence-based inspection is a variation of risk-based inspection where the inspection is scheduled based on the severity of the impact that will be left on the business in case of system failure.

C] How Does Bioscan Conduct Heat Exchanger Inspection?

Bioscan conducts heat exchanger inspections by utilising hydrogen as a trace gas, utilising its small size and agility to penetrate and detect even the smallest cracks and weakened stainless steel areas.

The testing procedure involves pressurising the service side with trace gas, establishing constant airflow on the product side, monitoring hydrogen gas concentration, recording and analysing measured values, and generating automatic reports with unique test numbers. With the use of widely available tracer gas and top-notch sensor units, Bioscan delivers the ultimate service for heat exchanger inspections.

Further Read: Importance Of Integrity Testing For Tubular & Plate Heat Exchanger

Conclusion

Hydrogen gas testing has gained immense popularity across various industries as a highly effective method for detecting leaks and gaps, thanks to its numerous advantages and benefits.

Being an innovation and progress-driven company, Bioscan now offers hydrogen gas testing for finding leaks in heat exchange systems. If you are looking for a heat exchanger inspection, Bioscan is a global provider of integrity inspection services and uses the latest technologies to provide accurate results.

Contact us today for any inquiries or to receive a personalised quote for your heat exchanger inspection needs. Our team is here to provide you with the information and assistance you require.