In the world of vacuum technology and industrial leak testing, measuring the "tightness" of a system is critical. Helium is used as a tracer gas because it is small, inert, and rare in the atmosphere. However, different regions and industries use different units to quantify leak rates. This Helium Leak Rate Conversion Calculator simplifies the process of switching between scientific and industrial units.
Common Units Explained
atm·cc/sec: Also known as Standard Cubic Centimeters per Second (sccs). It is the most common unit in the USA and for aerospace applications.
mbar·l/sec: The standard European metric unit for leak testing. It represents the pressure rise in millibars per liter per second.
Pa·m³/sec: The SI unit (Systeme International) for gas flow. 1 Pa·m³/sec is exactly 10 mbar·l/sec.
Torr·l/sec: A unit often used in high-vacuum physics applications where pressure is measured in Torr or mmHg.
How to Use the Calculator
1. Enter the numerical value of your leak rate. You can use standard decimals (0.000001) or scientific notation (1.0e-6).
2. Select the current unit your equipment or specification is using.
3. Select the target unit you wish to convert to.
4. Click "Convert Leak Rate" to see the instantaneous conversion.
Example Calculations
Example 1: Converting a specification of 5.0e-8 atm·cc/sec to mbar·l/sec. Calculation: 5.0e-8 * 1.01325 = 5.066e-8 mbar·l/sec.
Example 2: Converting 1.0e-3 Pa·m³/sec to atm·cc/sec. Calculation: 1.0e-3 / 0.101325 = 9.869e-3 atm·cc/sec.
Conversion Factor Table (Relative to atm·cc/sec)
To Convert From atm·cc/sec to:
Multiply By:
mbar·l/sec
1.01325
Pa·m³/sec
0.101325
Torr·l/sec
0.76
Pa·l/sec
101.325
function calculateLeakConversion() {
var val = parseFloat(document.getElementById("leakValue").value);
var fromUnit = document.getElementById("fromUnit").value;
var toUnit = document.getElementById("toUnit").value;
var resultDisplay = document.getElementById("conversionResult");
var resultText = document.getElementById("resultText");
if (isNaN(val)) {
alert("Please enter a valid numeric value for the leak rate.");
return;
}
// Convert everything to a base unit (atm-cc/sec)
var inAtmCC;
if (fromUnit === "atmcc") {
inAtmCC = val;
} else if (fromUnit === "mbarl") {
inAtmCC = val / 1.01325;
} else if (fromUnit === "pam3") {
inAtmCC = val / 0.101325;
} else if (fromUnit === "torrl") {
inAtmCC = val / 0.76;
} else if (fromUnit === "pal") {
inAtmCC = val / 101.325;
}
// Convert from base unit (atm-cc/sec) to target unit
var finalResult;
var unitLabel = "";
if (toUnit === "atmcc") {
finalResult = inAtmCC;
unitLabel = "atm·cc/sec";
} else if (toUnit === "mbarl") {
finalResult = inAtmCC * 1.01325;
unitLabel = "mbar·l/sec";
} else if (toUnit === "pam3") {
finalResult = inAtmCC * 0.101325;
unitLabel = "Pa·m³/sec";
} else if (toUnit === "torrl") {
finalResult = inAtmCC * 0.76;
unitLabel = "Torr·l/sec";
} else if (toUnit === "pal") {
finalResult = inAtmCC * 101.325;
unitLabel = "Pa·l/sec";
}
// Display handling (use exponential notation for very small/large numbers)
var formattedResult;
if (Math.abs(finalResult) 10000) {
formattedResult = finalResult.toExponential(4);
} else {
formattedResult = finalResult.toFixed(6);
}
resultText.innerHTML = formattedResult + " " + unitLabel;
resultDisplay.style.display = "block";
}