1 in 3 commercial/industrial electrical installations may have a fault.

In 2001 a survey by the Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed) found that nearly a third of all electrical installations had a defect and 15% of all inspected had one or more faults. The highest percentage of electrical faults involved the incorrect earthing of an installation and the highest category of incident involved cabling or wiring. Electrical faults if not corrected have the potential to cause business downtime, fire, or electrocution. Regular electrical installation inspections can highlight electrical anomalies so that planned maintenance or corrective action can be taken to prevent electrical based incidents.

Why use Thermal Imaging?

Thermal imaging can pinpoint potential problems in cables, distribution boards, transformers, switchgear, plant rooms and other related items. Thermal imaging will identify temperature differences caused by changes from normal operating conditions, or hotspots from a developing problem, for example the camera is sensitive enough to identify heat bleed along a cable within a bundle.

Picture of thermal image example of overheating fuse Thermography detects an overheating fuse.

Loose or corroded contacts, load imbalances, poor cable joints or an overloaded transformer will all generate excess heat. A thermal camera can often show the problem before an electrical test or visual inspection would uncover it. The severity of the problem can be determined by comparing the temperature rise of the fault with the properly operating component under the same loading conditions.

Feedback from thermal imaging of electrical installations shows a significant rate of potential fault detection for an initial survey, typically in the region of one to two faults for every 10 panels inspected.

Benefits of Thermographic Surveys:

No downtime conducting survey, thermal imaging takes place during normal operating conditions
Non-contact measurement tool
Assists in prioritising preventative maintenance
Flexible surveys - can be undertaken over the whole site, or confined to a smaller 'suspect' plant area, or as part of an annual planned maintenance programme
Enables remedial work rather than facility outage
Increased plant availability
Avoidance of consequential damage - this can be damage to the installation itself, connected plant, or other damage due to fire or
explosion
Help to extend equipment's life
Prevent increase in energy consumption due to temperature rise and faulty operation of equipment

Certelec Thermal Imaging Report

Analysis and interpretation by experienced professional thermographer
Colour thermogram and digital photo to confirm the location
Equipment Identification and location
Specific item or component that shows the anomaly
Temperature rise and severity of the problem
Probable cause and recommendations
Space on report to record actions/remedial work undertaken
Can be combined with visual electrical inspection or inspection and test to fulfill licence/insurance requirements

View examples of thermal images

Contact us today on 01323 735892 to discuss your requirements or for further details of our thermal imaging surveys.