Ultrasonic Leak Detection
Compressed air leaks commonly account for 20% to 50% of a plant’s total compressed air consumption, which can equate to $10,000 – $25,000 annually in unnecessary energy costs per 75 kW of compressor capacity.
Frequently, fixing leaks can be as simple as tightening a loose fitting and can therefore result in an extremely attractive payback period. Ultrasonic inspections are the only way to accurately identify and quantify compressed air leaks, offering a valuable tool for preventive maintenance, energy management and quality control. Ultrasonic detectors are sensitive to sound beyond the limits of normal human hearing (20 Hz – 20 kHz), and can therefore “hear” compressed air leaks before they are audible to the human ear.
New compressed air leaks regularly form, and previously small leaks can become much larger within a short duration. Managing a plant’s compressed air leakage is a balancing act between maintenance and energy costs. To maintain an acceptably low level of compressed air leakage throughout your plant, an annual ultrasonic leak detection survey should be added to your site’s maintenance programme.
Ultrasonic Leak Detection & Management Service
Energy NZ’s ultrasonic leak detection & management service consists of an on-site ultrasonic leak detection survey in accordance to ASNT-TC-1A (Non-Destructive Testing for Airborne Ultrasound), followed by a detailed easy-to-understand report and online management services to help clients better manage compressed air leakage throughout their plants.
All surveys are undertaken by either an accredited compressed air system auditor or UEQ-TC-1A accredited airborne ultrasonic engineer.
Each identified compressed air leak is tagged on-site with a unique ID tag which can be viewed both online and in the supplied report. Once a compressed air leak is repaired, the tag can be removed and the ID number checked off online so that progress can be tracked.
Online Management & Reporting Tool
Energy NZ’s online ultrasonic management reporting tool is an online service which allows clients to:
- Create, view and download ultrasonic reports
- Search and/or filter leaks by energy loss, location or equipment type
- Manage the repair process of all identified compressed air leaks
- Create and email works order numbers to designated staff and/or contractors
- Track repairs and report on energy savings and CO2 reductions made
These features enable our clients to have online access to a database of identified compressed air leaks where users can create reports and works order numbers, and update individual leaks’ status to ‘repaired’ so that the energy savings and CO2 reductions can be confirmed.
Having the ability to search leaks by location or equipment type gives clients a clearer understanding of where the greatest problems are occurring so that preventive measures can be put in place.
Energy NZ’s online ultrasonic leak detection management and reporting tool is regarded as best practice by many large industrial compressed air users due its simplicity, tracking and reporting capabilities. This service is also available to clients undertaking their own on-site ultrasonic leak detection surveys.
