Smoke/Fog for Finding Leaks in Piping

[RJB32482]

Hello,
I am wondering if anyone knows a good vendor or company that either performs the task of fogging pipes to find leaks or sells fog machines to do the task. The pipe probably will not hold up if water is introduced into the system and also the material sent through the piping is food grade, so contaimination could be an issue. Any food grade "smoke" leak detectors out there?

Thanks

 

[unclesyd]

I don't think a smoke bomb is your answer since if will only detect an open ended pipe. Smoke is generally use for air conditioning, sewer lines, and line mapping. I don't think the products of a smoke generation device would be food grade.
You say your line want hold up under the weight of water seems very strange. Are all the process materials gaseous?

The are numerous ways to test your system, pressure decay, pressurization with some gas and detect the gas, pressurize with air and check with leak detector fluid, pressurize with a gas and use an ultrasonic detector.
There are plenty of companies that do any or all of the above and none except the He test is out of your realm of possibility doing it yourself.

Come back with a little more information.

 

[RJB32482]

Thanks,
All of the process materials are very light (beads at a bulk density of 41 pcf). The piping inspector at our plant doubts the line will hold full of H2O.

The line is exiting a Fluidized Bed Dryer and airveying the dry beads for about 200ft-300ft of 4" Schedule 80 piping into a cyclone. So if we break the line after the dryer and smoke the piping, couldn't we find the leak? Most of the piping runs about 80ft vertically, so its hard to get to.

Thanks

 

[SJones]

Is helium with a "sniffer" not a possibility here?

Steve Jones
Materials & Corrosion Engineer

http://www.pdo.co.om/pdo/

 

[MikeHalloran]

1. Airvey a dust of whatever material the beads are made from, and visually inspect for escaping material.

2. Convey a substantial flow of low pressure steam, and visually inspect for escaping steam or water.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA