THERMOGRAPHY TEST OF ELECTRICAL PANELS
- Infrared thermography is a test that can be utilised to identify unbalanced loads, poor connections, deteriorated insulation or any other issues in energized electrical panels or components without dismantling the components. These problems may lead to excess power use, increased maintenance costs, or catastrophic equipment failure resulting in unscheduled service interruptions, equipment damage, or other problems.
- We are able to get this due to the heat build-up of any electrical element under stress and predict that it will fail while it is still functional and appears normal to the naked eye or any other test equipment. The heat signature identified with the use of an Infrared camera. The pictures are then analysed and put into an easy-to-follow report so that they can rectify before a breakdown occurs, preventing loss of production due to unplanned down time.
- Unexpected breakdowns in electrical supply can inconvenient and costly. Infrared electrical thermography is a useful tool that can recognize stressed elements of your electrical installation before they break down or cause a fire. This gives you the opportunity to solve the problem as part of planned maintenance before it causes a serious problem.
- Another result of failed or stressed electrical elements is the risk of fire; in fact the risk is more real than commonly realise. It is in this vein that insurance companies are increasingly calling for infrared electrical thermography surveys as a valuable risk assessment aid.In the past this service was only available to very large companies and mining houses due to the cost determinant, but as with everything there have been massive advancements in the last few years and Thermo Scanning has now become a very profitable tool in the small to medium size business world. Maintenance includes vibration analysis on machines, audio, ultrasonic and infrared thermography inspection on electrical systems. Thermography used to recognize equipment hot spots. This task is typically carried out using temperature sensing instruments like thermocouple sensors or other forms of thermometers. Limitation of this analysis is that this kind of instrument can give maintenance personnel only with temperature readings on certain spots but not overall electrical system.
- The NFPA or National Fire Protection Association assesses that 10% of the fires happening are associated with electrical system failures, like failure of terminals, electrical insulation and related components. Electricity at Work Regulations Act 1989, Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and BS 7671 (IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition as amended) suggest that electrical infrastructure be regularly maintained and tested to ensure compliance with safety guidelines.
- Performing an infrared testing will highlight problems with electrical infrastructure under load during the testing process as these areas will manifest as anomalous temperatures shown in the live image on the thermal imaging camera. Moreover, failures can result in employees to be bared to live electrical circuits, making them prone to severe injury or death from electrocution. By detecting high-resistance connections and repairing them, the likelihood of a breakdown of the electrical wires and related components will be reduced.
- Other benefits of finding and fixing these faults are the cost effectiveness that comes from energy conservation and reduction in shutdown and repair charge. High resistance in circuits causes an increase in current flow. When current flow is increased, the resulting power consumption will increase. Additionally, large current draw can lead to severe electrical circuit components, like circuit breakers, fuses and transformers, to collapse prematurely. These failures result in higher maintenance and repair costs, and resultant business interruptions.
- Determines if the components and system have been properly installed and are not damaged
- Reduces downtime
- Reduces risk of equipment failure
- Increases safety
- Improves insurability
- Reduces liability exposure of the designers and installers
- Improves system performance
- Determines whether components and systems operate properly and meet the design intent
Why is Thermography Testing of Electrical Panel Important?
Benefits of Doing Thermography Testing of Electrical Panel
Our Professional team of Engineers support in Thermography for clear identifications of Hot-Spots and appropriate solution for rectification of Hot-Spots to enhance the performance of customer’s System and optimize their cost benefit for the same. With the help of our skill sets like dedicated team of Consultants, High End Measuring Equipments and commendable performance of Back office support, our skill is quikly getting recognition in market and Engineering Caliber is coming to notice of the best in the Industry.