Thermography is the leading non-intrusive, non-invasive and non-destructive tool available for use in identifying faults within plant, equipment and buildings. The technique is invaluable in being able to identify faults before they actually give rise to an unplanned and costly breakdown.

All objects above -273ºC or 0 Kelvin (absolute zero) emit infrared energy. This energy can be visualised and analysed through the use of infrared camera systems.

All plant or equipment in the early or later stages of failure heats up. This differential in temperature gives the professional thermographer the ability to identify and investigate further whether a genuine fault is developing or the temperature rise is a normal effect.

Thermography is the use of an infrared imaging and measurement camera to "see" and "measure " thermal energy emitted from an object.

Thermal, or infrared energy, is light that is not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye; it's the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we perceive as heat. Unlike visible light, in the infrared world, everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, like ice cubes, emit infrared. The higher the object's temperature, the greater the IR radiation emitted. Infrared allows us to see what our eyes cannot.

Infrared thermography cameras produce images of invisible infrared or "heat" radiation and provide precise non-contact temperature measurement capabilities.

"Nearly everything gets hot before it fails, making infrared cameras extremely cost-effective, valuable diagnostic tools in many diverse applications."

Also as industry strives to improve manufacturing efficiencies, manage energy, improve product quality, and enhance worker safety, new applications for infrared cameras continually emerge.

 

Why use it?

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. Infrared Thermography 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 Infrared Thermography 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.

Our thermographers will identify a fault and propose remedial actions to rectify the situation before it develops into a costly breakdown.