Helium leak testing is used to test parts with extremely small leak rates, or large leak rates at very large volumes. Helium leak testing is a form of tracer gas leak testing, delivering better repeatability, accuracy, and efficiency than other tracer gas leak detection methods. Using helium makes the test less susceptible to external environmental factors, like temperature changes, and helps manufacturer’s achieve shorter cycle times.
Why is helium recovery important?
The versatility and benefits of using helium has made it popular, but it is also dwindling in supply, sometimes making supplies scarce or quite expensive. As a result, many industries utilize helium recycling systems to optimize their helium usage. Helium recycling systems are a great addition to any test using large amounts of helium, like large part leak testing and high-pressure tests with high throughput rates. A helium recycling system can recover up to 95% of helium for reuse, depending on the application and specifics of your test.
What is a helium recycling system?
Helium recovery systems manage, recapture, and process helium supply for reuse in your test system. The typical base components of a gas recovery solution are recovery and supply tanks, a compressor, a gas analyzer, and a controls/operator interface. These systems can be designed to reclaim helium from a single local station or across multiple lines.
In a standard helium reclaim system, vaporized helium is used in a process, then recaptured through exhaust lines. These exhaust lines run to a recovery tank(s), where the gas is fed through a gas analyzer that measures gas concentration levels. If the helium concentration level is at least 95%, the compressed helium gas is transferred to a storage tank for reuse. If it falls below this concentration level, 100% helium is added to increase the measurable testing percentage required for your application.
Adding helium recovery equipment to your line only requires a few extra components and it can really help bring down your costs. System design and cost are determined by the required capacity for your application. Learn how to specify a helium reclaim system for your plant >
Calculating the ROI of a helium reclaim system
Wondering whether a reclaim system is the right choice for your station or plant? Typical return on investment (ROI) for helium recovery equipment is about 18 to 24 months. It does vary by plant, system, capacity, helium usage, and desired recovery goals. Our online Helium Reclaim Capacity Calculator will help you calculate the return on investment for implementing a recovery system based on your usage and requirements.
CTS can also come to your plant to measure your helium recovery efficiency, based on what vacuum you’re pulling your parts down to and help you understand what your capacity is from part to part.
With a CTS helium recovery system, you can get better control over helium gas consumption and management in your plant, reduce dependency on helium suppliers, and reduce your overall costs. Contact us to learn how we can help improve accuracy and efficiency of your helium leak test stations, and more.