The
Nex Flow™ Ultrasonic Leak Detector is the
ideal maintenance yool to reduce rompressed air
costs due to leaks.
Typically only
50% of a compressor’s air is used for production
and the rest is “lost” though waste
and air leaks. According to the U.S. Department
of Energy “Ultrasonic technology is the best
method for finding leaks and verifying repairs.”
The better the
system, the more leaks you find and the more money
you save! Always beware of cheap ultrasonic leak
detector that just may not do the job.
What to look for…..
THE OBVIOUS: Look at the headphones. If
they are an open walkman style, these will be
useless in a noisy plant because they offer absolutely
NO protection from the ambient noise which can
be at high levels! (After all, why else would
you need an ultrasonic lead detector!). So how
can you hear the leak in the headphone without
protection from the ambient audible noise in the
plant? Our headphones completely cover the ear
providing 130dB hearing protection. Some competitive
units would not be useable in a typical factory
where hearing protection is mandatory because
the inspector would have to insert ear plugs in
his ears. Our headphones protect the ears in such
environments, shield you from the loud factory
noise and allows you to detect the sound of the
leak.
NOT
SO OBVIOUS: Look at frequency range. Our units
frequency is centered at 38.4 kHz with an open
window of +/- 2kHz. By having a bandwidth this
narrow we are able to eliminate other sources
of ultrasonic parasite noise. It is absolutely
critical that you amplify just this narrow single
harmonic band of sound. Some detectors amplify
EVERY frequency from 20kHz up to 100kHz. That's
because the manufacturer did not include any low
pass filters. This also affects the output signal
in the headphones and affects the directionality
of the device. At low frequency it is much more
difficult to know where the sound is coming from
because the wavelength is larger and more reflective.
ANTICIPATE: Often you have to locate the
leak in some tight and hard to reach area. For
accessing tight areas some firms suggest using
a hollow tube (tubular extension) with their system.
Ultrasound will not travel well into this tube
so the equipment will be less sensitive in hard
to reach areas. If the tube is 6" long for
example, that means the sensor is always a minimum
of 6" away from the source. The Nex Flow™
system sensor is at the end of a flexible extension
so the sensor is "always" directly exposed
to the leak making our equipment much more sensitive.
The more sensitive the unit (like ours) you will
more easily detect the leak - one you may not
even find it with another system that is less
flexible.
REASONABLE COST: Some systems are only
a few hundred dollars and deliver low quality
(poor headphones and poor frequency range) and
some systems are several thousand dollars but
have many more features which may be useful, or
are better suited to more detailed research. What
is normally needed for leak detection on a maintenance
basis is a decent, reasonable cost system like
the Nex Flow™ system with the right headphones,
right frequency range with flexibility to reach
tight areas to detect a leak in a nice portable
kit.
Ultrasonic
Leak Detector Brochure
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