Equipment Condition Monitoring

Infrared Thermography is one of the predictive maintenance techniques that have become one of the most used ones by companies. This technique allows detecting any failure that manifests itself in a temperature change, measuring the levels of radiation in an infrared spectrum, without physical contact.

In general, before an electromechanical failure occurs it is manifested as a heat exchange. This heat is usually seen as a sudden rise in temperature; however, depending on the object the temperature begins to show slight variations.

If it is possible to detect, compare and determine such slight variation, then early faults can be detected and that may incur in the short or medium term plant shutdown and / or disaster affecting people and equipment. This allows reducing downtime, unscheduled shutdowns, thanks to the contribution made for planning of repairs and maintenance. The benefits of reducing costs include energy savings, equipment protection, inspection and diagnosis, quick and easy verification of a repair, etc.

The main purpose of the thermography in electrical systems is to detect faulty components based on the temperature rise due to an abnormal increase in the resistance. The possible causes of these defects are:

Loose connections.

Connections affected by corrosion.

Dirt on links and / or contacts.

Degradation of insulating materials.

Why use Infrared Thermography?

With thermography we can focuse on the problems that have to be repaired and it is possible to detect problems that under normal circumstances would not be detected.

Advantages of this technique:

The inspection is done remotely without physical contact with the item in normal operation conditions.

It is not necessary to shutdown the equipment.

It is a technique that accurately identifies a faulty element.

Applicable to various electrical equipment: terminals, transformers, switches, cables, fittings, etc.

Is suitable for tracking defects in real time, which quantifies the severity of the defect and the impact of load variations to schedule any maintenance actions at the right time.