Standard & Custom Helium Recovery Equipment
Helium is one of the most popular types of tracer gas used for leak testing. It is a non-flammable and non-toxic inert gas, making it safe and effective for leak testing in a factory environment. Unfortunately, helium supply can be unpredictable and can become costly due to its demand.
To mitigate this, many manufacturers implement helium recovery systems in their manufacturing process to capture and recycle their helium supply for future use. Using an innomatec automated helium recycling system, you can better manage your helium use, reduce production costs, improve sustainability in your plant, and reduce the impact of any potential helium shortages.
innomatec offers several standard helium gas recycling solutions for the manufacturing line, as well as custom systems to meet your needs. Standard solutions include fully integrated systems or standalone systems, which could serve one or several machines (up to 30), depending on the needs of the manufacturer.
Standard solutions can test at pressure ranges from low pressure (0-40 bar), medium pressure (40-200 bar), and high pressure (above 200 bar).
Components of a Helium Reclaim Test System
innomatec’s standard helium reclaim test systems consist of a testing chamber, an exhaust system, filtering stations (as needed), and a storage tank(s).
How it works: The product under test is loaded into a test chamber, and the test cycle begins, filling the part with helium. Once the test cycle is over, the contents of the chamber is sent through an exhaust to the recovery system. The system will then check the helium concentration percentage in the mixture of what is coming back from the machine. This mixture is then modified by the system to meet the helium concentration and pressure specifications required for the test. This mixture could then be fed through filter stations if needed, and then it is sent to a storage tank(s) or pressure bottles, ready to be used for future tests.
There are several factors to consider when designing your ideal helium reclaim solution, such as:
- cycle time
- test volume
- test pressure—the further the distance from the station to the reclaim system, the greater the pressure required
- desired helium concentration (commonly 5-98%)
- runtime per day—for example, 24/7 or three-shift production will impact recovery rates
The helium recovery system needs to outperform the test pressure of your leak test—recovery pressure must be about 10-20% higher than the leak test pressure. Additional equipment and design considerations may also be required, depending on the test pressure and specifications of your test.
For example, a very low pressure test (below 5 bar) often requires additional equipment, like vacuum pumps, etc., to reach adequate recovery rates. In this situation, the distance between test and recovery bench becomes particularly important to ensure the required recovery pressure.
A helium recycling system can be added to an existing machine or built into a new machine. All designs conform to TÜV standards, ensuring safe and effective storage and containment of pressurized gases used in testing.
Determine the ROI of a Helium Gas Recovery System
Generally, helium reclaim systems are a beneficial addition to any test or production line that uses large amounts of helium, like large part leak testing, or high-pressure tests with high throughput rates.
If you are solely weighing the costs associated with a helium recovery system, there is a simple calculation to determine ROI. The easiest way to calculate this is identify the helium consumption per part, then multiply by the helium price per liter and the amount of parts produced per year.
This gives you your total cost of helium per year. This can then be compared to the cost of implementing a helium recovery system to weigh your investment against potential savings.
However, whether it is worth adding a helium recycling system on your production line will ultimately depend on your goals. Simply improving sustainability and lessening your reliance on a resource whose supply is unreliable, is reason enough to consider implementing a helium recovery solution on your production line.
Are you considering how a helium reclaim system could benefit your production line?
The team at innomatec can help!
Contact us to learn more.