Industrial Imager pinpoints compressed air leaks in minutes
Published: 30 July, 2019
Compressed air systems can lose a significant amount of air through leakage. - the average compressed air system loses 30% of its air through leaks. Locating those leaks has been a time-consuming and difficult process. Fluke says its ii900 Sonic Industrial Imager enables maintenance teams to quickly, and visually, pinpoint the location of compressed air, gas, and vacuum system leaks even during peak production periods. Leaks can be detected in a matter of minutes.
The manufacturer claims that with minimal training, technicians can identify compressed air leaks considerably faster than using traditional diagnostic methods. Now checking for air leaks can be performed during the typical maintenance routine.
Featuring an array of microphones combined with the new ‘SoundSight’ technology, the handheld Fluke ii900 Sonic Industrial Imager filters out background noise so maintenance teams can accurately locate leaks in compressed air systems, even in the noisiest environments.
Josh Stockert, maintenance technician III at Genie commented: “We rely heavily on air - it’s one of the most important utilities we have coming into the building.
“With the Fluke ii900 Industrial Imager, we can stand on the sideline and inspect the air line that goes across while carts and people are moving underneath. We’re not affecting them, but we can tag it then fix it at lunch instead of waiting for a premium weekend shift to fix it.
“Now we don't have to look at adding new, bigger compressors or receiver chains, so not only is it capacity and energy savings, but now we’re talking about capital savings.”
The seven-inch LCD touchscreen overlays a ‘SoundMap’ on a visual image for quick leak location identification. The straightforward, intuitive interface allows technicians to isolate the sound frequency of the leak to filter out loud background noise. In a matter of hours, the manufacturer says the team can inspect the entire plant – during peak operations. Images can be saved and exported for reporting purposes.
The Fluke ii900 was designed in partnership with Sorama, an Eindhoven-based company specialising in noise control and sound analysis solutions.
