November 2024

August2024

Inside the November Issue

 

 

Identifying Air and Gas Leaks
BY DARRELL TAYLOR

The other day I performed a Google search for How to detect an air leak . Not surprisingly it came up with millions of results, over 18 million in fact. Whether solving the problem in a commercial establishment or a domestic home environment, the majority of search results pointed to one solution. Namely, soapy water!

Before we all ridicule the idea as belonging to a bygone era, take a vehicle with a slow puncture to a tire fitting depot and the chances are they remove the wheel and spin it in water to determine the leak. It´s a simple time proven method for determining leaks from pressurized systems.

But of course, not all equipment can be placed in soapy water. What if a system is known to be losing pressure and yet the lines carrying the compressed air from the source are located 10 meters above the ground, and dismantling the system is out of the question? Thankfully there is a fast and effective solution to hand.

Each time air or indeed any gas, leaks from a pressured system there is an associated sound. If the leak is significant, it can be audible to the human ear and therefore easily identified and rectified accordingly. However, most leaks in high pressure systems are extremely small and are out of the range of a human ear.

Think about a pressured air system in a large factory delivering compressed air from a bank of compressors to various stages of production throughout the manufacturing process. The chances are there are hundreds if not thousands of connections in the form of joints, reducers, valves, elbows, condensers etc. Each of these has the potential to leak small amounts of air, reducing the pressure of the system.

One leak might make very little difference but multiply this by the number of potential leaking joints and efficiency can be significantly compromised. The compressor will seek to compensate for any pressure loss by simply working harder. However, as any engineer will know, compressors can be expensive to operate in terms of energy and therefore will certainly increase an operator’s energy consumption.

With electricity costs being so much higher in Europe due to geopolitical factors in recent years, most companies are seeking to reduce the amount of energy used. Having a compressor work overtime to compensate for leaking joints is certainly not something senior management would smile about!

These scenarios are certainly not uncommon, in fact one European compressor manufacturer has stated that in some industrial settings, up to 80 percent of air generated is lost in leaks. So clearly identifying these small leaks can make a real difference to a company´s energy bills. Full story »

 

 

today's News

Chemical Safety Board Deploys Team to Investigate Fatal Explosion

FSM Staff | 11.20.24

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it is sending a team of investigators to Louisville, Kentucky, to investigate the fatal explosion that occurred last week on November 12, 2024, at the Givaudan Sense Colour facility in Louisville, KY.

Full article »

OSHA unveils winners of the 'Beat the Heat' photo contest

FSM Staff | 11.20.24

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is excited to reveal the winners of its nationwide “Beat the Heat” photo contest.

Full article »

Every Step Matters: National Ladder Safety Month Coming in March

FSM Staff | 11.19.24

CLEVELAND, OH -- The months leading up to March and National Ladder Safety Month are critical because the milestone month does more than amplify a safety message; it also celebrates message penetration and accident reduction.

Full article »

Johnson Controls Academy Doubles Training Capacity

FSM Staff | 11.19.24

MILWAUKEE, MN -- Johnson Controls is continuing to grow its industry-leading national workforce development initiative, the Johnson Controls Academy.

Full article »

Blackline Safety Unveils Whitepaper on Radiation Risks for Fire-Hazmat, Safety Workers

FSM Staff | 11.18.24

CALGARY, CA -- Blackline Safety Corp., has released a new whitepaper entitled Navigating Radiation Risks: Key Concepts for Protecting Workers and Responders in an effort to mitigate radiation exposure for fire-hazmat and first responder teams.

Full article »