What is electrical thermography?
All electrical components release thermal energy in the form of infrared radiation. The higher the temperature, the more energy contained within the component and the greater the radiant energy emitted from its surface. Radiant energy is not visible to the eye, however infrared electrical thermal imaging can make it visible and measurable and provide a permanent record in the form of a radiometric jpeg or thermogram.
Why use electrical thermal imaging services?
The temperature of an electrical object can be a good indicator of its condition or health. For components to be performing efficiently and safely they should be within their design temperature range. An electrical thermal imaging survey can detect whether levels of radiation from an object’s surface (which is converted to temperature) or the characteristics of the emissions are normal or abnormal: this can act as an early warning and alert you to potential failures.
Advantages of thermal imaging electrical inspections
- No physical contact with energised components. The inspection is classed as a Non-Destructive Test (NDT) and can be conducted safely on live installations;
- A large data set of apparent temperature readings can be collected for diagnostic evaluation. Our cameras have over 300,000 separate detector elements;
- It provides a permanent record so the condition of components can be compared and monitored over time;
Why should businesses have regular electrical thermal imaging surveys?
- Reduce insured risk. Formal electrical thermographic surveys by trained thermographers are accepted by many insurers (for example Aviva) and can reduce insured risk by demonstrating that you have a condition monitoring plan in place;
- Providing we have reasonable access we can potentially inspect more than 100 electrical assets a day making it a cost-effective inspection technique for large facilities;
Why use Thermalume for electrical thermal imaging?
Simply stated, we tick all the boxes for electrical thermographic inspections.
- Our electrical thermographers are qualified to PCN level 2 and ABBE Level 3;
- We use calibrated 640 x 480 resolution cameras: these are considered by industry to be among the highest available for commercial work;
- We use a methodology that ensures that our surveys are consistent and repeatable. In this way periodic inspections can be standardised, and temperature results can be monitored over time.
- We will issue a clearly written PDF report which will traffic light the results and provide analysis. Suspected critical defects will be clearly flagged in red for immediate attention. Assets that have heat signatures and patterns that do not suggest significant thermal faults will be marked as green or amber.
- Our thermographers are associate members of the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing and adhere to their code of practice;
- We carry public and professional liability insurance.
Contact us to get your electrical thermal imaging survey booked
Get in contact with us today to find out more about our thermal imaging services or to book your thermal imaging survey.
