As the new energy vehicle industry enters a new phase of high-quality development, the sealing requirements of vehicle thermal management systems have become increasingly stringent. Core components such as heat pump integrated modules and automotive air conditioning heater cores must achieve absolute sealing throughout their entire lifecycle—any minor leakage could lead to performance degradation or even system failure. Helium mass spectrometer leak testing technology, with its ultra-high sensitivity and non-destructive characteristics, has become the core assurance for "zero-leakage" delivery of thermal management components. Shenzhen Yuanwang Industrial Automation Equipment Co., Ltd. ("Yuanwang Intelligence") has been deeply engaged in the new energy vehicle field, developing customized thermal management helium leak testing equipment specifically for thermal management modules, helping customers achieve higher efficiency, lower energy consumption, and enhanced durability.
I. Working Principle: The Technical Foundation of Helium Mass Spectrometer Leak Testing
The core principle of thermal management helium leak testing equipment is the use of helium as a "tracer gas"—helium atoms have extremely low natural abundance, small mass, strong permeability, and chemical inertness, making them an ideal leak detection medium. The detection process can be divided into three steps:
· Helium filling or spraying: Fill the cavity of the workpiece under test (such as motor housing, heater core, water valve, piping) with helium at a certain pressure (or a helium-nitrogen mixture), or spray helium on suspicious areas on the external surface of the workpiece.
· Leak capture: If the workpiece has micropores or gaps, helium will escape from the leak point.
· Mass spectrometry analysis: The helium mass spectrometer leak detector analyzes the gas sample, accurately identifying helium molecules through the unique mass-to-charge ratio (4) of helium atoms, and converts it into a leak rate value. This technology can achieve ultra-high detection sensitivity at the level of 10⁻¹² Pa·m³/s, far exceeding traditional air tightness testing methods.
II. Main Testing Methods: Adapting to Different Thermal Management Components
For the diverse components of new energy vehicle thermal management systems, Yuanwang Intelligence's thermal management helium leak testing equipment offers multiple testing solutions:
The dual-standard testing process has been widely adopted in production lines: first, a coarse test using the differential pressure method (holding pressure for about 60 seconds, threshold 10⁻⁴ Pa·m³/s), with rejected parts sent for rework; then a fine test using the helium mass spectrometer method (threshold up to 10⁻⁷ Pa·m³/s), ensuring "zero-leakage" delivery.
III. Core Application Scenarios: Focus on Air Conditioning Heater Cores and Thermal Management Modules
Yuanwang Intelligence's thermal management helium leak testing equipment is specifically designed for key components of new energy vehicle air conditioning heating systems and thermal management modules, including:
· Automotive Air Conditioning Heater Core: As the core heat exchange component of the air conditioning system, the sealing of the heater core directly affects cabin heating performance and coolant leakage risk. Helium leak testing can accurately identify micron-level leaks at the tube plate, fin, and header weld joints of the core, preventing the safety hazard of antifreeze penetrating into the passenger compartment.
· Heat Pump Integrated Module: Integrated components such as heat exchangers, expansion valves, and water valves feature complex flow paths and dense sealing points. Helium leak testing ensures no cross-leakage between channels.
· Air Conditioning Piping and Joints: Sealing testing of evaporators, condensers, and connecting pipelines ensures zero refrigerant leakage and compliance with environmental regulations.
IV. Product Core Advantages
Yuanwang Intelligence's thermal management helium leak testing equipment possesses the following outstanding features to meet the stringent requirements of high efficiency, low energy consumption, and high durability in new energy vehicle mass production lines:
V. Why Choose Yuanwang Intelligence's Thermal Management Helium Leak Testing Equipment?
Higher Efficiency
With a testing cycle time of within 50 seconds and an automation upgrade-ready design, a single unit can achieve a daily production capacity of over 1,700 pieces (based on two shifts). Parallel dual-station or multi-chamber designs further reduce waiting time and eliminate bottleneck processes.
Lower Energy Consumption
A helium recovery rate of ≥98% significantly reduces helium procurement costs and transportation emissions. The intelligent vacuum system evacuates on demand, lowering power consumption.
Enhanced Durability
The test leak rate of 1.0×10⁻⁶ mbar·L/s effectively intercepts micron-level leak paths, ensuring reliable sealing of thermal management systems throughout a 10-year/200,000 km service life. The equipment itself uses industrial-grade pneumatics and sensors, with a design life of over 10 years and long maintenance intervals.
Flexible and Customizable
The vacuum chamber size, fixtures, helium filling method, and testing program can all be tailored to the workpiece, accommodating components of different shapes and materials such as heater cores and integrated modules.
VI. Summary
In the process of new energy vehicles transitioning from "electrification" to "intelligence and high quality," the sealing of thermal management systems is no longer an auxiliary indicator but a safety baseline. Yuanwang Intelligence's thermal management helium leak testing equipment, with its core advantages of customizable vacuum chambers, ≤50-second rapid testing, 1.0×10⁻⁶ mbar·L/s high sensitivity, ≥98% helium recovery rate, adjustable 10%-99.99% helium concentration, and automation upgrade readiness, precisely meets the stringent testing requirements of electric and hybrid vehicles for thermal management modules such as air conditioning heater cores.
Yuanwang Intelligence is not only an equipment supplier but also a total solution partner for thermal management sealing testing—from fixture design to production line integration, from offline sampling to online full inspection, Yuanwang Intelligence works together with customers to build a "zero-leakage" new energy vehicle thermal management manufacturing system.
