Leak? What Leak?!
09/07/2014
Thos Storey utilises aerospace technology to become the industry leader in leak detection
As you may or may not know, one of Thos Storey’s specialisms is the production of fuel and hydraulic tanks. A critical feature of a tank is, obviously, that it doesn’t leak! The problem is that everything leaks to a greater or lesser degree – caused from actual physical holes, poor sealing arrangements or porous materials.
Over the years we have tried, tested and rejected many different methods of leak detection. The most common methods used are almost always operator dependant and therefore require strict methodology and supervision; basically the ability to detect leaks is only as good as the person doing the detecting!
Consequently we’ve always come back to the tried and tested soap solution technique whereby you brush a soap solution over joints and welds, pressurise the tank and look for air bubbles. This has served us very well, and provides results within industry guidelines, but it does have its limits (and it’s really messy!).
The current industry capability of 1x10¯³mbar.l.sec¯¹ equates to a tank being submerged in water and a tiny bubble of air appearing on the surface of the tank no more than every 4.0 seconds.
Thos Storey are proud to announce that we have found, and introduced, a new method of identifying leaks. This new equipment, which employs vacuum technology, can find leaks to an industry standard of 1x10¯6mbar.l.sec¯¹.
To put this into terms that are easier to understand, it would take 6.57 days to pour a pint of beer through a hole that is 10¯³. Using this new testing method it would take a whopping 6577 days to pour that pint!
We believe that we are the first sub-contract steel fabrication company in the UK outside of the aerospace industry to utilise this technology for leak detection. This means that we will be able to produce fuel and hydraulic tanks to a standard better than any other manufacturer. Cheers!