Services · Non-Destructive Testing
Helium Leak Testing per ASME BPVC Section V Article 10
Usable helium sensitivity in the 10-11 atm.cc/s range, with a roughing capacity of 10 cubic metres per hour, taken on site to nuclear carriers, polymer plants, refineries and turbine halls across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and India.
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In brief
TCR Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd. performs helium leak testing in sniffer, vacuum and hood modes to ASME BPVC Section V Article 10, ASTM E498 and ASTM E499, qualifying pressure vessels, heat exchangers, condensers, reactors and vacuum systems for leak tightness. Crews qualified under ASNT SNT-TC-1A test on site in India, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Overview
TCR provides vacuum leak testing for all types of vacuum vessels and pressure probe testing for systems operating at or above ambient pressure. Any system requiring leak tightness or suspected of leakage issues can be tested by these helium methods.
- Vacuum leak testing: all types of vacuum vessel.
- Pressure probe testing: systems operating at or above ambient pressure.
- Pumping: a heavy-duty mechanical vacuum pump; the rotary vane pump's helium stability holds the helium signal consistent, with a Molecular Drag Pump in the stack.
- Applies to: any system requiring leak tightness or suspected of leakage.
The Helium Leak Testing unit at TCR uses a heavy-duty mechanical vacuum pump built for industrial sites. The rotary vane pump’s helium stability keeps the helium signal consistent, while the Molecular Drag Pump (M.D.P.), operating at a low rotational speed of 27,000 RPM, protects the detector against accidental air inrush. This design also allows for the leak detector to be relocated during operation. The high compression ratio of the M.D.P. enables efficient gross leak testing at elevated pressures (7.5 Torr / 10 mbar), significantly accelerating the leak testing process for outgassing components. The internal configuration of the unit allows for easy access to all components, enhancing usability. The instrument has a roughing capacity of 10 m³/h (7 CFM) and usable helium sensitivity in the 10-11 atm.cc/s range. A dedicated sniffing unit handles outboard leak testing.
TCR has conducted numerous leak tests on-site across various industries, including nuclear carriers, polymer plants, oil refineries, and gas and steam turbine power plants in Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and India.
Our technicians are highly mobile and perform helium leak testing on a wide range of systems and components, including heat exchangers, steam turbines, condensers, distillation towers, and buried pipelines.
Which standard governs helium leak testing?
ASME BPVC Section V Article 10 governs helium leak testing wherever a construction code calls for it, and ASTM E498 and ASTM E499 cover the vacuum (tracer probe) and pressurised (detector probe) modes. TCR Engineering runs all three modes, sniffer, vacuum and hood, on vacuum vessels and on systems at or above ambient pressure.
Vacuum leak testing suits all types of vacuum vessels, while pressure-probe testing addresses systems at or above ambient pressure. Any system that requires leak tightness, or that is suspected of leakage, can be qualified by one of these modes. The methods run to ASTM E499, ASTM E498, and ASME Section V Article 10.
| Mode | Application | Standards |
|---|---|---|
| Sniffer mode | Outboard leak testing of components at or above ambient pressure | ASTM E499 (detector probe mode); ASME V Article 10 |
| Vacuum mode | Vacuum vessels and evacuated systems | ASTM E498 (tracer probe mode); ASME V Article 10 |
| Hood mode | Leak qualification of pressure vessels, heat exchangers and reactors | ASME V Article 10 (hood technique) |
What makes a helium leak test result defensible?
A helium leak test result holds up when the technique matches the acceptance criterion, the detector is proved against a certified standard leak, and the people running it are qualified. TCR Engineering settles all three before helium is applied, so the report states a result that a code inspector or a purchaser can accept.
- Technique matched to the criterion: the tracer probe technique of ASME Section V Article 10 locates individual leaks and is semi-quantitative; where the criterion is a total leakage figure, the hood technique is the one run.
- Acceptance agreed first: the acceptance leak rate is set by the referencing code or the purchaser and agreed before the test.
- Detector proved: the leak detector is calibrated against a certified standard leak before testing and checked again during the test.
- People qualified: helium leak testing is an ASNT method within TCR's non-destructive testing practice, run by personnel qualified to a written practice under ASNT SNT-TC-1A at Level II, or holding ASNT Level III.
- Limits stated: areas the scan could not reach are recorded in the report, so a clean result is never read as covering a weld that was not tested.
What the Leak Test Report Records
A leak test report has to let a reader who was not there judge what the test could and could not have found. Every TCR helium leak test report carries the items below, including the areas the scan could not reach, so a clean result is never read as covering a weld that was not tested.
- The client, project and job, and the procedure used with its revision.
- The instrument, with the manufacturer's serial number, the tracer gas concentration, and the standard leak used for calibration.
- The area scanned, identified and located, and its surface condition.
- A map or record of every rejectable indication found, or of the areas cleared.
- Areas of restricted access and any welds that could not be examined.
- The examination personnel and, where the referencing code requires it, their qualification level.
- The date and time the examination was performed.
Field record and mobile crews
TCR has conducted numerous leak tests on-site across nuclear carriers, polymer plants, oil refineries, and gas and steam turbine power plants in Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and India.
- Sectors: nuclear carriers, polymer plants, oil refineries, and gas and steam turbine power plants.
- Geographies: Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India.
- Components tested: heat exchangers, steam turbines, condensers, distillation towers and buried pipelines.
- Sensitivity: usable helium sensitivity in the 10-11 atm.cc/s range, so very small through-leaks can be found.
The crews are highly mobile and perform helium leak testing on a wide range of systems and components, including heat exchangers, steam turbines, condensers, distillation towers, and buried pipelines. Usable helium sensitivity in the 10-11 atm.cc/s range means very small through-leaks can be found and located before a system is committed to service.
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Frequently asked questions
What leak testing modes does TCR offer?
TCR offers helium leak testing in Sniffer, Vacuum and Hood modes. Vacuum leak testing covers vacuum vessels, and pressure-probe testing covers systems that operate at or above ambient pressure, so any system that requires leak tightness can be qualified.
How sensitive is the helium leak test?
The instrument offers usable helium sensitivity in the 10 to the power minus 11 atm.cc/s range, with a roughing capacity of 10 cubic metres per hour. Gross leak testing runs at elevated pressures of 7.5 Torr or 10 mbar for outgassing components.
Which standards govern helium leak testing at TCR?
Helium leak testing at TCR follows ASME BPVC Section V Article 10, with ASTM E498 for vacuum (tracer probe) testing and ASTM E499 for pressurised (detector probe) sniffer testing, across sniffer, vacuum and hood modes. The referencing construction code or the purchaser sets the acceptance leak rate, which is agreed before the test and reported against.
What equipment and systems can be leak tested?
TCR performs helium leak testing on heat exchangers, steam turbines, condensers, distillation towers and buried pipelines, and has tested systems at nuclear carriers, polymer plants, oil refineries and power plants in Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India.
What is the difference between the tracer probe and hood techniques?
Both evacuate the component through the helium leak detector. The tracer probe technique, ASME Section V Article 10 Mandatory Appendix V, sprays helium joint by joint to locate individual leaks and is semi-quantitative. The hood technique, Mandatory Appendix IX, encloses the component in helium to measure its total leakage.
How often is the helium leak detector calibrated during a test?
Before every test, against a certified standard leak or the instrument's built-in calibration, and again at set intervals during continuous use and whenever the detector is restarted. The standard leak used is named in the test report, so a reader can trace the sensitivity on which the result rests.