Leak test of plate heat exchangers

During the leak test of plate heat exchangers, a test gas (e.g. helium or hydrogen/nitrogen mixture) is filled in on the primary side of the medium and the concentration is measured on the secondary side. The gas mixture passes through even the smallest leaks and the concentration can easily be measured.

However, the identification of the defective plate in the heat exchangers is problematic, as only the area of the defective plate can be narrowed down with this procedure. The subsequent leak detection is relatively time-consuming again.

The advantage of this method is that the plate heat exchanger can be checked for leaks in assembled state. The disadvantage is that the measuring instruments or the inspections are very expensive services.