ELITE FIRE & ELECTRICAL PROTECTION
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Thermal Imaging Hampshire
With our Flir thermal imaging cameras we carry out electrical and mechanical thermal imaging in Hampshire.
Preventative maintenance with
Thermal Imaging Inspections 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.
What is Thermal Imaging?
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.
How does it work?
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.
Advantages:
- Non contact – thermal imaging is carried out from a distance with no physical contact. Consequently it is safer than traditional methods.
- No shutdown required – assets are able to be surveyed whilst they are up and running. For this reason thermal imaging causes less disruption.
- Early identification -inspections frequently reveal problems in the initial stages allowing them to be quickly dealt with. This is both more cost effective and also allows maintenance to be carried out at a planned time rather than in an emergency.
- Accurate – our cameras measure to a fraction of a degree.
- Surveying equipment that is not normally tested – there are a wide range of items such as server racks and three phase equipment that are never subjected to electrical testing because it is often impractical to shut them down. Thermal Imaging surveys can often pick up problems that have in the past gone unnoticed.
- Condition Monitoring – Thermal Images can be compared to previous images in order to check for signs of deterioration and to allow maintenance to take place at a scheduled time.
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.
Problems Detected
Distribution Boards
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.
Motors
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%.
- Overload
- Winding Faults
- Single Phasing
- Blocked air vents
- Bearing problems
- Drive shaft misalignment
Trace Heating
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.
Bearing & Belt Tension Problems
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.
- Incorrect belt tension
- Bearing wear
- Lubrication problems
- Incorrect alignment
