Why Helium Recovery Matters for Production Leak Testing
Helium leak testing depends on the quality and concentration of the tracer gas. If helium is diluted too far, the reliability of the test can be compromised. At the same time, buying fresh helium for every test increases production cost and exposes manufacturers to helium price volatility and supply constraints.
PURE has been developed to help manufacturers recover and reuse helium more effectively. Instead of exhausting usable gas after each test, PURE captures the helium mix, removes air and nitrogen contamination, and returns purified helium to the leak test process at the required pressure and concentration.
This gives manufacturers a practical route to reduce helium waste while maintaining confidence in the test result.
How PURE Helium Recovery Works
A helium recovery system captures helium used during leak testing so it can be reused instead of exhausted. In production environments, recovered gas often becomes diluted with air or nitrogen, so recovery alone may not be enough. A helium recovery and repurification system, such as PURE, separates contamination from the recovered gas and returns helium at a usable concentration for repeat testing.
PURE is designed to recover helium from leak test machines using helium at less than 3 bar. The system captures the helium mix after the leak test, separates helium from air and nitrogen contamination, and stores purified helium so it can be returned to the machine for future tests.
Key PURE capabilities include:
Return on Investment Examples
PURE can help manufacturers reduce helium usage and improve the economics of leak testing. Existing test scenarios show how recovered helium can be re-concentrated to >99% and returned to the machine for reuse.
Example 1: 181-litre pickup truck tank
A 181-litre pickup truck tank was tested using a 77% helium concentration. After the test, the exhausted gas was captured and re-concentrated to >99%. The purified gas was then returned to the machine at 2 bar.
Result: using PURE saved $0.27 per tank and demonstrated a 1.6-year payback.
Example 2: 90-litre car tank
A 90-litre car tank was tested using a 91% helium concentration. After the test, the exhausted gas was captured, re-concentrated to >99%, and returned to the machine at 2 bar.
Result: using PURE saved $0.11 per tank and demonstrated a 2.0-year return on investment.
Want to understand what helium recovery could save in your process? Speak to VES about a technical review of your current leak testing setup.
PURE Model Specification
From the built-in helium concentration meter to the simple HMI display, every aspect of PURE is designed to make helium recovery and purification simple, flexible, and traceable!
Internal Elements
External Elements
Is PURE Right for Your Leak Testing Process?
PURE is designed for manufacturers using helium leak testing where reducing helium waste, protecting test quality and controlling production cost are priorities.
It may be suitable if you use helium leak testing in regular or high-volume production, helium cost or availability is affecting your operating budget, your process exhausts usable helium after testing, or you want to explore recovery without completely redesigning your leak test system.
The best way to assess suitability is to review your current leak testing process, gas usage, helium concentration, cycle requirements and production volumes with the VES engineering team.
Frequently Asked Questions
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