Vacuum leak testing with bubble emission is the standard method for locating leaks in weld seams of storage tanks, pressure vessels, pipelines, and ship hulls — governed by ASTM E515. A vacuum box placed over the weld creates negative pressure; a soap solution applied to the seam reveals leaks as growing bubbles, pinpointing defects that visual inspection would miss.
Delta Test Technologies manufactures portable, autonomous vacuum boxes for field and shop use: the DELTA VB300 and VB600 for straight weld seams, a corner vacuum box for hard-to-reach fillet and corner welds, and complete vacuum systems for bubble-emission testing in accordance with ASTM E515-11. The portable designs work without external power or air supply, so inspection crews can test welds anywhere — on tank floors, vessel shells, and structural joints.
Vacuum-box leak testing is fast, unambiguous, and requires no radiation or tracer gas, making it the practical choice for weld quality control in oil and gas, chemical processing, shipbuilding, and storage-tank construction and maintenance.
