OREANDA-NEWS. February 05, 2013. A helium leak test was successfully undertaken for China’s very first stainless-steel high vacuum sphere (with a volume of 2,000 cubic meters) in Sichuan Province, reported the press-centre of CFMCC Group.   

This device is manufactured by the Steel Structure Company of China First Metallurgical Construction Group (CFMCC Group) for the 2nd Phase Project of an Scientific Research New Area in Sichuan. According to the testing result of the weld joint (with a total length of 457m) of the sphere, no leakage has been detected and the quality of the sphere’s weld joint has proved to be super high. This achievement marks that the most important technical process prior to the high vacuum test has been smoothly fulfilled and the high vacuum test is to be started very soon.
This project was formally commenced in September 2012.

After the sedimentation test carried out for the foundation of the sphere, the Steel Structure Company of CFMCC Group communicated with the Sphere Installation Project Division, the Employer and the Pressure Vessel Monitoring Station, and determined to undertake the helium leak test on January 12, 2013, with an aim to reduce the scaffolding work.

This test was deemed to be a tough task because the weld joint was as long as 457m in length. For this purpose, a helium leak test was organized by the Project Division for dealing with all the testing matters. Thanks to the great efforts made by the team member during a short period of 13 days, inspection work was finished for 1,830 sections and the overall test smoothly passed through the on-site assessment carried out by the Pressure Vessel Monitoring Station under the General Armaments Department of the Employer on January 25, 2013, and the helium leak test for China’s very first stainless-steel high vacuum sphere (with a volume of 2,000 cubic meters) was therefore successfully completed. 

The successful implementation of this test has laid a firm foundation for the manufacturing work of such a huge stainless-steel high vacuum sphere in China, and proved the outstanding professional competence of CFMCC Group in the fields of production and installation work of pressure vessels.