On-line Leak Detection Methods for Heat Exchangers and Valves

There are many instances in the processing industry when a product stream is off-specification or a process stream becomes contaminated. The question then is, “Is my catalyst no longer reacting well? Is there a problem inside my separation vessel? Where among all this piping and equipment could a leak be occurring?” One possible method for determining where the problem is, is to do a lot of sampling and lab analysis. Another method is to do a lot of off-stream pressure testing. But what an advantage if one could do some quick, easy and accurate on-line testing. This paper will discuss various on-line tracer techniques that have successfully been used to identify leaking heat exchangers and valves in a wide variety of process applications. A series of case studies will be presented that will illustrate the various tracer techniques that can be used for leak detection.