Thermography

Thermography enables us to see and measure heat. Thermography is a nondestructive technique of analyzing the thermal characteristics of an object from its infrared image, captured through a non-contact thermal imaging device. Temperature is one of the first observable parameters that can indicate the condition of operating electrical equipment. Heat is a by-product of all work whether is it electrical, mechanical or chemical. Uncontrolled thermal energy can lead to failure. Thermography helps in temperature detection from the emitted thermal energy of the equipment.

Thermography as a predictive maintenance inspection tool which can help businesses to reduce downtime, cost, prioritize critical areas and establish a requirement for replacement of assets by establishing anomaly/irregularity.

Non-contact thermal imaging devices can quickly check electrical systems for hot spots caused by:

Loose connections / terminations,
Oxidation at the cable termination points,
Dust deposition at terminations,
Defective lug crimping, overloaded or imbalanced circuits,
Faulty breakers, damaged switches, faulty fuses and other hazardous electrical conditions.

Its major applications are in checking (but not limited to) following equipment:

Fuse boards
Distribution boards
Transformer
Busbar systems
Control panels
High voltage and medium voltage systems
Power line connections and insulators
Switchgear
Electronic components
UPS and battery systems
PLC connections
DG Set
Motor Control Centres

Sigma-HSE conducts the thermography audits and provides risk-based categorization based on NFPA 70B and NETA standards.

Sigma-HSE also carries out Mechanical Thermography to locate faults on equipment. The principal behind mechanical thermography is that mechanical equipment will generate certain thermal patterns during operation. These patterns can change significantly due to friction, lack of lubrication, lack of efficient cooling, etc. Typical faults that can be identified using mechanical thermography are: