IR - Learning 
Why Infrared Thermography?
Many commercial and industrial enterprises demand a high degree of reliability and availability from their electrical installations. Traditional forms of preventative maintenance are very limited in their effectiveness in identifying substandard electrical contact situations. In addition, preventative maintenance requires the isolation of electrical equipment, which is often inconvenient to  processes and production. IR/T provides a means of condition monitoring live systems and detecting electrical faults during the early stages of development through the generation of heat. Early fault detection provides the time required to plan and carry out the necessary repairs before catastrophic failure.
Typically, the faults most frequently detected are those associated with terminations and connections. The mechanical integrity of electrical connections may be affected in a variety of ways (i.e. looseness, over-tightening, corrosion etc.).
The prime difference between IR/T and cheaper more simply applied forms of temperature measurement is that temperatures can be observed and measured without having to make physical contact.
With thermal imaging cameras, the temperature of surfaces within the field of view, can be measured, recorded and analysed when convenient, and for electrical applications, local maintenance staff can be alerted immediately when potentially dangerous situations are discovered.
Whilst this sounds straight forward, the considerable benefits to be derived from its use, depend on selecting the correct equipment and having the skill and knowledge to use it effectively. For this, the user will require knowledge of the operating principles of thermographic equipment, an understanding of the physics and principles involved and a sound technical background specific to the intended application.
For IR/T electrical inspection, the prime benefits are: increased plant availability through a reduction in planned downtime and a reduction in unplanned downtime through the detection of faults prior to failure and the avoidance of consequential damage.
|
