ASTM_E_2930_-_13.pdf

Designation:E293013Standard Practice forPressure Decay Leak Test Method1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2930;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice describes a method for determining theleakage rate of a vessel subject to a positive pressure differ-ence.The technique is based upon evaluation of the change ofmass within the test object based on a pressure decay measure-ment.The pressure decay measurement uses the ideal gasequation of state and the measured pressures,temperatures,andtime to determine the mass loss from the vessel.This methoddoes not apply to deformable vessels.1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E479 Guide for Preparation of a Leak Testing Specification(Withdrawn 2014)3E543 Specification for Agencies Performing NondestructiveTestingE1316 Terminology for Nondestructive Examinations2.2 ANSI/ASNT Standards:4ANSI/ASNT-CP-189 Standard for Qualification and Certifi-cation of Nondestructive Testing PersonnelSNT-TC-1A Recommended Practice for NondestructiveTesting Personnel Qualification and Certification2.3 AIA Document:5NAS-410 Certification and Qualification of NondestructiveTesting Personnel2.4 ASME Standards:6ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VArticle 10(paragraph T-1044)2.5 ISO Standards:7ISO/IEC Guide 983 Uncertainty of Measurement Part 33.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 pressure decay test resolutionthe resolution of thetest that can be derived from the test equipment specificationsand the volume of the test vessel.The test resolution isdetermined by evaluation of the individual resolutions of thepressure measurement,temperature measurement,and timemeasurement for a known vessel volume.The method fordetermining the test resolution is give in Annex A1.3.1.2 pressure decay test accuracythe test accuracy is theestimated accuracy of the test based on a combination of themeasurement accuracies of contributing variables.The methodfor determining the test accuracy is given in Annex A2.4.Summary of Test Method4.1 This practice requires a known volume and the use ofthe pressure rate of decay technique for quantitative measure-ment of leakage rates.The practice is written to be usable overa wide range of pressures and system volumes.This method isonly applicable to the test of non-deformable volumes ordevices.Test devices which may have significant changes involume due to pressurization should not be tested with thismethod.The method requires the measurement of the systempressure and temperature as a function of time and as suchrequires that these measurements be made with calibratedinstrumentation.The range of the measurement technique canvary significantly but is generally applicable in the rangegreater than 1 10-8mol/s(2.2 10-4std cc/s)5.Significance and Use5.1 The equipment,test duration,and technique should bedetermined before commencement of the test based on the1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E07 on Nonde-structive Testing and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E07.08 on LeakTesting Method.Current edition approved June 1,2013.Published June 2013.DOI:10.1520/E2930132For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.4Available fromAmerican Society for Nondestructive Testing(ASNT),P.O.Box28518,1711 Arlingate Ln.,Columbus,OH 43228-0518,http:/www.asnt.org.5Available from Aerospace Industries Association of America,Inc.(AIA),1000Wilson Blvd.,Suite 1700,Arlington,VA22209-3928,http:/www.aia-aerospace.org.6Available from American Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME),ASMEInternational Headquarters,Three Park Ave.,New York,NY 10016-5990,http:/www.asme.org.7Available from American National Standards Institute(ANSI),25 W.43rd St.,4th Floor,New York,NY 10036,http:/www.ansi.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 required test sensitivity or accuracy(see Annex A1 and AnnexA2).If the test is used to certify that the vessel has a minimumspecified leakage rate,then the test equipment and test durationshould be chosen to have a resolution ten times less than thespecification and an accuracy which is four times less than thespecification.The test should b