Containment Is Not Integrity – When Online Leak Sealing Holds — And When It Doesn't

Abstract

Containment is not integrity. An injected sealant can stop a leak within minutes, but it does not restore the wall, the weld or the joint that failed; what remains is a new, temporary pressure boundary. This technical decision paper (FRALEX-TDP-002) sets out the conditions that must be demonstrated before an online leak-sealing intervention is authorised: identification of the leak source and mechanism, the load-bearing capacity of the remaining component, enclosure design for the governing pressure including injection, sealant compatibility, controlled injection, and registration as a temporary repair with a defined route to permanent repair. It presents the FRALEX Decision Gate, a structured assessment across seven fixed dimensions with five defined outcomes, and distinguishes the responsibilities of contractor, engineer and operator. The paper is product-neutral and intended for plant operators, asset-integrity engineers, leak-sealing contractors and HSE stakeholders. It is the condensed public form of the FRALEX Global Leak Sealing Standard (GLSS).