Industries

Thermal Imaging for Electrical

Thermal imaging cameras are powerful and non-invasive tools for monitoring and diagnosing the condition of electrical installations and components. With a thermal imaging camera, you can identify problems early, allowing them to be documented and corrected before becoming more serious and more costly to repair.

The main cause of many issues in electrical systems is excessive current flow or abnormal heating associated with high resistance. Infrared thermography allows us to see these invisible thermal signatures of impending damage before the damage occurs. Normally, parts of electrical energy are converted to heat energy when a current flows through an electrical circuit. However, abnormal high levels of heat can be generated if there is high resistance in the circuit or high current flow, which can cause potential damage to the circuit.

Ohm’s law (P=I2R) describes the relationship between current, electrical resistance, and the power or heat energy generated. We use high electrical resistance for positive results, such as heat in a toaster or light in a light bulb. However sometimes unwanted heat is generated that result in costly damage. Under-sized conductors, loose connections or excessive current flow may cause abnormally high unwanted heating that result in dangerously hot electrical circuits. Components can become hot enough to melt.

FLIR Systems offers a wide range of thermal imaging cameras. Whether you use thermal imaging for an inspection of large industrial installations, Commercial switchboards or for an inspection of a fuse box in a domestic residence, FLIR will have just the right thermal imagine camera for you.

A thermal image that includes accurate temperature data provides the maintenance expert with important information about the condition of the inspected equipment. These inspections should be done with the production process in full operation and in many cases the use of a thermal imaging camera can even help optimize the production process itself.

Infratek can assist you in selecting the right camera for your electrical applications and budget. We provide full start up training and specialise in the custom design of custom template reports which allow rapid reporting for scans involving multiple switchboards. Pixel count is especially important for electrical applications as the industry electrical standard is 320×240 pixels and above. There is currently expectation from insurance companies that thermal scanning will be carried out on Insured Assets (including Industrial, Commercial and Residential Property)

• FLIR cameras = E6xt, E8xt, E54-24, E76-24*, E86-24* and T5xx/8xx* series with rotating lens
  (* permits optional wide angle 42 degree or narrow telephoto 14 degree lenses)
• Trainer – Bret Jones (Certified Thermographer) – Bret has had over 25 years’ experience in providing camera selection, training and consultancy services for the scanning of electrical switchboards and production of high level reports and customised template design for the FLIR cameras and FLIR Advanced Software.

Thermal Imaging for Mechanical

In many industries, mechanical systems serve as the backbone of operations. Thermal data collected with a thermal imaging camera can be an invaluable source of complimentary information to vibration studies in mechanical equipment monitoring.

Mechanical systems will heat up if there is a misalignment at some point in the system. Conveyor belts are a good example. If a roller is worn out, it can clearly show an overheating idler bearing in the thermal image so it can be replaced. Typically when mechanical components become worn and less efficient, the heat dissipated will increase. Consequently, the temperature of faulty equipment will increase rapidly before failure.

Motors can also be inspected with a thermal imaging camera. Motor failures like brush contact-wear and armature shorts typically produce excess heat prior to failure but remain undetected with vibration analysis, since it often causes little to no extra vibration. Thermal imaging gives a full overview and allows you to compare the temperature of different motors.

Other mechanical systems monitored with thermal imaging cameras include couplings, gearboxes, bearings, pumps, compressors, belts, blowers, and conveyor systems. Examples of mechanical faults that can be detected with thermal imaging are:

• Lubrication issues
• Misalignment
• Overheated motors
• Suspect rollers or idler bearings
• Overloaded pumps
• Overheated motor axles
• Hot bearings

These and other issues can be spotted at an early stage with a thermal imaging camera. This will help to prevent costly damages and to ensure the continuity of production.

Infratek can assist you in selecting the right camera for your mechanical applications and budget. We provide full start up training and specialise in the heat analysis for various mechanical systems. Pixel Count and High temperature are often criteria for camera selection in Mechanical systems.

FLIR cameras = C series, E5xt, E6xt, E8xt, E54-24, E76-24*, E86-24* and T5xx/8xx* series with rotating lens (* permits optional wide angle 42 degree or narrow telephoto 14 degree lenses)

Trainer – Bret Jones (Certified Thermographer and Certified Vibration Analyst) – Bret has had over 25 years’ experience in providing camera selection, training and consultancy services for the scanning of various mechanical applications and systems.

