Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Using Electrical Infrared Inspection Is A Sure Way To Save Time And Money

By Lisa Williamson


In electrical systems, high temperatures normally indicate an impending trouble. This can result from unnecessarily high resistance, short circuits, poor connections, ground fault or any other failing components common with electrical equipment. The problem must be pinpointed and rectified early enough as complete failures are normally expensive and at times can results to catastrophes. Instead of struggling to find the incipient failures through visual and other manual inspection methods which are costly, time consuming and may not pinpoint the problem, engineers are now turning to electrical infrared inspection that has proved to be the most effective alternative.

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.

This is the best way in terms of cost and time to inspect almost all electrical components. The most common components that need regular inspection include transformers, switchgear, bus ducts, power correcting banks, variable frequency drives, the disconnects, distribution centers and panels, sub-feed panels, the motor control centers, the uninterruptable power supplies, the lighting and the receptacle panels among several other components.

This form of inspection is endorsed and recommended by several associations and regulatory bodies such as the InterNational Electrical Testing Association and National Fire Protection Association among several others. It has 1 to 4 returns on investment for both the labor and material used. It is this cost benefit analysis that make is a viable business for many companies that now offer this service.

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.

Part of the decision to use this cutting edge infrared detection technology requires that the companies you choose for your inspection job are certified. They should have experienced engineers for the job with a proven work record. With the correct inspectors, you will be able to significantly reduce unscheduled power outages and increase energy efficiency, safety and dependability in general.




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