Understanding The Importance Of Electrical Infrared Inspection

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.

It is a good practice to inspect all electrical system components twice a year or at least every 12 months at minimum. When properly conducted, it is possible to detect and prevent accidents well in advance before they occur. For the equipment and the control systems that are subjected to movements and vibrations, every six months inspection is not optional.

In normal distribution, infrared surveys should be conducted on annual basis and is considered part of a regular preventive and maintenance program. This form of testing makes it possible to inspect a large number of components within the shortest time possible locating the faulty items in the system that could not be located through the physical survey or testing.

The other benefit of this survey is that there is no need to shut down the system. It is a non-contact a nondestructive form of testing (NDT) that allows for work continuation without interrupting system production. The equipment get inspected under normal loads and the normal operating condition by scanning devices to reveal the existing and emerging problems before it is too late.

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.

This form of testing and survey therefore saves engineers millions of dollars improving profitability and significantly decrease the expenses in the areas of operations, testing and maintenance in general. With this convenience and financial benefits, this is a technology you cannot afford to miss in this century if you think of remaining in business.

In order to fully benefit from this cutting edge technology, you must be very keen on the companies you choose for the job. At minimum, the prospective company must have some proven record of good job done on previous assignments. For a good choice, the level of experience of staff also matters.




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