Mixed gas integrity testing of porous materials without permeate side access

摘要

A method of integrity testing porous materials that is non-destructive to the material being tested. The inlet gas stream includes at least two gases, wherein one of the gases has a different permeability in liquid than the other, such as oxygen and nitrogen in water. The relative permeability of the gases is measured in the retentate stream, thereby avoiding accessing the permeate stream and potentially introducing contaminants to the material being tested. The integrity test is capable of detecting the presence of oversized pores or defects that can compromise the retention capability of the porous material.