METHOD FOR TREATING A PRODUCT AND LEAK-DETECTION INSTALLATION

摘要

The invention relates to a method and an installation for detecting a leak in a resilient, semi-hard and hard package (1). In the method, a test gas is supplied into the package to subject the content of the package to a first pressure Pp, whereafter the package is maintained for a holding time (T) in a chamber (7) having a gas pressure Pk, and the presence of gas is detected in a measuring space (11) that is in gas flow relationship with the chamber, with a detection apparatus (12, 13). In order for the method to be rapid enough to be suitable for detecting very small holes in packages and for use in production plants without any need to change their operating rate, in accordance with the invention a hydrogen gas having a hydrogen gas content of 0.0001 - 6 % by volume is employed as the test gas supplied into the package (1), the hydrogen gas content of the gas within the chamber (7) being maintained below a reference concentration that is lower than the hydrogen gas content in the package immediately after the addition of hydrogen gas into the package, whereafter the hydrogen gas that has possibly leaked outside the package into the chamber is detected and the package is considered defective if the detected hydrogen gas content is found to be higher by the given limit value than the reference content after the holding time (T). The invention also relates to a method for improving the shelf like of the quality of a product in the form of a foodstuff.