A gas bubble leak detector is a device that detects potentially dangerous gas leakage. These devices are used in operations such as painting, fumigation, fuel filling, construction, excavation of contaminated soils and landfill operations. They are also commonly employed to test for gas leaks in pipelines, flammable liquid storage tanks and other pressurized systems.
In the past, most methods to locate a gas leak have been labor intensive, costly or required expert knowledge to interpret the results. A new method based on the use of a high-viscosity formula has been developed to pinpoint even the smallest leaks quickly and accurately. This brightly colored solution is safe to use on all pipes, tubes, connections, cylinders, pressure vessels and coils that carry any gas or air under pressure. This high viscosity fluorescent liquid can be easily applied with a dauber, paint brush or squeeze bottle and is noncorrosive, nonfreezing and contains no petroleum distillates or petrochemicals. It produces large blue bubble clusters that are easier to see than traditional foam or white bubble solutions. Small leaks are indicated by the formation of a white foam in 5 to 60 seconds.
The coherence combination of the acoustic bubble model with SAS technology provides a significant improvement in the ability to distinguish leak signals compared to noncoherent real aperture sonar. This new approach enables the rapid inspection of gas bubbles in real-time, which will significantly improve automatic leak detection algorithms and reduce the overall cost of pipeline inspection.