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Quotes - Engineering - SalesLeak Testing & Inspection
Confirming Integrity After Service
Testing after service confirms that the pack is sealed, that no gasket has been displaced during assembly and that no plate has been damaged.
Hydrostatic test. Each circuit is pressurised independently and held, which finds both external leaks and, with the correct arrangement, cross-circuit leaks between the two fluids.
Plate inspection. With the pack open, plates are checked for pitting, cracking around the ports and erosion at the inlet. Damage clustered at one location usually indicates a flow or chemistry problem rather than plate wear.
What findings mean. Pitting suggests the plate material is wrong for the service. Cracking at the port suggests mechanical stress or over-compression. Both are worth acting on rather than simply replacing the plate.
Typical Specification
- Test type: Hydrostatic, each circuit independently
- Finds: External leaks and cross-circuit leaks
- Timing: After any service that opens the pack
- Plate checks: Pitting, port cracking, inlet erosion
- Pitting: Indicates material unsuited to the service
- Port cracking: Indicates mechanical stress or over-compression
- Records: Test results logged against the unit
- Frequency: Whenever the pack is opened
- Gaskets: Renewed before testing
- Follow-up: Findings addressed rather than only repaired
Common FAQs
Yes. A displaced gasket is easy to create during assembly and impossible to see once the pack is closed. An hour of testing is trivial against discovering it with product in the unit.
Usually that the plate material is not right for the service, most often chlorides attacking stainless. Replacing like for like repeats the experiment, so it is worth reviewing the material selection.
Mechanical stress, frequently from over-compression or from thermal or pressure cycling. If it appears on multiple plates it is a system issue rather than a plate defect.
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