Pneumatic Leak Testing of Heat Exchanger Tubing

ASTM standard A1047 has introduced the concept of pneumatic leak testing of tubing using a known leak rate and a cut-off pressure change that is allowed after a preset passage of time. This is a new standard and members need to know how to use this standard and its pros and cons. The current technology to test the quality of tubing is to use a combination of testing techniques. The current techniques include air underwater, hydrostatic leak testing, eddy current testing and ultrasonic testing. This newest ASTM standard adds a pneumatic leak test. The objective of this project team is to understand how and when to use the new standard. Understand the limitations of the existing standards and how this standard can be used to increase reliability and decrease the costs associated with the testing of tubing.