TEST LEAKAGE DEVICE

Abstract

In a test leakage device (10) for testing the functionality and for calibrating a gas leak detection device having an evacuable test chamber (34) for receiving a test object and the test leakage device (10), wherein the test leakage device (10) has a base (12), a cover (16) and at least one side wall (14) connecting the base (12) to the cover (16), which surround an interior space (20) which can be filled with a test gas or a test liquid, provision is made for the base (12) to have a membrane (24) which is permeable to the test gas or constituents of the test liquid, and for mutually opposite sections of that inner side (18) of the side wall (14) which faces the interior space (20) to be at a greater distance from one another in the region of the cover than in the region of the base.

Claims

1. A test leakage device for testing the functionality and for calibrating a gas leak detection device having an evacuable test chamber for receiving a test object and/or the test leakage device, wherein the test leakage device has a base, a cover and at least one side wall connecting the base to the cover, which surrounds an interior space which can be filled with a test gas or a test liquid, wherein the base has a membrane which is permeable to the test gas or constituents of the test liquid, and mutually opposite sections of the inner side of the side wall which faces the interior space are at a greater distance from one another in the region of the cover than in the region of the base.

2. A test leakage device for testing the functionality and for calibrating a gas leak detection device having an evacuable test chamber for receiving a test object and/or the test leakage device, wherein the test leakage device has a base, a cover and at least one side wall connecting the base to the cover, which surrounds an interior space which can be filled with a test gas or a test liquid, wherein the base has a membrane which is permeable to the test gas or constituents of the test liquid, and the base has a recess with an inner side facing the interior space, wherein mutually opposite sections of the inner side are at a greater distance from one another in the region of the cover than in the region of the base.

3. The test leakage device according to claim 1, wherein the distance of the mutually opposite sections of the inner side of the side wall) facing the interior space decreases continuously from the cover to the base.

4. The test leakage device according to claim 1, characterized in that wherein the inner side of the side wall cylindrically surrounds the interior space and conically tapers towards the membrane.

5. The test leakage device) according to claim 1, wherein, in the region of the base, the inner side of the side wall adjoins a through opening comprising the membrane.

6. The test leakage device according to claim 5, wherein the through opening is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a circular surface facing the interior, the outer edge of which adjoins the inner side of the side wall.

7. The test leakage device according to claim 1, wherein the lower side of the base facing away from the interior space is provided with at least one spacer that prevents the lower side of the base from contacting the bottom of the test chamber, when the test leakage device is contained in the test chamber.

8. The test leakage device according to claim 1, wherein the test leakage device has a filling opening closed with a valve.

9. The test leakage device according to claim 1, wherein the base and the side wall are formed as an integral part and the inner side is formed as a recess in the integral part.

10. The test leakage device according to claim 2, wherein the distance of the mutually opposite sections of the inner side of the side wall facing the interior space decreases continuously from the cover to the base.

11. The test leakage device according to claim 2, wherein the inner side of the side wall cylindrically surrounds the interior space and conically tapers towards the membrane.

12. The test leakage device according to claim 2, wherein, in the region of the base, the inner side of the side wall adjoins a through opening comprising the membrane.

13. The test leakage device according to claim 12, wherein the through opening is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a circular surface facing the interior, the outer edge of which adjoins the inner side of the side wall.

14. The test leakage device according to claim 2, wherein the lower side of the base facing away from the interior space is provided with at least one spacer that prevents the lower side of the base from contacting the bottom of the test chamber, when the test leakage device is contained in the test chamber.

15. The test leakage device according to claim 2, wherein the test leakage device has a filling opening closed with a valve.

16. The test leakage device according to claim 2, wherein the base and the side wall are formed as an integral part and the inner side is formed as a recess in the integral part.

Description

[0017] Embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail hereunder with reference to the Figures. In the drawings:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a cross section through a first embodiment of the test leakage device and

[0019] FIG. 2 is a cross section through a second embodiment of the test leakage device.

[0020] In both embodiments the test leakage device has a base 12 which is integrally surrounded by a circumferential side wall 14 protruding laterally from the outer edge of the base. A cover 16 is connected with the side wall in a fluid-tight manner, such that the base 12, the side wall 14 and the cover 16 enclose an interior space 20 in a fluid-tight manner. The interior space 20 can therefore be filled with a test fluid, i.e. a test gas or a test liquid.

[0021] A through opening 22 is formed in the base 12, which communicates the interior space 20 with the outer environment of the test leakage device, a membrane 24 being inserted therein, which is configured to be permeable to the test or to components of the test fluid. Thereby, the test fluid contained in the interior space 20 can escape from the test leakage device only via the membrane 24.

[0022] The side wall 14 is configured as a ring circumferentially protruding from the base 12 in a cylindrical shape along the outer circumference of the base 12, the inner side 26 of which forms a cone that tapers towards the membrane 24 and the through opening 22. At its lower end facing the base 12, the cone has a central opening that opens into the through opening 22 and adjoins the membrane 24.

[0023] Due to the fact that the base 12 and the side wall 14 are integrally connected with each other, the cone of the inner side 26 may also be seen as a recess in the base 12.

[0024] Due to the effect of gravity and the diameter of the interior space 20 tapering towards the through opening 22 and the membrane 24, the test fluid contained in the interior space 20 flows along the inner side 18 into the through opening 22 and towards the membrane 24. The membrane is thus uniformly wetted by test fluid as soon as the test leakage device 10 stands upright on a substrate, e.g. the bottom 32 of the test chamber 34 of a gas leak detection device not fully illustrated in the Figures.

[0025] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the lower side 28 of the base 12 is provided with a plurality of spacers 30 in the form of protrusions 30 protruding downward beyond the lower side 28. The spacers 30 create a distance between the lower side 28 and the bottom of a test chamber, when the test leakage device 10 stands on the test chamber bottom. In the Figure, the bottom of the test chamber is identified by the reference numeral 32, while the test chamber is identified by the reference numeral 34.

[0026] In the region of one of the spacers 30, the base 12 is provided with a filling opening 36 that communicates the interior space 20 with the outer environment of the test leakage device 10 and is closed with a valve 38. The valve 38 is configured such that test fluid can be filled into the interior space 20 from outside, but cannot escape from the interior space 20 to the outside via the filling opening 36.

[0027] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the lower side 28 of the base 12 has a shape formed in the manner of a plate and concentrically surrounding the through opening 22, without separate spacers 30 being formed integrally with the base. The membrane 24 is inserted in the lower end of the through opening 22. The through opening 22 opens into the interior space 20 with a reduced diameter when compared to the membrane 24. The through opening 22 is concentrically surrounded by bore holes 40 into which fastening elements in the form of screws for fastening the membrane 24 are inserted and in which they are retained by means of a conventional screw connection with threaded engagement in the second embodiment. The screw heads, not illustrated in FIG. 2, of the screws inserted upward into the openings 40 from below protrude downward beyond the lower side 28 of the base 12 and thus form spacers comparable with the spacers 30 of the first embodiment.