Keywords
Citation
(2005), "Hydrogen leak detector is compact, robust and sensitive", Sensor Review, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2005.08725aad.004
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Hydrogen leak detector is compact, robust and sensitive
Hydrogen leak detector is compact, robust and sensitive
Keywords: Sensors
The new H2000 from Sensistor Technologies is a compact, rugged instrument using the hydrogen tracer gas technique for industrial leak detection and tightness control (Plate 4).
Plate 4
The H2000 hydrogen leak detector from Sensistor Technologies Ltd
The new instrument is sensitive enough to detect leaks as small as 5×10–7 mbarl/s (millibar-litres per second), and incorporates advanced digital electronics to minimise the need for trimming or calibration.
Leak detection using hydrogen offers a number of benefits over alternative techniques such as water baths, pressure testing, or mass spectrometry. Hydrogen – normally used in a safe mixture of 5 per cent hydrogen in nitrogen – is not only the cheapest tracer gas available but also the lightest and least viscous of all gases, spreading rapidly throughout the test object and seeping quickly through the smallest leaks.
Background interference is minimised because of the speed with which hydrogen dissipates combined with the dynamic background compensation built into the H2000. The fact that no pump or vacuum is involved also minimises maintenance requirements.
The compact, portable nature of the H2000, coupled with its robustness, makes it suitable for leak detection in the toughest factory environments. The standard H50 probe has no sample suction, and thus eliminates the possibility of dust ingestion.
The instrument is also extremely versatile, allowing leak detection solutions to be customised to suit users' needs and budgets. For example, it can be used to localise leaks once their presence has been detected by pressure drop measurements, or to detect leaks with high sensitivity irrespective of temperature.
The use of intelligent digital electronics means that the H2000 is very easy to use, with simple menus to guide the user through the set-up process. Trimming and calibration is also very straightforward.
The H2000 measures only 275 × 155 × 170 mm and weighs 4.6 kg.