LEAK TESTING Definition - NDT method used: 1) for the detection and location of leaks and 2) for the measurement of fluid leakage in either pressurized or evacuated systems or components Leak - the physical hole that exists not the quantity of fluid passing through the hole Leaks can be due to cracks, crevice, fissure, hole or passageway, that contrary to what is intended admits water, air or other fluid or lets fluids escape Leakage - the flow of fluid through a leak without regard to the physical size of the hole through which flow occurs Leak rate - amount of fluid passing through the leak per unit of timeof time under a given set of conditions (expressed as units of quantity or mass per unit of time)Minimum detectable leak - smallest hole or discrete passage that can be detected Minimum detectable leak rate - smallest detectable fluid-flow rate Leaks can have influence on the safety or performance of a system Leak Testing performed for: 1) prevent material loss which can interfere with system operation 2) prevent environmental contamination hazards or nuisances caused by accidental leakages 3) to detect unreliable components and those whose leakage rates exceed acceptance criteria Sensitivity - how small a physical leak can be detected Part surface must be clean of any contaminents that could interfere with the test and be dryTypes of leaks: 1) real leaks - localized leak such as a hole 2) virtual leak -gradual desorption of gases from surfaces or escape of gases from nearly sealed components within a vacuum system Mean Free Path - the average distance that a molecule travels between successive collisions with the other molecules in the gas phase Types of flow in leaks: 1) permeation - passage of a fluid into, through and out of a solid barrier having no holes large enough to permit more than a small fraction of the total leakage to pass through any one hole 2) molecular flow (< 10-6 atm cm3/sec) - when mean free path of the gas is greater than the largest cross-sectional dimension of the leak 3) transitional flow (10-4 to 10-6 atm cm3/sec) - when mean free path of the gas is approximately equal to cross-sectional dimension of the leak