What is Thermography? - It is the process of monitoring the condition of equipment through the measurement and analysis of heat. Typically conducted through the use of infra-red cameras and associated software. Commonly used for monitoring the condition of high voltage insulators and electrical connections, as well as for monitoring the condition of refractory in furnaces and boilers, amongst other applications.

Why Use Infrared Thermography? - Infrared thermography captures variations in heat emitted by different regions of a piece of machinery. This non-intrusive technique transforms the information into visible signals, which can by analyzed. A comprehensive data scan of the information collected can help track patterns and unusual temperature levels, which could indicate the need for immediate maintenance.

Infrared thermography helps prevent costly unscheduled outages caused by catastrophic failures due to poor electrical connections. The immediate viewing of scanned images provided by this advanced equipment may allow critical problems to be identified and corrected more quickly.

Applications:

• Electrical operations

-Substations and power distribution centers
-High-voltage transmission lines, transformers and distribution switchgears
-Motor control centers, starters and connections
-Cable trays and bus ducts
-DC rectifiers, distribution and controls

• Mechanical operations -Bearings

-Hot and cold pipes
-Valves -Steam traps

• Refractories

-Blast-furnace stoves
-Vessels
-Ladels
-Reheat furnaces

Used to detect:

• Worn or damaged refractories
• Water leaks
• Defective thermal overload devices
• Poor contacts or connections
• Extreme cases of tracking on high-voltage equipment
• Dirty contacts in disconnect switches and magnetic conductors
• Poor joint contact in cable trays or bus ducts
• Sludge-filled transformers
• Phase-imbalanced or overloaded circuits