Ecotec 4000: New Multi-Gas Sniffer Leak Detector to Receive Sneak Preview at Chillventa 2024
Ecotec 4000: New multi-gas sniffer leak detector with very high gas flow
Our latest industrial refrigerant leak detector will receive a sneak preview at Chillventa 2024, the world's leading trade fair for refrigeration technology. The Ecotec 4000 (successor to the successful Ecotec E3000) will be on show for the first time at the Nuremberg trade fair from 8-10 October 2024, at INFICON in Hall 8, Stand 8-412. Like its predecessor, we have also designed the enhanced Ecotec 4000 for industrial production lines in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector - not least for end-of-line leak testing on pre-filled refrigeration and air conditioning systems, refrigerators, heat exchangers or heat pumps. The Ecotec 4000 is the most sensitive multi-gas sniffer leak detector on the market. It detects up to four different refrigerant gases simultaneously and identifies leaks down to a size of 0.05 g R600a per year.
Reliable testing even in hard-to-reach places
One important new feature compared to its predecessor is the high gas flow of the new device: the Ecotec 4000 not only works with a gas flow of 160 sccm, as before, but also optionally with a medium and even a very high gas flow of 3000 sccm. This type of sniffer leak detection with strong suction allows for a reliable test even in hard-to-reach places. The fundamentally high sensitivity of the Ecotec 4000 allows you to reliably test against the industry-standard rejection leak rate of 0.3 g of refrigerant/year, even at high gas flow.
Robot-assisted sniffer leak detection – thanks to high gas flow
Another advantage of the high gas flow is that it also makes robotic and fully automatic sniffer leak detection possible. For this purpose, we have equipped the Ecotec 4000 with a lateral connection for the sniffer line that can be rotated 180 degrees at any time.
Selectively detect up to four gases when searching for leaks
The new device can detect up to four gases in parallel, detecting each selectively. This makes the Ecotec 4000 ideal if you use multiple refrigerants in your mixed production line, for example R600a and R290. At the same time, the Ecotec 4000 has an advanced IGS (Interfering Gas Suppression) mode. This means that interfering gases from insulating foams – such as foam blowing agents like cyclopentane and isopentane – do not affect the precise detection of the refrigerant gas, whether you are using R600a or R290.
CO2 interference signals are suppressed.
In addition, the Ecotec 4000 uses an innovative gas modulation technique that involves a specially developed sniffer handle with an integrated valve. This valve switches back and forth between different states several times a second, thus determining the background gas concentration. This enables the device software to effectively filter out any interference signals that may be caused by high background concentrations of refrigerants in the vicinity of the test system. This is a great advantage, especially when using CO2 as a refrigerant, because the signal evaluation algorithms recognize CO2 clouds as such and they no longer cause false leak alarms.
Convenient touch display, modern interfaces, lower maintenance costs
A 7-inch color touch display simplifies operation of the new Ecotec 4000. You can have the detected values for four different gases displayed simultaneously. The new interface makes it easy for you to select the required gases from the Ecotec 4000's extensive refrigerant library. We have also equipped our new multigas sniffer leak detector with all modern communication interfaces: Ethernet, HDMI, USB, BM1000 and I/O1000. Last but not least: a newly designed ion source for the device's integrated mass spectrometer significantly extends the service life of the filament and reduces your maintenance costs when using the Ecotec 4000 in industrial applications.
3D image recognition for fully automatic robotic leak detection
Visitors to the INICON stand at Chillventa 2024 will also be able to see other highlights. These include a robotic leak detection system in which an intelligent 3D image recognition system guides the sniffer tip fully automatically to all the joints and welds to be tested. This test, which is carried out after assembly but before the refrigerant is added, uses our XL3000flex leak detector, for example, which works with either helium or hydrogen – or, to be more precise, with forming gas. The commercially available forming gas is an inflammable mixture of 5 percent hydrogen and 95 percent nitrogen. Alternatively, we use the Sentrac Strix hydrogen leak detector in this system, which also uses forming gas as a test gas. We are also showing the particularly compact HLD6000 refrigerant leak detector for the first time in conjunction with a CO2 test leak and a new calibration adapter – this extends the possible range of applications for the HLD6000.
Our new sniffer line is ATEX-compliant: for propane and isobutane
We will be presenting another interesting new product at our Chillventa stand. We have developed our SL3000EX sniffer line especially for Ex environments – for use in ATEX zone 2. Of course, the SL3000EX can also be used with the new Ecotec 4000. The reason for our new development: natural hydrocarbons such as propane (R290) and isobutane (R600a), which are becoming increasingly popular as sustainable refrigerants, are flammable. The basic idea behind our new Ex sniffer line is to keep all electrical components of the leak detection system out of the Ex environment of the production line. The handle for the sniffer tip comes without a display, and we connect the sniffer line to the leak detector via our “EX-Box”, which acts as a fire barrier. The new SL3000EX sniffer line is certified according to ATEX Zone 2 and NEC 501 Class 1, Division 2.
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