Helium Systems (district heating)
Continuous helium saturation for leak detection in live networks
Subterranean leakages in district heating networks and large-scale liquid circuits lead to significant water losses, reduced thermal efficiency, and high civil excavation costs. To locate leakages reliably without interrupting heat distribution, InVerTec engineered automated, skid-mounted helium saturation plants that continuously enrich circulating heating water with dissolved helium as a tracer gas during live operation.
Process Principle & Detection Method
- Continuous, Bubble-Free Dissolution: A partial water stream is extracted via a bypass loop into an absorption column, where helium is dissolved bubble-free under regulated pressure before being reinjected into the main transport line.
- Selective Sub-Surface Migration: Due to its minimal atomic size, poor water solubility at ambient pressure, and non-toxic, non-corrosive nature, helium rapidly degasses at pipe breaches and diffuses upward through soil and paved surfaces.
- High-Precision Surface Pinpointing: Escaping tracer gas is scanned at the ground surface using portable sniffing units equipped with vacuum extraction and heated quartz membranes. Because atmospheric background levels are minimal, leakages are pinpointed with high spatial accuracy, eliminating false readings and avoiding unnecessary roadway excavation.
Engineering & Proven Industrial Track Record
- Autonomous Skid-Mounted Units: Compact, forklift-transportable plants featuring automated PLC control, dynamic pressure regulation, and integrated safety interlocks for seamless connection to power stations or local distribution hubs.
- Demonstrated Large-Scale Deployment: Proven across major utility networks, including the RheinEnergie district heating grid in Cologne (serving over 200 km of pipeline and 23,000 m³ water volume under full operation), as well as installations for Stadtwerke Rosenheim, Stadtwerke Ulm, Stadtwerke Iserlohn, and Stadtwerke Bochum.
