With our Flir thermal imaging cameras we carry out electrical and mechanical thermal imaging in Hampshire.
Our thermal imaging cameras can detect problems that cannot be seen with the naked eye, as a result potential issues can be dealt with before they become a costly problem. Overloading, poor connections and incorrect fuse ratings can lead to cables and components to getting hot. Sooner or later, if undiscovered these components will become damaged, fail or catch fire. As a result, this often results in major business interruption and downtime coupled with lost revenue and production. Thermal Imaging inspections are a cost effective way of detecting hidden issues therefore protecting businesses from sudden unexpected expense.
3 Phase Service Head
This image shows a three phase service head along with the three fuse carriers. As can be seen the first fuse holder is considerably hotter than the other two which indicates a problem. Potential issues for this would likely be overloading on phase one or alternatively a defective connection inside the fuse holder. If left uncorrected this situation could progress to fire or failure of the electrical system.
Thermal Imaging cameras use an infrared detector to measure thousands of individual temperature points. These temperature points are then assigned a colour based on their temperature. For instance cooler colours like black and blue are assigned to colder temperatures and similarly colours such as yellow, orange and red to hotter temperatures. In this way we can paint a picture using colours and use it to diagnose various heat abnormalities and recognise thermal signatures.
Thermal Imaging cameras use optical lenses to detect incoming infrared radiation which is subsequently processed and displayed as a thermographic picture called a thermogram. In contrast to a normal photograph, a thermogram contains radiometric data allowing it to be analysed to provide both qualitative and quantitative data. Our Thermal Imaging cameras measure and provide 76,800 unique temperature measurements in each thermal image. Analysis of these images can provide a wide range of information ranging from immediate risks together with areas that should be the focus for preventative maintenance.
Industrial Oven
In this example from a thermal imaging inspection in Hampshire we can see a large industrial oven situated in a factory. The thermal image reveals a multitude of potential issues that if left could consequently cause a fire or injury. The door seals have worn resulting in heat escape which will have a subsequent negative impact on energy efficiency. Additionally the insulation has become defective allowing heat to be transferred through to the external surface of the oven. In places the external temperature is nearly 115 degrees centigrade which could cause an injury if accidentally touched. What about the wood leant against the left hand side and the boxes on the right hand side? These present potential fire risks.
Thermal Imaging is ideally suited to detecting issues in distribution boards that traditional electrical fixed wiring inspections will not pick up. Overloaded circuits and loose high resistance connections are often detected.
There are a variety of problems that can be detected by thermal imaging of motors. For every 10 degrees centigrade that a motor operates above it’s rating , the lifetime of the insulation will decrease by 50%.
Trace heating is commonly used around freezer doors to stop them freezing shut. Similarly it is also used as a method to stop water pipes from freezing and bursting in cold weather. Thermal imaging cameras can easily detect whether the trace heating is in operation. In this particular example from a thermal imaging inspection in Hampshire we can see a thermogram showing an escape door on a warehouse freezer store. It can clearly be seen that the trace heating has failed.
Friction causes heat and this is something which is readily picked up by a thermal imaging camera. Problems that can be detected include lubrication problems, misalignment, wear and incorrect belt tensioning.