A New Standard in
Preventive Leak Testing
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Everything Leaks!
It’s up to the user to determine what leak
rate is acceptable
acceptable.
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Current Standards
Monthly monitoring - 0.2 gph 1,752 as
liquid (gallons in 1 year).
year).
Precision tank and line testing - 0.1 gph as
liquid (876 gallons in 1 year)
year
year).
)
).
ELD standards - 0.005 gph as vapor (2 E
E-/
) or (44 gallons
ll
)
3 cc/sec)
off vapor per year).
Pacemakers have an acceptable
p
leak rate
of 1 E
E--9 cc/sec (1 cc in 31 years) as vapor.
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Current QC Testing
Methods
Pressure Decay
Soap Bubble / Visual
Vacuum Decay
Hydro Testing
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Commission Testing
Precision Tank and
Line Testing
Monitoring System
Testing
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New Opportunity
Double wall system designs.
More complex in-field construction
practices.
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California ELD
Requirements
Adopted in July of 2003
Newly installed USTs must pass an ELD
test in order to receive an operating
permit.
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Enhanced Leak
Detection (ELD)
A leak testing method with a sensitivity
capable of detecting a 0.005 gallon per
hour leak (as vapor) with a 95% probability
of detection and 5% probability of a false
l
alarm.
Leaks of this order of magnitude
g
will not
pass liquid.
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New Construction ELD
New UST systems are
required to pass an ELD
test after construction is
complete.
Primary containment
systems
only.
y
y
One time test.
Only one technology met
this standard.
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Ouch!!!
Initially failure rates
approached 90%
In some cases, new piping
y
had to be removed
systems
and replaced
Angry tank installers, owners
and equipment manufactures.
Could new systems meet this
standard?
DISASTER!!
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Solution!
Perform helium pre
pre--test prior to
backfilling.
Final test failure rates
immediatelyy dropped to less
than 2%.
Problem solved.
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Idea!
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Concept
Develop a helium based ELD method
for quality control testing newly
constructed fueling systems.
Helium Leak Testing in
Industry
Originally used on Manhattan project
during WWII for detecting small leaks in
the gas diffusion process in the early 40’s.
Commercialized in the early 50’s spurred
on by the space program.
Rapid leak testing with helium is used
extensively
t
i l iin iindustry
d t ttoday.
d
Automotive
u o o e Industry
dus y
Engine Blocks
• Automatic loading
• 20 test/hour
• 1e
1e-3
3 atm cc/sec
Valves
• Automatic loading
g
• 300 test/hour
• 1e-6 atm cc/sec
Cylinder Heads
• Automatic loading
g
• 15 test/hour
• 3e-2 atm cc/sec
Power Steering Units
• Manual loading
• 90 test/hour
• 2e-4 atm cc/sec
Energy Industry
Heat exchange
and
d steam
t
condensation
d
ti
lines
Semiconductor Industry
y
C iti l gas
Critical
distribution lines
Aviation Industry
y
Aircraft Wing Tanks and Oxygen
Piping
We learned that
that…
Quality control leak testing with helium is
not a new concept.
p
Using a refined, scientific based process
for in
in--field quality control testing of fuel
systems would be a new application.
0.005 gph as vapor sensitivity – could be
done in the field with a high degree of
confidence.
R&D
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Leak Simulation
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Permeation Curve
AMERON TEST 1
1.00E+00
1.00E-01
1.00E-02
Leak Rate ATM-CC
C/S
1.00E-03
1.00E-04
1.00E-05
1.00E-06
1.00E-07
1.00E-08
1.00E-09
1.00E-10
1.00E-11
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Time in Minutes
Leak Rate ATM-CC/S
ATM CC/S
Power (Leak Rate ATM-CC/S)
ATM CC/S)
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VaporTite V005
Enhanced Leak Detection
(ELD) Method
Certifications
Ken Wilcox and Associates –
EPA Non
Non--Volumetric (tracer)
Protocol..
Protocol
National Work Group on Leak
Detection Evaluation Listing
(NWGLDE)
(
)
California State Water
Resource Control Board
(SWRCB) listing
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How it Works
Process
1. Pre Testing
2 Final Testing
2.
Piping Primary
Tank Primary
Components
p
in
Containment
Test Setups
Connection at the
turbine
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Pi i S
Piping
Systems
t
Test Manifold Detail
Air Management System
No Leak
0.005 gph Leak
0 005 gph as vapor
0.005
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Typical Leak
Real World Example
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Real World Example
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Real World Example
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T i lL
Typical
Leak
k
Test Certification
L k Locates
Leak
L
t
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Effect?
Materials
handling
M t i l h
dli
Installers strictly
y follow installation
instructions
Piping tools kept sharp and in good
condition
Eliminated unnecessary fittings
Modification of secondary access fittings
Installers learned to build tighter systems.
Today
We
1-6 lleaks
during
preW find
fi d 1k on every site
it d
i pretesting and rarely does a system ever fail a
final.
Installers like knowing that their work has
been checked by a 3rd party – before
b kfilli !
backfilling!
Owners sleep
p better knowing
g that their
installation has been QC tested to a very
tight standard
standard.
Leak Prevention
Insuring tighter installations today, will
certainly help prevent releases in the
future.
future
Eric Hick
ehick@cgrs.com
Thank you for your time!
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