70

businesssense

When looking at electrical systems with the naked eye (left), it’s impossible to see abnormal heat levels that can overheat a system and start a fire. Thermal scans of the
same electrical systems (right) detect overloads, poor connections, and faulty contacts, among other deficiencies that can start a fire.

Find hot spots before a flare-up

How to use infrared inspection to your advantage
By Thomas A. Gray and How IR works 3. Serious. A serious fault can be 3. They can save resources by
Ronald J. Hein Everything with a temperature above as hot as 75 degrees. allowing more efficient energy usage.
absolute zero releases thermal, or 4 . Critical. Anything hotter than While energy conservation savings

D
o you know where the hot spots
are in your facility? Not the areas
where employees like to congre-
gate during breaks, but the dan-
gerously overheated places lurking in
your building’s electrical system or
machinery?
Over time electrical connections
can loosen, resulting in a noncontinu-
ous path for the current to follow. In
the arcing that eventually results,
energy is given off as heat. These hot
spots not only waste precious energy,
but also can cause a costly system
breakdown or fire.
You’re probably oblivious to these
hot spots because you can’t see them
with the naked eye. But odds are good
they exist.
Hot spots become visible through a
process called thermography, which
uses an infrared imaging and measure-
ment camera to detect thermal energy
emitting from an object. Several ven-
dors and a handful of insurance com-
panies offer infrared (IR) surveys.
Some companies with the proper
equipment and trained employees
complete their own regular surveys.
infrared, energy. The light emitted by 75 degrees is considered a critical fault. typically aren’t massive, they are tangi-
this energy isn’t visible because its ble and are reflected in the bottom line.
wavelength is too long to be detected Why Do It? 4. They can help protect your
by the human eye. Nearly everything gets hot before it fails, equipment from serious damage, your
IR thermography cameras not only making infrared cameras valuable diag- facility from fire, and your employees
can see this light, but also delineate hot nostic tools with many applications. from bodily harm.
areas from cool areas because the high- By using industry-standard esti-
As industry strives to improve
er an object’s temperature, the greater manufacturing efficiencies, manage mates for energy costs and repair costs,
the IR radiation it emits. Cameras used in addition to recorded insurance loss
energy, improve product quality, and
for industrial purposes go a step further, histories, you can determine the
enhance worker safety, new applica-
providing precise noncontact tempera- potential savings to your business.
ture measurement. tions for infrared cameras emerge. For
P reparing for a Survey
Faults discovered during IR surveys instance, IR surveys can detect poten-
are categorized by the difference tial weaknesses in boilers or reveal Because IR thermography is performed
between the actual temperature of the leaks in refrigeration systems. on live electrical equipment, special
fault and the temperature of similar Generally speaking, regular IR precautions—per National Fire
equipment being surveyed in the area. inspections can affect your company’s Protection Association (NFPA) 70E
For example, if four circuit breakers bottom line in four ways: requirements—are necessary to pre-
read 90 degrees F and a fifth reads 140 vent employee injuries during these
1. They can help save your com-
degrees, the hotter breaker has a 50- pany money by identifying the need surveys. In particular, make sure to
degree differential, which presents a minimize the risk of arc flash hazards.
for low-cost corrective actions, rela-
potential fire hazard. Infrared testing is a team effort.
tive to the high cost of emergency, Your team should consist of the quali-
The InterNational Electrical
Testing Association (NETA) organiz- unscheduled maintenance. fied thermographer and members of
es faults into four categories: 2. They can help prevent down- your electrical maintenance staff and
1. Minor. A minor fault measures time and lost productivity by indicat- outside electrical contractors. A com-
a differential of 1 to 9 degrees. ing preventive maintenance needs; bined effort will produce the best-
2. Intermediate. An intermediate major repairs following a failure are quality information and maximize sav-
fault is as high as 34 degrees. generally more expensive. ings for your company.

