Let’s start with a fundamental question: Why is helium leak testing crucial for gas meters?
Types of Gas Meters: High-precision gas meters, often used in industrial or commercial settings, require more sensitive leak tests compared to residential meters.
Safety: Natural gas is highly flammable and can cause explosions and fires if leaked. Helium leak testing helps detect and prevent these leaks before they result in damage. Additionally, natural gas leaks can release CO into the air, posing a carbon monoxide poisoning risk.
Measurement Accuracy: A leaking gas meter can record less gas consumption than actual, leading to consumers underpaying and impacting utility providers.
Regulatory Compliance: In Mexico, regulations mandate periodic leak testing for gas meters, including the NOM-002-SCFI-2011 and NOM-017-ENER-2019 standards. In the U.S., state Public Service Commissions generally require periodic leak testing, often using the simple and economical soap bubble test. Some states also allow or require helium leak testing, which is more sensitive.
Meter Longevity: Leaks can damage internal components of gas meters, shortening their lifespan. Helium leak testing helps identify and repair leaks, extending the meter’s life.
High Sensitivity and Precision: Helium leak testing is known for its high sensitivity, capable of detecting extremely small leaks that traditional methods might miss, as small as 1 x 10-7 mbarL/s.
Efficiency and Speed: Helium tests are fast and efficient, allowing technicians to test multiple gas meters quickly without removing them from service, minimizing downtime.
Versatility: Suitable for a wide range of gas meters—residential, commercial, and industrial—and other natural gas system components like pipes and valves.
Safety and Environmental Protection: Helium is inert, non-toxic, and non-flammable, ensuring safe testing. By reducing natural gas leaks, helium testing helps protect the environment, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Cost Reduction and Economic Efficiency: Helium leak testing reduces false positives and improves production efficiency, offsetting helium costs. VES’s PURE system further enhances economic savings by recovering and purifying helium.
The Optvol system is a compact, all-in-one leak testing solution capable of detecting leaks as small as 5 x 10-6 mbarL/s. It’s fast, versatile, and cost-effective, allowing you to test a range of products with just a simple tooling change.
Adaptability in Demanding Environments: Optvol is 9% faster and can reduce operating costs by up to 65% compared to traditional vacuum chamber leak detection systems, offering significant savings over the project’s lifespan.
Space-Saving and Easy Installation: Optvol optimizes floor space by 77%, which is crucial for production facilities with limited space. Its straightforward installation means operations can kick off quickly without major disruptions.
Customization and Flexibility: Optvol can be configured as a Twin setup to enhance cycle times and production rates. This means you can build Optvol systems with double vacuum chambers that share the pump system and mass spectrometer, tailoring the setup to your specific needs.
PURE is our patented helium recovery system that pairs seamlessly with Optvol. You can connect up to four Optvol units to a single centralized PURE system, providing up to 96% helium output concentration!
Helium Recovery System – Revolutionary PURE Helium Reclaimer: PURE guarantees a minimum efficiency of 90%. Unlike traditional reclaimers, where efficiency depends on three variables—input concentration, the amount of gas entering versus exiting, and the desired helium output concentration—PURE’s performance relies solely on the amount of helium in versus out. This translates to consistent economic savings.
Maintains Concentration Without add fresh Helium: PURE doesn’t require pure helium to maintain concentration, eliminating waste. It features multi-zone concentration and flow meters that ensure early leak detection, maximizing savings.
Centralized Multi-Technology System: PURE allows for the connection of multiple Optvol units and, if helium flow permits, other vacuum and helium chambers, sniffers, or accumulation leak detection machines, making it a versatile addition to any leak detection setup.
Quick Installation: The PURE system requires no configuration and can be set up in just one day. It’s compact, versatile, and smart.
Real-Time Monitoring: PURE features VES Connect technology, allowing you to remotely access and locally store historical data on your machine and production. This capability enhances fault diagnosis, shortens problem resolution time, and identifies necessary preventive and corrective maintenance.
Our advanced technologies, particularly OPTVOL and PURE, offer a comprehensive solution that maximizes productivity, reduces costs, and ensures the highest quality in gas meter production.
Helium leak testing is an invaluable method for detecting leaks in gas meters and other components of natural gas systems. Its advantages include superior sensitivity, speed, efficiency, non-invasiveness, versatility, safety, energy efficiency, and environmental protection.
At VES USA, we don’t just provide this technology; we bring experience and recognition that guarantee optimal results. If you’re interested in exploring how helium leak testing can transform your operations, we invite you to contact us and discover how VES USA can be your strategic partner in enhancing the quality and efficiency of your products.
We are the next generation in Leak Testing Machines
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Manchester, M32 0ZE, UK
T +44 161 866 8860
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T +1 734 340 6085
E salesUSA@vac-eng.com
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Queretaro 76246, Mexico
T +52 442 402 1122
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