Hydrostatic (Hydro) Testing is a process where components such as piping systems, gas cylinders, boilers, and pressure vessels are tested for strength and leaks. Hydro tests are often required after shutdowns and repairs in order to validate that equipment will operate under desired conditions once returned to service.
Why Hydraulics Testing Is Important:
Hydraulics can be complex, and also dangerous if not maintained properly and serviced regularly, it also needs competent operation and so training is absolutely essential. GITCHIA legislation make it absolutely clear that all hydraulic equipment, including tools, cylinders and jacks must be thoroughly examined by a competent person. Not only that, all information, tests and issues should be documented and available for examination. This isn’t just some red tape that needs to be followed to get the right tick in a box, it’s actually an extremely important safety issue. People’s lives could be at risk, so the employer and employee need to ensure all equipment is safe. Obviously, training staff in the processes of testing and documenting can be expensive, and having a training centre in-house is very often not a very cost-effective route to take.
When are Instruments Tested?
Most countries have legislation or building code that requires pressure vessels to be regularly tested, for example every two years (with a visual inspection annually) for high pressure gas cylinders and every five or ten years for lower pressure ones such as used in fire extinguishers. Gas cylinders which fail are normally destroyed as part of the testing protocol to avoid the dangers inherent in them being subsequently used.
INDUSTRIAL SECTORS
The manufacturing industry compromises a wide variety of production of goods, ranging from low tech and low labor skills for the process. There are many areas that requires intense and stunning technology to be achieve; examples include aeronautics, electronics, pharmaceutical, robotics.