Challenge:
A closed-loop glycol cooling system inside a power plant was losing 4.5L of coolant per hour. We needed to locate the leak accurately in order to minimize the amount of concrete being removed by the client to conduct repairs.
Constraints:
The concrete floor thickness ranged from 1 to 6 feet in depth, and the lines were located inside the live plant. The lines were constructed of high-density poly piping, making line locating impossible.
Solution:
In order to reduce the impact on the concrete floor, the test was done in stages. We set sampling ports at the pipe joints and elbows, identified through the use of ‘As-Built’ drawings. Sampling was conducted at set intervals (24 hour/72 hour/14 day). At the 12 hour sample a leak was detected, and subsequent samplings also verified results.
Result:
At the 12 hour sample a leak was detected, and subsequent samples also verified results. We contacted the client and disclosed the exact location of the leak. The client was then able to repair the small section of the coolant system with minimal disruption to operations.