TEST GAS APPLICATOR

Abstract

A test gas applicator (10) for administering test gas to a test object to be tested for the presence of a leak, comprising a housing (12) surrounding a test gas volume (14) and having a test gas outlet (24) with a membrane material (28) through which the test gas diffuses and/or permeates.

Claims

1. A test gas applicator (10) for administering test gas to a test object to be tested for the presence of a leak, comprising a housing (12) surrounding a test gas volume (14) and having a test gas outlet (24) with a membrane material (28) through which the test gas diffuses and/or permeates.

2. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the membrane material (28) is configured to diffuse or permeate gas contained in the test gas volume (14) at atmospheric pressure into the atmosphere surrounding the test gas applicator (10).

3. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the membrane material (28) completely fills the test gas outlet (24).

4. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the membrane material (28) is an open-pored felt material or a pore-free, closed membrane material.

5. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (12) is elongated and substantially cylindrical, and that the test gas outlet (24) is provided concentrically at a distal end of the housing (12).

6. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (12) comprises a filling valve (20).

7. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (12) comprises a pressure relief valve (16).

8. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the test gas applicator (10) comprises a safety cap completely covering and closing the test gas outlet (24) when fitted on the housing (12).

9. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the membrane material (28) extends from the test gas outlet (24) into the test gas volume (14).

10. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the test gas volume (14) comprises a test gas with atmospheric pressure.

11. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the test gas applicator (10), the test gas outlet (24) and the membrane material (28) are configured to convey the test gas solely by diffusion and/or permeation from the test gas volume (14) to the atmosphere surrounding the test gas applicator (10).

12. The test gas applicator (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the membrane material (28) is an open-pored felt material or a pore-free, closed membrane material comprising a silicon material.

Description

[0013] In the following, an exemplary embodiment of the invention is described in detail with reference to the FIGURE.

[0014] The FIGURE shows a longitudinal section through the test gas applicator.

[0015] The test gas applicator 10 comprises a cylindrical housing 12 that entirely surrounds a test gas volume 14 on the outside. A pressure relief valve 16 is provided in an outer shell surface of the housing 12 to allow a pressure within the housing 12 in excess of 110% of atmospheric pressure not to be exceeded when the test gas applicator 10 is filled with test gas.

[0016] A filling valve 20 is provided on a rear proximal front face 18 of the housing 12 for filling the test gas volume 14.

[0017] The distal front face 22 of the housing 12 opposite the proximal front face 18 comprises a test gas outlet 24 in the form of a cylindrical opening 26. A membrane material 28 is disposed in the cylindrical opening 26, which is configured such that the test gas diffuses through and/or permeates from the membrane material 28. The test gas passes completely through the membrane material 28 solely by diffusion. A pressure difference on the opposite sides of the membrane material 28 is not required for this purpose.

[0018] The membrane material 28 is a felt material which is provided in the form of a cartridge pressed into a cylindrical form.

[0019] A cylindrical cap 30 is configured to be slid onto the distal end of the housing 12 in a gas-tight manner such that no test gas gets from the test gas volume 14 to the external environment of the cap 30.

[0020] The test gas volume 14 is filled through the filling valve 20 with test gas in the form of helium. The pressure relief valve 16 prevents that the pressure within the housing 12 exceeds 110% of the atmospheric pressure in the external environment of the test gas applicator 10. Once the test gas volume is sufficiently filled, the cap 30 can be removed to introduce the test gas into the external environment of the specimen to be tested, causing the test gas to diffuse from the test gas volume 14 through the membrane material 28 and the test gas outlet 24. In doing so, only a small amount of test gas flows out of the test gas applicator 10 compared to conventional pressurized test gas applicators with spray guns. The tip 32 of the test gas applicator 10 can be passed over the surface of the specimen so that when the amount of test gas in the gas sucked out of the specimen increases, the tip 32 of the test gas applicator 10 is in the area of the leak of the specimen. Typically, the distal tip 32 then points towards the leak. Localizing a leak is thus possible in a particularly simple manner.