A gas that has been used to create electricity and fuel the onboard energy
needs of the space shuttle and whose applications may someday fuel cars, trucks
and remote power stations, has found a more down-to-earth use today.
The new QH2000 leak detector from iTiQualitek Inc. (Billerica, MA) uses hydrogen
for detecting leaks and seal integrity. It uses a tracer gas that is composed
of 95% nitrogen and 5% hydrogen. The 5% mixture is classified as nonflammable
according to ISO 10156, and hydrogen is environmentally friendly according to
the ISO 14001 standard.