Infrared Thermography:
This technology is based on the principle that all operating equipment creates heat
due to the energy being used.
A thermal imager allows you to “see the heat”. Unlike an infrared thermometer that
only captures temperature at a single point; a thermal imager can capture temperatures
over a wide area. The captured thermal image shows a temperature profile as a two-dimensional
picture. This allows the technician to review the entire unit’s surface heat, and
diagnose it as either normal or abnormal. Thermal imagers can also store previous
and current images for comparison. Typically a digital visual image is also captured
and then all images are uploaded to a central database for reporting purposes.
Thermal applications:
- Finding faulty terminations in high power electrical circuits
- Locating overloaded circuit breakers in a power panel
- Identifying fuses at or near their current rated capacity
- Identifying problems in electrical switch gear
- Monitoring bearing temperatures in large motors or other rotating equipment
- Identifying “hot spots” in electronic equipment
- Finding high temperature exposure areas
- Building insulation voids
- Faulty steam traps and leaks
- Roof leaks
Infrared thermal images can be collected route-based, where an image is collected
on a specific number of points at a certain time-based interval.
Maintenance Tip: Unpainted metals are difficult to measure temperature on.
To improve measurement accuracy and repeatability, consider painting dark spots
on such components.