Thermal Imaging for Building Inspection

Thermal imaging technology has become one of the most valuable diagnostic tools for building inspections. Powerful and non-invasive, the use of a thermal imaging camera is ideal choice when monitoring and diagnosing the conditions of buildings and gaining an understanding of the efficiency of a buildings thermal shell.

A thermal imaging camera can identify problems early, allowing them to be documented and corrected before becoming a more serious issue, and as a result, more costly to repair.

A diagnostic building inspection with a thermal imaging camera can help uncover many problems such as:

• Visualise energy losses.
• Detect missing or defective insulation.
• Source air leaks.
• Find moisture in ceilings and walls, both in the internal and external structure.
• Detect mould and badly insulated areas.
• Locate water infiltration in flat roofs.
• Detect breaches in hot-water pipes.
• Monitor the drying of buildings.
• Find the faults in supply lines and heating.
• Detect electrical faults.

Providing building experts with accurate temperature data, a thermal image supplies important information regarding conditions of the HVAC systems, electrical faults, insulation conditions, moisture ingress, and mould development, all of which are crucial for day-to-day operations.

To best use the images, the operator will also need to have a keen understanding of how different materials and circumstances influence the temperature readings. These factors include (but are not limited to); thermal conductivity, which is the rate at which a material warms up, emissivity, which is way an object emits or reflects infrared radiation, and reflected temperature, where heat can be reflected from outside sources, such as the operator’s own body heat, or the heat of a light source. For building and plumbing applications, you need a camera with good sensitivity to detect what are often subtle temperature differences.

Infratek has many years of experience in the use of thermal imaging for various building applications and can help you choose the best camera for your application and budget which includes full start up training.

Infratek can assist you in selecting the right camera for your Building applications and budget. We provide full start up training to diagnose various building defects including moisture, thermal shells, and missing insulation. Camera Sensitivity and Lens Angle are often criteria for camera selection for use in Plumbing applications.

FLIR cameras = E5xt, E6xt, E8xt, E54-24, E76-24*, E86-24*, T530-24*, T540-24*, T840-24* (* permits optional wide angle 42 degree lenses)

Trainer – Bret Jones (Certified Thermographer and Qualified Civil / Structural Engineer and Architect) – Bret has had over 25 years’ experience in providing camera selection, training and consultancy services for the scanning of Building applications and systems.

Thermal Imaging for Plumbing and Moisture

Water leaks and moisture infiltration can cause serious damage to a house or building and can be difficult to detect until it’s already too late. Using a thermal imaging camera and under the right circumstances, it’s possible to find hidden water and moisture issues without resorting to destructive testing.

There are many sources of building moisture, including humidity (during any season), condensation, pipe leaks, rain and snow, and even people and animals breathing. Usually, a low level of moisture is fine, but leaks or heavy condensation can cause serious problems. A thermal imaging camera cannot “see” moisture in walls, but it can detect subtle temperature differences and patterns that reveal the existence of water.

Plumbers can use thermal imaging in many areas of their business to help them. While the cameras are not Xray devices the high sensitivity can often see subtle temperature difference that show up on the outside wall. For Plumbing Infrared cameras can help with the following:

• Locate hot or cold pipes in walls (plastic and copper)
• Trace burst pipes in walls
• Search for roof leaks
• Locating insulation in walls and ceiling
• Locating floor heating wires in bathrooms
• Testing water temperature
• Locating area of potential dampness in walls
• Leaking shower bases and bath seals
• Energy leak through windows and doors
• Testing solar hot water panels
• Leaking Air Conditioning Systems
• Locating blockages in pipework

Thermal cameras can help locate water leaks and approximate the extent of moisture damage, but identifying a pattern that looks like moisture does not guarantee the presence of water. There are a multitude of reasons you might be seeing a temperature differential besides moisture in the walls. To check what you’re seeing, you should always use a moisture meter to confirm what the thermal camera has detected is actually wet and not simply cold.

When performing a thermal inspection looking for water leaks, be sure to investigate subtle temperature differences. Water is detected with a thermal imager due to small temperature differential and these processes can be affected by weather conditions or interior temperature or humidity. As such we recommend a camera with good sensitivity for moisture problems.

Infratek has many years of experience in the use of thermal imaging for plumbing applications and can help you choose the best camera for your application and budget which includes full start up training.

Infratek can assist you in selecting the right camera for your Plumbing applications and budget. We provide full start up training and specialise in the heat analysis for various plumbing applications. Camera Sensitivity and Lens Angle are often criteria for camera selection for use in Plumbing applications.

