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Learn about Thermal Imaging use

for Electrical Applications
Electrical thermography is the term used when thermal imaging cameras are being
used in the electrical industry.
Today, electrical equipment is in the centre of manufacturing and plays an important
role in every business operation. If the electrical equipment is not working correctly
this can hold up businesses such as manufacturers or power plants.  Faulty electrical
equipment has been known to also cause fires which can severely damage buildings
and endanger people’s lives.
Thermal Cameras can be used to prevent any sudden halts to power supply or
electrical machinery. Thermal Cameras can be used to carry out regular thermal
surveys as part of electrical equipment maintenance.  Thermal or Infrared (IR)
Cameras work by converting emitted radiation levels into a two-dimensional picture
that will highlight contrasting energy levels, usually electrical faults will display a rise
in temperature which serves as the basis for identifying most electrical faults.
Thermal Camera have a lot of advantages for detection of electrical faults as is quick
and non-contact which means the equipment can be uninterrupted while the thermal
survey is taking place.  The thermal images will give a clear picture of current
condition of the equipment and the temperature distribution. When the power
equipment is in operation, the state of the heat distribution can be seen in the
thermal images, this will allow the user to see if the heat distribution is normal or not.
Ideally the person carrying out the thermal survey on the electrical equipment will
have some knowledge of infrared or physics and will have received some training on
the camera operation in other to evaluate the thermal image that has been produced
by the thermal camera.
 What types of electrical equipment can
Infrared Cameras survey?
Infrared Thermal cameras are usually applied to the following monitoring and fault
diagnosis of power equipment
 High voltage electrical equipment can be surveyed for faults inside and
outside when in operation.
 Various conducting joint, clamp, connection and bad connection can be
surveyed for oxidation corrosion defects.
 Various high-voltage switch contacts can be surveyed for exposed flaws that
occur within the centre.
 Isolating Switch blade can be surveyed as the combination of contact pad and
the rotating ball cap can cause bad defects.
 Overheating capacitor, coupling capacitor and the short of petroleum oil poor
insulation (low oil level) defects can be shown with the use of a thermal camera
survey.
 Various types of arrester moisture within the centre of defects, the aging of
components within the centre or non-linear characteristics of mutation and the defect
can be found with a thermal image survey.
 Generator State Test, brush and collector ring contact state detection,
overheat detection within the centre can all be detected with a thermal imaging
survey.
 Box abnormal overheating of power transformers, eddy current overheating,
high and low pressure casing upper and lower ends of a bad connection can all be
detected with a thermal imaging survey.
 Various types of motor bearing bad contact, and inside and outside the centre
of abnormal overheating can all be detected with a thermal imaging survey.
https://satir.com/article/thermal-imaging-and-electrical-industry