Why use thermal imaging?
Producing faster, better, more efficiently and at a lower cost.
In order to reach these goals, industrial plants need to be
running continuously: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
No costly breakdowns, no waste of time.
So, when you are in charge of plant predictive maintenance
you really have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.
If you could only see when components are about to fail, you
could accurately decide the best time to take corrective action.
Unfortunately the worst problems remain hidden until it is too
late.
Thermal imaging cameras are the perfect tool for predicting
failures because they make the invisible visible. On a thermal
image problems seem to jump right out at you.
To keep plants operational at all times many industries have
combined their predictive maintenance programs with the
most valuable diagnostic tools for industrial applications on the
market: thermal imaging cameras.
Inspection of high voltage Incorrectly secured connection
Overheated motor Suspected roller power lines
Poor connection and internal Internal fuse damage Damaged insulation Steam trap
damage
Whether you’re monitoring high voltage equipment, low voltage
cabinets, motors, pumps, high temperature equipment, looking
for insulation losses… A thermal imaging camera is the one tool
that really lets you SEE it all.
But what if you don’t do thermal inspections on a regular basis?
Is it really that bad if a low voltage connection breaks down?
Aside from the production loss there is a greater danger.
Fire
A small electrical problem can have extremely far-reaching
consequences. The efficiency of the electrical grid becomes low,
and so the energy is spent generating heat. If left unchecked,
heat can rise to the point where connections start to melt. Not
only that, but sparks can fly that might start a fire.
The effects of a fire are often underestimated. Besides the
destruction of goods and machinery, the immense costs in
production time, water damage, and even the loss of human life,
are impossible to estimate.
About 35% of all industrial fires are created by electrical
problems, resulting in losses of 300,000,000,000 Euros per year.
Many of these problems can be avoided with the use of a
thermal imaging camera. It can help you to detect anomalies
that would normally be invisible to the naked eye and to solve
problems before production goes down or a fire occurs. This is
just one reason why FLIR thermal imaging camera users report
ultra fast payback on their investment.
A small electrical problem can have far-reaching consequences.
Why use thermal imaging cameras?
Why would you choose a FLIR thermal imaging camera?
There are other technologies available to help you measure
temperatures in a non-contact mode. Infrared thermometers for
example.
Infrared thermometers – thermal imaging cameras
Infrared (IR) thermometers are reliable and very useful for single
spot temperature readings, but, for scanning large areas or
components, it’s easy to miss critical components that may be
near failure and need repair.
A FLIR thermal imaging camera can scan entire motors,
components, or panels at once – never missing any overheating
hazards, no matter how small.
It’s easy to miss critical problems with a spot IR thermometer.
A FLIR thermal imaging camera scans entire components
giving you instant diagnostic insights showing the full extent of
problems.
With an infrared thermometer you are able to measure the
temperature at one single spot. FLIR thermal imaging cameras
can measure temperatures on the entire image. The FLIR i3 has
an image resolution of 60 x 60 pixels. This means that it is equal
to using 3,600 IR thermometers at the same time. If we look at
the FLIR P660, our top model, which has an image resolution
of 640 x 480 pixels, this means 307,200 pixels or using 307,200
infrared thermometers at the same time.
References: Flir Systems