Helium has many practical and industrial purposes. For instance, helium has a cryogenic application where the gas is used to cool down superconducting magnets in MRI scanners and NMR spectromete...
Helium has many practical and industrial purposes. For instance, helium has a cryogenic application where the gas is used to cool down superconducting magnets in MRI scanners and NMR spectrometers. The gas is also used to protect other, more solid elements such as silicon and germanium crystals and it is a shielding gas in arc welding for materials that could get contaminated by air or nitrogen at welding temperatures. Balloons as well as blimps comprise only a minor percentage of helium use.
Aside from these applications, helium is also used to detect leaks in various industries, ranging from automotive to refrigeration. Because of that, there are leak detectors on the market that use helium to see if a certain product has any leaks on it. However, many still do not know the purpose and principle of helium leak detectors. Hence, this article will seek to explain how leak detectors work, how they are used, and the numerous brands that manufacture and sell helium leak detectors on the market.
There are many ways to test and detect leaks in certain industries. With that, different types of leak detectors have been developed using various leak testing methods, such as ultrasonic leak detectors and halide leak detectors. However, many industries use helium leak detectors because it is said to be the most accurate on the market. Helium is also used for leak detection because of its properties. Being a noble gas, helium is an inert, non-toxic, and non-flammable chemical, which means it would not cause any damage during process. Furthermore, helium has a very small atomic size, which means that its particles could easily go through any leak, no matter how small it could get. It could also be found in the atmosphere at only 5 PPM and it is also a very mobile element, which means it only takes a small amount of time to detect and measure leaks using helium.
Because of helium's properties, helium leak detectors are more sensitive in detecting leaks than any other type of leak detectors, making it more reliable than any form of leak detection system. These devices work usually by being connected to the line of the vacuum pump. After that, helium would then be applied on the site where a leak could be found using a spray probe. Then, helium enters through the system and diffuses inside once a leak has been found. If this happens, the helium leak detector should be able to respond within seconds.
They also work on principles based from sector field mass spectrometers. Entry gases such as helium will be analyzed then ionized in vacuum and its ions will be accelerated with the help of added voltage before being separated in a magnetic field. Using a special detector, the helium ion will be turned into an electric current. The current will be accelerated once more before finally displaying on the leak detector's screen in units commonly used for leak detection.
Because helium is used as a tracer in locating leaks, it could be able to detect two types of leaks in a system or unit. The first type is the virtual leak and the second one is the residual leak. A virtual leak, as its name suggests, looks like a real leak because of outgassing chemicals that were trapped or adhered inside a system that is supposed to be sealed. Once gases are released into the chamber, it could create a false impression of an actual leak. On the other hand, a residual leak is a real leak caused by a puncture, an imperfection, or any other hole in the system.
Leaks on a certain object could have an impact on its efficiency and effectiveness. They are used in several industries ranging from automobiles and refrigeration to aerosol and even food packaging. Other industries that produce air-conditioners, steam products, tire valves, carbonated beverage containers, and all vacuum systems also use some form of leak detection. Once a unit or a product has been tested for leaks and some were found on its system, it will then be fixed to ensure that it will work as intended. Without detecting leaks, we could see holes in our car's airbags or even small punctures in an aerosol can.
Aside from these industrial uses, they could also be used to find small leaks in pressure vessels and other contained systems where other types of leak detectors cannot be applied due to certain risks. Because of this, certain inspection companies use helium leak detectors to search for leaks in oil and gas pipelines although the helium gas might need to be supplied by the client for the job due to its short supply. This ensures that there would be no leakage of gas or oil in a certain refinery that could cause damage to the people who are working in them.
Because many industries use it, there are several manufacturers all over the world that build helium leak detectors and sell them on the market. In fact, it is now possible to check for different models of helium leak detectors from different manufacturers through the Internet and it could even be bought directly from these manufacturers. Some of the most famous manufacturers of helium leak detectors include Agilent, Pfeiffer, Leybold, and Edwards. These manufacturers produce helium leak detectors of different shapes and sizes that can be used by various industries.
These companies do not only sell helium leak detector units to businesses but also the accessories that are used for these leak detectors. For instance, Pfeiffer offers a mobile helium leak detector unit as well as a high performance and a modular helium leak detector unit. Edwards also sells a fully automated ELD500 helium leak detector while Leybold offers the PHOENIX 4 series of multipurpose helium leak detectors that could be used for service testing and series production. Finally, Agilent sells a helium leak detector that could be operated wirelessly with a push from a remote control. These products show that manufacturers continuously work to create high-tech helium leak detectors that could serve both production sites and even oil refineries well.
There's no denying that helium leak detectors are amazing yet complicated machines that factories and inspection companies use to find even the tiniest of leaks with the help of a noble gas that most people get to know in middle school and high school. Nevertheless, helium leak detectors have big industrial applications as they help ensure that a certain product or unit is properly working by checking for leaks.
There are so many models of helium leak detectors all over the Internet, each with their own features and uses. However, how useful they will be depends on the type of business that will use them along with their demands for leak detection. Therefore, serious research needs to be done first before purchasing helium leak detectors not just because of their price but also because of the global supply of helium which is very limited at this moment.