Process for detecting water leaks from smelting furnaces in metal or alloy production plants and related plant

A process for detecting water leaks in smelting furnaces or in metal or alloy treatment plants, comprising the following steps:

• (i) providing at least one smelting furnace, or at least one metal or alloy treatment plant provided with a water cooling system and connected to a process fume exhaust system;
• (ii) mixing in the cooling water a tracer chemical which is volatile in the event of water leakage together with the exhaust gases from the smelting furnace or metal or alloy treatment plant and which is suitable to be detected by an analysis system of the exhaust gases produced in said at least one smelting furnace or in said at least one metal or alloy treatment plant;
• and
• (iii) detecting said tracer chemical contained in the exhaust gases by said analysis system comprised in said process fume exhaust system,
• wherein said tracer chemical is deuterated water and
• wherein said analysis system is a mass spectrometer.