Development of the control system of new generation leak detecting equipment for testing elements of rocket and space technique

Аuthors

Kologov A. V.^1*, Reznik Y. O.^2**, Soloviev V. N.^1*, Ushakov A. N.^***, Tsarkov K. A.^2****

1. Scientific Production Association "Mashinery Technology", 40, 3- proezd Mar'ina Roshcha, Moscow, 127018, Russia
2. Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), 4, Volokolamskoe shosse, Moscow, А-80, GSP-3, 125993, Russia

*e-mail: 250@tmnpo.ru
**e-mail: reznik@aviatex.ru
***e-mail: ushakov@aviatex.ru
****e-mail: k6472@mail.ru

Abstract

One of the major tasks of rocket-and-space equipment production is ensuring structural continuity. Thus, all systems and elements of the rocket-and-space equipment undergo tests for tightness so that to detect and eliminate all leakages appeared in the course of production. For leakage detecting one can use highly sensitive leakage detectors of various types from either domestic or foreign producers.

Moreover, performance capabilities of all leakage detectors listed in this paper do not satisfy the requirements placed on industrial leakage detecting equipment having a number of special properties. Design of such equipment is the subject of the present work.

The paper presents the main features of industrial leakage detector in addition to its high sensitivity and permissible measurement error that are of great importance while hermetic tightness control of different reservoirs.

The developed prototype of the industrial leakage detector allows operation within the range from 3.3211∙10^-27 to 4.9816∙10^-25 Pa (from 2 to 300 Da), it is equipped with oil-free forepump system with productivity of 15 m³/hour and operates under control of a hardware-software complex on the basis of the industrial tablet computer and the controller. The total error of working gas consumption detection makes less than 40%. This error can reputed rather small, considering that calibration leakage error, as a rule, is more than 20%.

Extorr Inc company Extorr XT-300 analyzer as a a part of a hardware-software control complex of a leak detector takes measurements of pressure of helium mixture in the chamber and presents the results in the form of partial pressures (Torr) by atomic unit within the range from 0.5 to 300 Da. To determine helium partial pressure we select measurements corresponding to the mass of helium with due account for peak degradation. Namely, partial pressures are measured within the vicinity of weight 4 (helium) by which integrated value is calculated. Background and noise components are filtered by averaging

Helium stream (m³Pa/s) is defined by means of the developed experimental calibration function f(x) in the form of (1)

   (1)

According to the results of the measurements taken at tests there we calculated coefficients of function f(x). Their values are: a₁ = 0.0058, а₂ = 1,5979∙10^—11, a₃ = —4∙10^—6.

The developed leakage detector prototype has passed preliminary tests and showed satisfactory performances. The subsequent installation refinement under conditions close to production will allow making necessary improvements to its hardware and software parts, and producing pilot batch for pilot industrial application.

Keywords:

leakage detector, mass spectrometry, vacuum pumping

References

1. S.Yu. Gogish-Klushin, O.S. Gogish-Klushina, A.V. El’chanin, D.Yu. Kharitonov. Alternativnaya energetika i ekologiya, 2013, no. 12, pp. 10-17.
2. M.L. Vinogradov. Internet-zhurnal «Tekhnologii tekhnosfernoi bezopasnosti», 2013, no. 3, avaliable at : http://academygps.ru/img/UNK/asit/ttb/2013-3/14-03-13.ttb.pdf.

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