Brown Fintube France SA is further extending its mastery of NDT checks by equipping itself and qualifying for the performance of Helium leaktightness tests for the hydrogen heat exchanger market.
In order to meet the growing demands of its customers on the performance of Helium leak testing, Elodie Boitier, Quality Control Engineer at BFF (Brown Fintube France SA, an entity of the AIT-STEIN group), was trained and became certified COFREND * level II LT (Leak Test) according to ISO 9712. The expertise, the rigor and the techniques acquired complement the know-how of the AIT-STEIN group, which offers the complete autonomy of this type of service to its customers.
Leak detection or leak testing is a NDT (Non Destructive Testing) methodcarried out on assemblies or subassemblies in order to guarantee the tightness and integrity of parts and permanent assemblies such as welds. In certain specific applications or in the case of spare sub-assemblies, hydraulic tests alone do not guarantee impermeability to process fluids. Helium leakage tests complete these tests and, depending on the acceptable leakage rate linked to the operating conditions, validate the conformity of our pressurised solutions.
The different detection techniques implemented at Brown Fintube France SA are Sniffing by Accumulation of Helium and the Global Vacuum Technique. In the context of equipment intended for a leading industrial group in hydrogen technologies which designs and manufactures electrolysers as well as hydrogen refueling stations up to 700 bars, this type of test has enabled us to validate the tightness. threaded assemblies. This guarantee was essential for the operational safety of the unit. Thanks to the expertise of our technical teams, we were able to establish a leak detection protocol adapted to these very high pressures (900 bars instead of 3 to 4 bars as standard) and to the pneumatic risk.
We therefore now have our own human and material resources to perform these leak tests at the request of our customers.
Thus, we can also offer this service to external companies wishing to carry out this type of control on their own equipment and / or on their sites.
