Leak Testing Cooling Components and Assemblies for Data Centers

In the modern, connected world, data centers are increasingly important. For data centers to run effectively, they need reliable cooling systems to offset the immense heat these systems create, which poses many challenges, given the size and scale, and dangerous nature of some of the materials used in cooling (ie. refrigerants, etc.).

The reliability of a data center cooling system begins with the manufacturing process. There are many components and assemblies that must be leak tested to ensure safety and function in the field. Learn more about some of the most common leak testing requirements for components and assemblies used in data cooling centers, below.

Air Handling Units
Air handling units can vary in size, but many can be quite large, used for hyperscale data centers, like chiller farms for large digital corporations, etc. While the finished unit itself is large, it’s also made up of several different components that need to be leak test as well, including coils, compressors, heat exchangers, copper tubing, etc.

The leak test of an air handling unit assembly will require a few steps to test the different components and circuits of the unit, which must be done separately (for example, to test the refrigerant circuit separate from the water circuit). Steps can include:

Water circuit:

• Proof test on the water circuit, at a low pressure (below 100 psi)
• Trace gas test to identify leaks on brazed joints, fittings, and sealed connections

Refrigerant circuit:

• Proof test on the refrigerant circuit, at a higher pressure (likely up to 600 psi)
• Trace gas test to identify leaks on brazed joints and high pressure connections – at a higher pressure than the water circuit
• High vacuum pump out to remove any remaining water from the refrigerant circuit, which affects functionality, then backfill with refrigerant to operating pressure for use.
  
  

Example of a custom leak test machine designed for conducting a proof test on an air handling unit. This specific user interface is designed to conduct proof tests on 6 different channels. This system is designed for flexible mounting onto the customers production line with a centralized operator interface.

CO2 Compressors
CO2 compressors are an important part of many data cooling systems. Sizes will vary depending on the scale of the unit the compressor is going into – ranging from around 50 ft³ to 200 ft³ in most common situations. These compressors must be carefully and reliably leak tested both for function and safety of operation. Steps can include:

• Proof test using pressure decay around 1900 psi
• High pressure test using pressure decay (500 – 4000psig)
  • Due to the pressure, this test must take place inside a heavy enclosure for safety reasons. This could include a concrete bunker or a special chamber enclosed in impact-proof materials.
• A second proof test
• Tracer gas sniffing operation to identify any fine leaks

Cold Plate Assemblies
A cold plate assembly is essentially a heat exchanger and sizes can vary vastly. The leak test approach will depend on the size of the assembly and the required leak rate. For example, a larger assembly would need to use a tracer gas accumulation type test due to the difficulties of controlling pressure and cycle times at such a large volume. Steps could include:

• Proof/burst test at a higher pressure to see if there are any large gross leaks first
• Pressure decay test to measure leak rate in smaller assemblies
• Tracer gas test at 150-200 psi to look for fine leaks in larger assemblies

 Example of a test cart designed to perform accumulation leak testing (using Helium 100% concentration) on cold plate assemblies. CTS’ Tracermate II gas management system controls the test sequence and receives leak rate measurements from the a mass spectrometer. 

Internal Cooling System Components
As mentioned above, every assembly is made up of many smaller components. These components must also be leak tested during their production process to ensure leak-tightness from the inside, out. These components can include coils, expansion valves, manifolds, fluid couplings, a wide variety of brazed joints to be tested, and more. CTS designs accurate, reliable leak test solutions for all of these components, regardless of size, design, etc.—from very large to very small.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CTS’ SOLUTIONS FOR LEAK TESTING
DATA CENTER COOLING SYSTEMS →

Meet Stringent Leak Test Requirements with Proven Solutions from CTS
Our team of leak test experts is here to help you navigate the quickly evolving landscape and stringent requirements of manufacturing data cooling systems.

CTS has over 40 years’ experience developing industry-leading leak test technology. Part of our success lies in staying ahead of the curve on the latest developments and challenges affecting manufacturers, including industry regulations, testing pressures, and gaseous leak rates for new refrigerants.

Do more with CTS’ Sentinel IX5!
The Sentinel IX5 delivers flexible, multifunctional leak testing in ONE instrument! Use for pressure, flow, and vacuum testing methods, and even combine multiple methods using this one instrument. PLUS, it is built with differential pressure decay sensitivity, allowing manufacturers to accurately measure to very low leak rates—and faster than ever for even higher throughput!

EXPLORE SENTINEL IX5 →

CONTACT CTS ABOUT LEAK TEST SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR SPECIFIC APPLICATION!