• FLIR cameras = E6xt, E8xt, E54-24, E76-24*, E86-24*, T530-24*, T540-24*, T840-24* (* permits optional wide angle 42 degree lenses)
• Trainer – Bret Jones (Certified Thermographer and Qualified Civil / Structural Engineer and Architect) – Bret has had over 25 years’ experience in providing camera selection, training and consultancy services for the scanning of Plumbing applications.

Thermal Imaging for Pest Control and Termites

Thermal imagers are an increasingly popular, non-intrusive solution for finding pests or termites in walls and other hidden places. From rodents to possums to termites, many homeowners and building maintenance professionals are using thermal cameras to quickly locate nests and avoid spreading chemicals like insecticides around homes.

Thermal imaging cannot see through walls. Instead, thermal cameras detect temperature differences on the surface of a wall that is caused by something on the other side. For instance, a thermal camera won’t pick up a animal moving through a wall but could detect a animal resting in one spot like a possum or a wasp / bees nest that has been generating heat for a long period of time and caused the outer wall to warm up.

If a large heat source like a nest isn’t obvious, sensitive thermal cameras may be able to detect irregular heat patterns, moisture, and other signs of damage that indicate the presence of a pest, like missing insulation or holes in walls that indicates an entry point. Understanding what patterns to look for requires training and practice, as it’s easy to incorrectly interpret an image.

Thermal cameras take the guesswork out of pest detection, saving inspectors hours of work, helping identify the exact location of nests, and minimizing the amount of damage needed to remove them.
Infratek can assist you in selecting the right camera for pest inspection. Camera sensitivity is crucial for this application, as the temperature differentials are usually very low.

Termites detection requires high sensitivity and the type of scanning you are looking to do will benefit from an E8xt or even higher. We will guide you through the camera selection process

Infratek provides full start up training, and we will explain how to use both the AUTO and MANUAL span settings as well as blue/red isotherms to assist the detection techniques.

Infratek can assist you in selecting the right camera for your Pest Control and Termite applications and budget. We provide full start up training and specialise in the heat analysis for various applications relating to pest control and termites. Camera Sensitivity and Lens Angle are key criteria for camera selection for finding Pests and Termites

• FLIR cameras = E6xt, E8xt, E54-24, E76-24*, E86-24*, T530-24*, T540-24*, T840-24* (* permits optional wide angle 42 degree lenses)
• Trainer – Bret Jones (Certified Thermographer and Qualified Civil / Structural Engineer and Architect) – Bret has had over 25 years’ experience in providing camera selection, training and consultancy services for the scanning of Pest Control and Termite applications.

Thermal Imaging for Equine and Veterinary

Infrared is an excellent tool to uncover any health issues in animals such as horses. thermal imaging cameras assist in the equine medicine field. With the benefit of early detection, thermography can be used to find underlying health problems such as areas of infection or ligament and soft tissue damage which may show as inflammation (heating). Finding these problems early means preventative treatment can begin which avoids the risk of further injury and helps in the animals recovery.

People who often work with horses usually use their hands to try and feel the animals for any subtle temperature changes that could indicate inflammation, infection or other problem.  Like human skin, horse skin feels hot to the touch if there’s an underlying issue such as an infection or muscle strain. This has limitations, however, as humans can only feel large temperature changes. An easier way is to use thermal imaging camera which better than 0.05-0.06 sensitivity (or better) that can detect small / subtle temperature changes.

The demand for thermal imagery for animals is well established.  Thermal imaging enables early detection of problems and early intervention with the appropriate veterinary treatment. – saving owners (particularly equine) time and money and reducing the likelihood of their animals discomfort.

Infratek can assist you in selecting the right camera for your Equine and Veterinary applications and budget. We provide full start up training and specialise in the heat analysis for various applications relating to pest control and termites. Camera Sensitivity and Lens Angle are key criteria for camera selection for Equine and Veterinary.

• FLIR cameras = E6xt, E8xt, E54-24, E76-24*, E86-24*, T530-24*, T540-24*, T840-24* (* permits optional wide angle 42 degree lenses)
• Trainer – Bret Jones (Certified Thermographer and Qualified Civil / Structural Engineer and Architect) – Bret has had over 25 years’ experience in providing camera selection, training and consultancy services for the scanning for Equine and Veterinary applications.