NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING METHODS FOR CYLINDER CRACK AND

GAS LEAKAGES

LPG gas is the most easily accessible flammable gas and the has the highest proximity to us
human beings in everyday lives. Hence utmost care has to be taken during its usage and its
storage. Both the companies manufacturing as well the company doing the filling process also
do have to take utmost care in ensuring the cylinders are safe, leak proof and be able to take
the required pressure.
The major areas of leakage in the common household cylinders are majorly at three places-
1. BODY LEAK- Place where the bottom and the top hemisphere are welded together,
major cause for damage and leakage at this region is improper welding, Rough
handling, corrosion, and old cylinders. It is the least common place of leakage and if
occurs can be easily identified through visual inspection.
2. BANG LEAK- Bang part of the cylinder houses the threading for the valve to be fitted
in the cylinder. It is welded on the top of upper hemisphere of the cylinder. Common
causes of bang failures are improper welding, overtightening of the valve during fitting
or mechanical damage to the valve can also reduce the strength integrity of the bang
weld. It is the second most common leakage point in the cylinder.
3. VALVE LEAK- It is the most common cause of leakage in the cylinder since it is non-
permanent fixture part of the cylinder. It can be caused due to various reasons like,
improper tightening of valve, O-ring Failure or physical damage to the valve. It is the
most common cause of leakage in a gas cylinder which should be immediately rectified
at the gas filling station itself.

Since our aim is to test and detect probable gas leakage at the gas filing station while the
cylinder are on move on the conveyer belt, the methods incorporated for detection should
be quick and accurate so that it does not compromise on both the quantity and quality of the
cylinders being delivered to the people.
The current methods being used for detection of the above-mentioned Common leakages
and cracks in the cylinder-
• WATER BATH TESTING- This method involves immersion of the Cylinders while they
are on move on the conveyer belt into still water and visually inspect for water
bubbles, which in case if found indicates leakage in the cylinder. This method is used
majorly for detection of body leaks (1).
• PRESSURE TESTING- This method of leak detection is used for Bang leaks (2) and Valve
leaks (3). It involves putting localised pneumatic pressure at the Bang weld and valve
section and looking for pressure drops in the region. Fast but only feasible for
significant cracks and leaks, not suitable for minute cracks and leakages.
ALTERNATE METHODS FOR CRACK AND LEAK DETECTION-
a. Eddy Current Testing
b. Ultrasonic Acoustic sensing
c. Infrared LEL Sensor
d. Infrared thermal sensor
EDDY CURRENT TESTING-
In the single-element eddy current testing probe a copper wire is excited with an alternating
electrical current. This wire produces a magnetic field around itself in the direction
ascertained by the right-hand rule. This magnetic field oscillates at the same frequency as the
current running through the coil. When the coil approaches a conductive material, currents
opposed to the ones in the coil are induced in the material — eddy currents.
A defect in the conductive material disturbs the path of eddy currents, creating a local
magnetic field that changes the balance of the system. This can be detected by measuring the
changes in impedance in the coil, which is a telltale sign of the presence of defects.
Advantages of using this method-
• Sensitive to small cracks and other defects
• Detects surface and near surface defects
• Inspection gives immediate results
• Equipment is very portable
• Test probe does not need to contact the part
• Inspects complex shapes of conductive materials
Disadvantages-
• Though no contact is necessary the probe must be in close proximity to the surface
• Surface finish, roughness will interfere giving inaccurate results (In our case because
of scratches on the cylinder body)
• Parallel crack and defects can’t be detected.
• Can only be used to detect cracks not as leakages not feasible in for valve leakage
detection.
• Costly in comparison to other NDT methods.
• Immediate area of inspection and detection is low which will take time.

Suitable for Body crack detection since it can easily and accurately detect cracks and can also
help in identifying wall thickness and weld defects due to corrosion.
INFRARED LEL SENSOR-
LEL stands for Lower Explosive limit i.e. is the minimum percentage of gas to be present in the
air to support combustion above which it is dangerous to work. The LEL level for LPG gas is
1.9%. Below LEL the gas is too lean to ignite.
Hence an Infrared LEL sensor can be used for gas leakage from the Bang and valve area
leakages using the same arrangement of the pressure testing to enclose the valve and bang
area where the concentration of LPG will increase if there is a leakage.
Advantages-
• Cheaper than Eddy current testing.
• Can cover the whole Bang and Valve area leakage section at once.
• Can detect minute leaks also.
• Can be easily calibrated.
• Non-contact type sensor.

Disadvantages-
• Regular maintenance has to be done for the sensors to ensure proper working
• The calibration should be proper and accurate since the area in the filling station
already has more than available concentration of LPG in the air.
• Cannot be used for body leak detection since a lot of area has to be covered of the
body portion.
• Difficulty in detection of very minute leaks if significant rise in LPG level doesn’t
happen as the cylinders are continuously moving.

INFRARED TEMPRATURE SENSOR-

LPG is actually stored in liquid form at high pressure in the cylinder. At Atmospheric pressure
and room temperature LPG expands and cools down.
The boiling temp. of LPG is -420C to -440C i.e. the liquid LPG converts to gas, hence if there is
a as leakage somewhere that portion or area is bound to have a temperature drop to the
range of 42o to 80oC (Taking normal environment temp. range as 2o to 40oC ) which is
significantly high to clearly see and identify the point of leakage.
Advantages-
• Will be able to accurately detect pin-point the area of leakage.
• Can cover the whole Bang and Valve area leakage section at once.
• Can detect minute leaks also.
• Non-contact type sensor.
Disadvantages-

• The sensor has to be programmed and trained into Image processing to automate
identification and triggering alarm on detection.
• Multiple cameras needed for detection of body leaks.
• Costly setup

ULTRASONIC ACOUSTIC SENSORS-

The domestic cylinders which are supplied to homes are generally contain gas at the pressure
of 78 to 92 Psi and LPG gas expands to the ratio of 1:270 that is 1 Litre liquid expands to 270
litres of vapour LPG, when a gas is expanding at this ratio through small crack or holes i.e.
from valves or bang leaks it make noise, though it may not be audible to human ear since
humans have a audible range of 0-25kHZ but Ultrasonic acoustic sensors can be used to detect
noise ranging up to 100 kHz .
Advantages-
• Cheap and easy setup.
• Non Contact type sensors.
• Very little maintenance in comparison to others.
• Can be easily used to detect leakages at bang weld and valve leaks
Disadvantages
• Difficult to implement for body leaks
• Has to be very sensitive and properly calibrated as noise from work station might
interfere.

Conclusion-
In my opinion I would suggest using Infrared temperature sensor since it gives pretty accurate
results and the difference in temperature range is also high hence will gives accurate results.
The hardware maintenance is also very low in comparison to some of the other methods and
since it is run by program it will be easy to store data of previous leaks detected and can be
used to identify most common places for leakages at valve and ban weld area.