Quick identification of compressed air leaks

RS Components (RS) has introduced a new maintenance tool from Fluke, a leading maker of electronic test tools and software for professionals.

The tool enables the fast detection of compressed air leaks and means maintenance teams can help in the process of improving the reliability of production lines, for example.

In a typical example application, the new Fluke ii900 Sonic Industrial Imager enables maintenance engineers and technicians to quickly locate compressed air leaks, which can negatively affect pneumatic equipment in a range of industrial and manufacturing environments.

Potentially, it can also mean that companies can get the most out of their existing air compressors and therefore delay the capital expense of purchasing an additional compressor, for instance.

The imager is an intuitive and easy-to-use tool that employs acoustics or sound-based technologies to locate potential issues by isolating the frequencies created by leaks or vacuums, even in extremely noisy production environments.

It makes calculations to locate leaks or vacuums based on the direction and point of origin of a sound and the measurement of time delays as the sound passes over the tool’s full array of microphones. This capability makes it easy to scan a large area and even capture leaks from a long distance.

A key technique used by the ii900 imager is SoundSight technology, which is Fluke’s proprietary technology of converting sound waves to a visual image.

The imager displays a SoundMapTM over the top of a visual image, enabling the fast and easy location of problems on its 7in LCD, which also has a capacitive touchscreen. 

Other important specifications of the imager include; a frequency detection range from 2 up to 52kHz; and a maximum operating distance up to approximately 50m.

The Fluke ii900 Sonic Industrial Imager is shipping now from RS in the UK.