The FABRICATOR | An FMA Publication

www.thefabricator.com | October 2006

Reprinted with permission from the October 2006 issue of The FABRICATOR®, copyright 2006 by FMA Communications Inc., Rockford, Illinois, www.thefabricator.com.
IR thermography cameras can delineate hot areas from cool areas because the higher the object’s
temperature, the greater the IR radiation it emits.
To prepare for the survey:
• Get a qualified (per NFPA
70E) electrical technician to work on
energized electrical circuits/equip-
ment; ideally, one who’s familiar with
your electrical system.
• Obtain the necessary permits,
including lockout/tagout and electri-
cal work permits, or special permis-
sions that may be required to open
electrical cabinets.
• Have full sets of personal pro-
tective equipment (PPE) ready for
your team members. Their PPE should
be suitable for the appropriate catego-
ry of work, per NFPA 70E. Equipment
should include an arc-rated face
shield, nonconductive gloves, and
fire-rated coveralls. Hard hats and
safety shoes also are a good idea.
• Establish a 4-foot boundary
around electrical equipment rated
600 volts or less. Only qualified
individuals, per NFPA 70E, can cross
the boundary. Observers must stay at
least 20 ft. away from the electrical
equipment. If you’re evaluating
equipment rated higher than 600 V,
you first must perform an arc flash
risk assessment and boundary calcula-
tion, per NFPA 70E.
• The electrical technician
should have an amp meter to measure
electrical loads on operating equip-
ment to verify that the equipment is
Reprinted with permission from the October 2006 issue of The FABRICATOR®, copyright 2006 by FMA Communications Inc., Rockford, Illinois, www.thefabricator.com.
operating at normal electrical loads.
• If possible, have a second qual-
ified electrical technician open all
cabinet covers and doors safely ahead
of the thermographer and primary
electrical technician.
• The electrical technician should
prepare a general route through your
facility. This route should be an effi-
cient path to reach all of the electrical
equipment to be studied by the ther-
mographer. Planning ahead will help
avoid unnecessary backtracking.
• All equipment to be studied by
the thermographer should be operat-
ing under its normal electrical load.
Access doors must be removed or
opened to study the equipment. This
facilitates an unobstructed view of the
energized components within the
panel or cabinet and proper identifica-
tion of any problem conditions.
• If a piece of equipment has door
switches that can’t be overridden safely,
the team needs to prepare for that to
avoid disruption of your normal opera-
tions. The team should never override
an installed interlock.
Inform all of your team members of
these planning steps during a presur-
vey briefing.
The team will scan the main elec-
trical system at your facility, which
likely will include transformers, main
circuit breaker panels, busbars, and
secondary breaker panels. It also will
scan pieces of electrical and mechani-
cal equipment that, if damaged, would
present a major interruption to your
business. In most cases, surveys take
no more than one day to complete.
The electrical system in a plant or
business often is taken for granted
because it’s so reliable. But it does
require periodic maintenance and
inspection, because what appears to be
fine from the outside can be an acci-
dent waiting to happen on the inside.
Thomas A. Gray is consulting director for
property risk control and a certified (Level II)
infrared thermographer, and Ronald J. Hein
is assistant vice president of risk control and a
certified (Level I) infrared thermographer at
CNA, 800-262-6241, www.cna.com.
CNA underwrites Fabricators & Manufac-
turers Association-endorsed insurance pro-
grams and is a longtime partner in FMA
safety programs.
The purpose of this article is to provide gen-
eral information, rather than advice or opin-
ion. It is accurate to the best of the authors’
knowledge as of the date of the publication.
Accordingly, this article should not be viewed
as a substitute for the guidance and recom-
mendations of a retained professional. In
addition, CNA does not endorse any cover-
ages, systems, processes, or protocols
addressed herein unless they are produced or
created by CNA.
CNA is a service mark registered with the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Copyright © 2006, CNA. All rights reserved.
71
Repairs and Downtime:
Industry Estimates
B
ased on industry experience for
repairs and downtime, conservative
cost estimates for minor and inter-
mediate faults are $500 each. That
amount rises to $3,000 for serious and
critical faults.
Energy loss estimates from faults vary
f rom a dime a day for minor faults to a
dollar a day for critical ones. These esti-
mates assume $0.10 per kilowatt-hour,
an amount that may re q u i re adjustment
depending on local electricity costs.
The chance of an electrical fire is esti-
mated at 2 percent for critical faults and 1
p e rcent for serious faults. The risk of fire
f rom minor and intermediate faults is neg-
ligible. Insurance loss statistics over 10
years show average electrical fire losses
(property damage and business interru p-
tion included) to be $200,000 for circuit
b reakers; $500,000 for switchgear; and
$1 million for motor control center (MCC)
rooms. So, a reasonable electrical fire
loss estimate would be about $500,000.
If the fault is on a specialized piece of
equipment, such as a transformer, any
estimate should use specific replacement
cost information for the type or piece of
equipment.