Tech Talk: Detecting & Preventing Leaks
Detecting & Preventing Leaks
Swagelok fluid system specialists and field engineers with extensive technical and application expertise consult with customers in various sectors all over the world on fluid system design, installation, operation, and maintenance every day. This collaborative problem-solving frequently takes the form of onsite services designed to assist customers in identifying risk factors, resolving pressing issues, and optimizing their fluid systems. One of the most common issues: Fluid system leaks.
Have you had issues with leaks affecting your process? It's a topic that hits home for many of us. In fact, in our latest Tech Talk webinar, over 90% of the audience acknowledged to experiencing issues with fluid system leaks.
Leaks in fluid systems are typical in most plants. Because you're responsible for the safety and profitability of your plant, even the tiniest leak can be a problem. That's why it's essential to know how and why leaks happen, how to find and test for them, and how to design a strategy to address and eliminate leaks.
Detecting & Preventing Leaks Webinar Recap:
Cost of Leaks
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it's estimated that only 50% of compressed air is put to productive use - meaning most air systems have significant energy savings potential. In other words, we're throwing away 50% of compressed air. 25-30% is attributed to leaks, 10-15% to artificial demand, and the remaining 5-10% to inappropriate.
With 25-30% being lost to leaks, it's essential to find out where this might be happening and solve the problem. Referencing the chart below, valves and connectors make up a significant portion of the leaks found at a typical processing facility. These leaks are costly and might not just include compressed air. These leaks could be producing hazardous, unwanted emissions as well.
Small Fitting Leak Cost
Based on the following estimated cylinder cost, you'll be able to note the annual cost of a single leak. Zero Air will run your facility an estimated $250 per year. When you get into some of the high-purity applications, this cost dramatically increases to a whopping $7500.
Large Fitting Leak Cost
Looking at larger fitting leaks, the cost is compounded. Using the same cylinder cost, one leak for an ultra-high-purity application will run upwards of $25000 a year.
Leak Detection Methods
As shown above, leaks can be costly, and before you can fix them, you'll need to be able to find them. Leak detection is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing. You may start with one method, such as liquid leak detection, and switch to another one if necessary. Here are a few tried and true methods our Field Engineers use to locate troublesome leaks.
Snoop - Liquid Leak Detector
Snoop and Real Cool Snoop liquid leak detectors detect gas leaks in hard-to-reach areas.
Pros: Find leaks in noisy environments, highly visibility due to bubbling, easy to train people to use, easy to perform, and cost-effective.
Cons: It may not be feasible around specific equipment (sensitive electronics, analyzers, etc.) and can be difficult to quantify leaks.
Ultrasonic Gun
Leaks make sounds that might not be audible to us, but we can measure them in decibels using ultrasonic technology. Decibel readings can be converted to estimated flowrate, which helps estimate cost. The ultrasonic gun is more accurate than liquid leak detectors.
Pros: Easy to quantify leaks and can quickly identify large leaks.
Cons: May encounter some difficulty in loud areas.
Acoustic Imaging:
A newer technology deployed in the field, acoustic imaging uses a collection of microphones and a camera to visualize sound.
Pros: Easy to find leaks in noisy environments by adjusting the frequency, able to accurately quantify leaks, and quickly capture images for reporting purposes.
Cons: Expensive.
Preventing Leaks
The best way to limit high costs and productivity loss is to prevent expensive fluid system leaks. It starts with proper product selection, regular maintenance, and general best practices implementation. All three methods go a long way in improving the overall system health and life. The four key areas to watch out for are: hoses, fittings, tubing, and valves.
Hoses
Hoses are incredibly versatile. They are great for routing when you don't want to hard plumb something. Hoses are also great for both static and dynamic applications. With that being said, it can be hard to understand what to look for during installation. Best practices include proper bends, alleviating hose strain, and avoiding twists. Hoses have a published minimum bend radius that you don't want to exceed. Here are some examples of installation and proper hose use that limit hose strain and extend the life of the hose:
Fittings
Fittings are used in various environments, including extreme temperatures - or high pressure applications. Building and sustaining connections you can trust starts with proper installation. One of the most common causes of leaks is improper tube fitting installation. Best practices include properly tightening (and not over-tightening) and using tools such as a gap inspection gauge to ensure proper pull-up and leak-free quality. Another best practice to consider is designing your system for accessibility. Your critical components must be easy to reach for replacement and maintenance. Here are some examples of proper gap inspection and space accessibility:
Tubing
For the heart of your system, tubing is often needed to function and meet the difficulties of practically any industry or application. Proper tubing installation and support can lead to long-lasting, leak-tight performance. Best practices for preventing tubing leaks include:
- Proper placement. Tubing needs to be placed in areas that avoid high traffic.
- Avoid "rail" locations. Rail refers to a place where individuals might use the tubing for leverage. Example: stepping on it to reach something.
- Proper support. Tube clamps can help tubing stay in place during vibration in your fluid system process, which can help extend the life of your system and avoid leaks.
Valves
Last and certainly not least, leak-tight performance for your critical applications often comes down to proper valve selection and installation. Swagelok valves are known for durability and reliable performance even after years of use in the most demanding applications. However, valves may prove to be troublesome when it comes to leaks without proper best practice considerations. Best practices for preventing valve leaks:
- Always mount valve actuators. Proper mounting and installation are important to leak prevention.
- Adjust valve packing (if applicable). It's essential to maintain the valves with proper maintenance to reduce external leaks and internal leaks.
- Avoid valve throttling. Proper valve selection is vital to prevent issues like throttling.
We believe it is beneficial to train—and retrain—engineers and technicians in a range of areas in order to improve their ability to identify and address various sorts of leaks. Everything from material selection instruction to hands-on, skill-building courses in tube bending and tube fitting installation techniques can improve the health of your fluid systems. Swagelok, fortunately, offers a variety of training and education programs to ensure that your facility runs safely and efficiently.
Contact Swagelok Northwest (US) to learn more about identifying and repairing leaks, as well as to teach your team on best practices.
