Over time, electrical and mechanical equipment will eventually deteriorate from many variables such as loading on a circuit, vibration, fatigue and age, etc. If not found, the failing connections can lead to faults, mechanical failures, and possibly a fire.
A potential system failure in your plant or business can have disastrous effects on your productivity and operations. Although not all conditions can be controlled, you do have the option to utilize infrared technology as a preventative maintenance tool.
Infrared Thermography is the use of thermal infrared camera equipment which detects infrared energy invisible to the human eye and converts the energy into a measurable temperature reading. Use of this technology will assist in detecting and correcting a possible fault before it can become a serious problem.
Infrared Thermography is a non-contact scan of your electrical and mechanical systems and does not require the shutdown of your equipment. The temperature reading of the equipment under load and in use is examined and compared against similar equipment under operation to determine whether your systems are operating within a normal range. Equipment that is producing excessive heat is usually an indicator of equipment failure.
Digital Image Heat behind the screw head – 59.1 degree Celsius difference revealed a loose connection with arcing occurring.
The primary benefits of conducting an infrared scan are:
• Increased safety
• Reduced unscheduled outages resulting in downtime
• Improved system reliability as a result of less downtime
• Reduced repair costs from equipment failures
In conjunction with detecting possible equipment failure, identifying and correcting minor and intermediate faults can save the company money from the inefficient use of electricity.
Infrared testing is a preventative maintenance program and should be conducted every 1 to 3 years depending on your type of operation. Only qualified infrared thermographers with training conforming to the guidelines of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) SNT-TC-1A should be used.
We can provide an ASNT certified operator and infrared camera for this service. We do require that you provide a trained person qualified to assist and work on energized electrical equipment during the scan. Please contact us to talk more about this program.