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Monday, March 10, 2014

Understanding The Importance Of Electrical Infrared Inspection

By Lisa Williamson


It is the duty and desire of electricians to have all components functioning in the most optimal level. Malfunction is often caused by damages, poor installation work, corrosion or even contamination. The most common sign of a problem in the system is excessive heat resulting from poor conductivity. If left unchecked, the results can range from unnecessary and costly power disruption to very catastrophic events such as electrocution and fires. Initially, more costly and time consuming physical inspection was the only dependable way to keep the system safe but engineers are now migrating to electrical infrared inspection method which has proven not only cheaper but more effective.

Through this method of inspection, it is much easier to locate the underlying problem reducing downtime and equipment damage. It also come with additional benefits such as prevention of catastrophic failures well in advance, help establish repair priorities, improves preventive and maintenance efficiency and provides for testing under load hence avoiding costly shutdowns.

Excessive heat is normally an indication of the underlying problem that must be handled before a disaster. Other than mechanical damages to power lines and other electrical devices, there are several causes of overheating but the common ones include faulty assembly, loose connections, wear and tear, ground faults, contamination and corrosion. Most of these results from exposure to physical elements and thus calls for periodic inspection.

The most common system components that are subject to periodic surveys include the bus ducts, the distribution panels, distribution centers, receptacle panels, the sub-feed panels, transformers, the switchgears, the lighting system, uninterruptible power supplies, the disconnects and several other related components. With infrared surveys, the faults, loose connections and any potential hazards in these components can easily be detected with the minimal time and cost.

Using the state of the art equipment deployed for scanning, thousands of components get inspected in a matter of hours with very accurate results. With very high rate of efficiency and effectiveness, most of engineers are now using this form of inspection. It cut down on staff needed for the job and increases profitability by a big margin. In fact, it has one to four returns on investment and as such, companies that hope to survive into the future have to adopt this technology.

Given that thousands of devices can be tested within hours, it has proven to be more convenient, highly effective and very efficient method of maintaining electrical system replacing the physical inspection. It is also endorsed by the National Fire Protection Association and the InterNational Electrical Testing Association among other bodies that now advocates for its use.

Among several benefits you stand to benefit from, there is the precise pinpointing of hotspots, reduced down time, elimination of unscheduled outages, reduced cost of energy due to efficiency and predictive or proactive approach to electrical maintenance program. The general reduction of resource deployed (human resources and finances) also translates to lower cost of energy.

It is important to trust the surveying services to a company that has expert engineers, the necessary machinery for the job and well proven track record in order to enjoy the full benefits of this new technology.




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