Status of Leak Detection Methods for Recovery Units in North America, 1997 Engineering Conference Proceedings

Recovery boiler leak detection technology is one of the most important new technologies for our industry and is at the threshold of a major breakthrough. Leak detection systems currently available are being developed into commercial reality. They are based on four fundamentally different principals: Operator Interface, Water Mass Balance, Boiler Water Chemistry, and Sound Surveillance. The status of these systems is discussed. The value of early leak detection of small leaks is a key to drive the development of leak detection technology. Recovery boiler explosion history directly relates the quantity of water to the amount of explosion damage. Many full tube ruptures occur as a result of a neighboring pinhole leak washing the tube to rupture. The installation of leak detection processes in North America continues to grow since the first AF&PA report in 1995. An ongoing database of installations is being maintained. Suppliers providing commercially-available systems are listed.