With the portable Sensistor H2000-C Plus Hydrogen Leak Detector, BP Gelsenkirchen performs regular checks on the tightness of several hundred flanges at its hydrocrackers. The hydrogen method employs a non-flammable, non-toxic mixture of 5 % hydrogen and 95 % nitrogen as the tracer gas. The advantages of the hydrogen method, in comparison to mass spectrometer-based helium testing, are the usability and portability of the detection units, their very fast recovery rate following the detection of major leaks, and the lower cost of the tracer gas. The Sensistor method allows BP to test hydrocrackers without interrupting normal operations. For the test it is sufficient to form an enclosure around the flange with the help of highly impermeable adhesive tape. The leakage rate of each flange is then determined by measuring the hydrogen concentration in the enclosure using the compact, portable Sensistor H2000-C Leak Detector. The H2000-C Plus is capable of detecting leakage rates of just 5 x 10-7 mbarl/s. The equipment only responds to hydrogen, ensuring that the measurement is not affected by the presence of other gases.
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