Industrial pressure testing is a vital process to guarantee frontline equipment can handle its rated pressure. Piping codes require it and can be conducted on new or existing systems to identify potential leaks.
Hydrostatic testing uses an incompressible fluid, typically water or oil, to examine the piping for leaks. It is much safer than pneumatic testing because it releases less energy at failure.
Safety
Pressure testing involves putting systems under extreme pressure, and specific safety hazards can be associated. However, with upfront planning and clear test procedures and SOPs, workers can significantly minimize their risk of injury or misperformance during hydrostatic tests.
Typically, hydro tests are conducted by filling the system with water or other inert fluid (naturally dyed) to make any leaks easier to spot. This system is then pressurized and allowed to hold the pressure for a set period, allowing the system’s temperature and environment to match.
Then, the system is drained and vented to remove trapped air. If the pressure drops during this process, it indicates a leak. Leaking pipes, tanks, and cylinders can cause dangerous explosions, damage equipment, and harm nearby workers. This is why rigorous pressure testing is essential for plant safety standards. It’s also vital for ensuring that production processes are safe and efficient.
Durability
Industrial pressure testing is a non-destructive way to ensure that a piping system can safely hold its design pressure and has no leaks. The tests are also an effective way to identify and correct problems before they lead to equipment failures, explosions, and fires.
Pneumatic tests use compressed air or an inert gas to pressurize the piping system to 110% of its design capacity. This method poses a more significant hazard than hydro testing because of the potential for explosive release of energy stored in the compressed gas on the failure of the test.
The data gathered from pressure tests is essential to maintaining safety standards and durability in frontline operations. This information can be used to inform the design of new equipment and procedures and to identify any issues with existing pieces of machinery or piping systems.
This enables you to keep your plant running efficiently, reducing downtime and increasing profitability. In addition to traditional hydrostatics analysis, there are several innovative methods to detect leaks, including remote cameras and vision sensors, acoustic data, and digital testing software.
Reliability
It is required by many governments and organizations to perform pressure testing before using a pipeline or container that contains hazardous materials. This testing ensures that the pipes or containers can safely handle the pressures they will experience during production.
This process involves filling the system with water, draining and venting it to remove any trapped air, and analyzing the pressure change during a set period. If there is a drop in pressure that is not caused by thermal expansion or contraction, then there may be a leak in the system that needs to be repaired.
Leaks will appear in the pressure test chart profile as a continuous dropping trend from an initial value. The test must be performed under strict conditions to minimize the risk of injury or damage during the process, including clearing and roping off the area before starting. In addition, the test must be recorded and analyzed to identify any issues.
Maintenance
Aside from maintaining production and safety standards, pressure testing is also a preventative tool for fraud detection. For example, accounts payable staff can use routine pressure testing to hone in on vulnerabilities that cyber-criminals could exploit.
A hydrostatic test, a commonly used method of pressure testing, involves filling the component with an incompressible fluid and bringing it up to a pressure level up to one and a half times greater than the design level. The juice is usually clean water and maybe dyed so that leaks can be identified easily.
Regardless of the pressure test type chosen, it’s essential to prepare for a proper test by ensuring that the equipment or system is ready. This includes upfront planning, clear test procedures and plant SOPs, and a careful setup of the system to be tested. This ensures that the process goes smoothly without any unnecessary risks or complications.