Leaks are a very undesirable flaw that not any single system is protected from. Wearing out of the system, wrong functioning of equipment, shocks and external influence, damage from corrosive or abrasive substances, fluctuations in the ambient conditions, bad sealing, bad installation and wrong commissioning of the equipment, absence of welds or parts of them, etc. – there are many reasons which may cause the appearance of leaks. It is not always possible to immediately detect their presence and determine the size and exact location. For the systems working on compressed air, leaks may be devastating, since they bring to a huge energy loss, and decrease of productivity. The compressor works partially in vain when the leaks are present over a longer time periods. The pressure in the system also cannot be maintained on the same level and thus, if the pressure drops, the processes do not run correctly. This inevitably brings to wear-out of the system and wrong operating conditions.
Each enterprise where the compressed air systems are applied regularly should introduce the leaks preventive program and carry out regular checks and monitoring as well as improvements of the systems parts in order to diminish the loss as much as possible.
To detect visually all the existing in the system leaks is quite impossible. Certain measures should be done before the problem is eliminated. Calculation of the capacity loss may indicate about the condition of the whole compressed air system. More than 30% is a clear indication that urgent measures should be taken to avoid completer failure of the equipment.
The reasons why leaks appear may be numerous, but the methods of their detection are pretty much the same. Application of reliable auxiliary devices is a pledge of good-quality maintenance. Especially after the calculation has shown that the loss is big, detection of the location and size of the leaks is a number-one task. Ultra-sonic leaks detector is a modern device capable of detecting the leaks anywhere and without interruption of the process. It means that even surrounding noise cannot be an obstacle for this device. It is very sensitive and can detect the noise coming out of the leak in the compressed air network even if the human ear is unable to hear the difference. Application of data logger in addition, provides an opportunity for continuous monitoring, collection of measurement data and their assessment both, in real time and later.
Preliminary measures are always better than repair; monitoring of the compressed air network for sure takes some time, but this procedure is absolutely cost efficient and pays back by long-term, highly productive operation of the whole equipment.
