FSEAS Blog

How Can Swagelok Services Reduce the Presence of Leaks?

Written by: Brian Aplin, Field Engineer | September 2020

It is common for most plants to have leaks in their fluid systems. Small leaks can result in larger issues to personnel safety and plant profitability. It is important to understand how and why leaks occur, how to locate them, and how to address and reduce leaks plant-wide.

Impact of System Leaks

Consider one of the most common system fluids in a manufacturing facility, Hydraulic fluid. Alone, Hydraulic fluid accounts for millions of gallons a year of fluid system leakage.

A small leak, one drop per second, is equal to over 400 gallons of leakage per year. One gallon of hydraulic fluid costs approximately $40 USD; meaning one small leak could cost approximately $16,000 USD per year.

Loss of fluid results in poor lubrication and premature wear and machine failure. The assumption that if machinery is working it therefore is operating efficiently results in further leaks and reduces the overall equipment effectiveness.

Production output potential is affected each time a system shut down occurs to fix a leak. This downtime can result in significant profit loss.

A portion of this leaking oil can find its way to the water table potentially causing significant damage to the environment and wildlife. This could also result in fines and restrictions placed on the company for environment regulatory agencies.

Oil drips from leakage can lead to an unsafe work environment, causing slips and falls. These accidents not only impact the employees in the form of lost wages but can also result in impacts to manufacturing facilities in production interruptions, worker's compensation costs, medical costs and even lawsuits that my result from an incident.

Leak Detection Methods

In general, most leak testing is performed on a pressurized system – either with actual process fluid or with an inert testing fluid like water, air, nitrogen, or helium. For this discussion, we will focus on test methods typically performed on installed equipment rather than those which are more commonly performed on a bench-top or in a lab.

1. Visual Testing: This is the most fundamental type of leak testing for a liquid system. Leaks are identified by seeing and quantifying drips or wet surfaces below the leak points.
2. Bubble Testing: This test for gas systems uses a thin film surfactant (like Snoop). The surfactant is used to indicate the presence of a leak rather than measuring the quantity of gas leaking by observing the presence of foam or bubbles.
3. Pressure Decay Testing: This test is used for both liquid and gas systems. The equipment under test is pressurized to a pre-determined pressure and isolated for a prescribed duration. Any leakage will result in a gradual pressure drop that is measurable. 
4. Ultrasonic Testing: This test method is used on gas systems. It requires an airborne ultrasonic measurement device to locate the presence of a leak. This test can be used to approximate the leakage rate and quantify the amount of gas leaking from each leak point.

Identifying Leaks

Swagelok's services team can help you and your facility by performing a Fluid System Evaluation to identify and document leaks. Typically, these services include one day to a full week (depending on your scope) at your facility in order to collect the raw data to be analyzed.

Upon completion of the evaluation, the Swagelok services team will provide a report that includes a summary view and a detailed view that shows the exact location and tag number of each identified leak. The report will also include the size of the leaks, and a suggested repair method.

Prioritizing Leaks

While it's not possible to address every leak identified in a plant right away, the Swagelok team provides, as part of the Fluid System Evaluation, suggestions and analysis for you and your team to categorize leaks to help prioritize maintenance and repair opportunities.

• Dangerous Leaks: Any leak that presents a safety issue should be a top priority. This includes leaks of noxious gases and caustic chemicals, as well as leaks that create slip/fall hazards. Have your risk managers identify these safety issues first and have your maintenance technicians address these as their highest priority.
• Costly Leaks: Collectively, all the leaks in your plant may add up to a significant cost. However, some leaks, even small ones, can be responsible for a sizable percentage of that cost. Addressing a small leak of expensive fluid may offer greater savings when compared to correcting a large leak of lower cost fluid.
• Nuisance Leaks: Finally, you may have a wide variety of minor leaks that don’t present safety hazards and are not responsible for major losses. You may decide to wait to address these low-priority leaks when your maintenance staff is not occupied by other more critical duties.

After Action

It is important to train and retrain all engineers and technicians involved in your fluid systems. There exists variety of training classes to enhance their skills in identifying and addressing different types of leaks. Training may include education on proper material selection to hands-on, skill-building courses in tube bending and tube fitting installation procedures. Fortunately, Swagelok offers many specialized training and education programs to ensure your plant is operating safely and efficiently. When your trained team has its focus on identifying and stopping leaks, your plant will realize safer, more cost-effective operations.

To learn more about how to identify and address leaks, as well as train your team on best practices, contact us Swagelok Georgia | Jacksonville | South Carolina.