INFRARED INSPECTIONS AND THERMOGRAPHY WITH DATA ANALYTICS
See the Unseen with an Infrared Inspection
Electrical failure is a leading cause of fires in all types of facilities. Whether due to a pending failure or some other issue, your assets can quickly begin to generate excess heat, creating the risk of fire, injury, and numerous other problems. Left unaddressed, these risks will inevitably become problems that can lead to employee injuries or fatalities, insurance spikes and workers compensation claims, and overall asset downtime and repair/replacement costs.
Detecting these issues early with infrared technology minimizes these risks and help you avoid excess costs while maximizing productivity. Infrared Inspection is a proven, non-destructive approach for the early detection of impending failures in electrical and mechanical systems. Proactive infrared inspection reduces risks, increases operational safety, and bolsters efficiency.
It is a fact, infrared thermology saves you time, saves you money, prevents fires, and even saves lives. It is by far the greatest form of nondestructive testing (NDT) ever devised for predictive maintenance (PdM) of electrical systems. A recent study performed by Hartford Steam Boiler concluded that effective infrared thermography programs performed by qualified companies average 400% Return on Investment. Add to this the safety aspects, and it becomes clear that any company that cares about its bottom line and safety program uses infrared thermography on a regular basis.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 70 B) declares "a well-administered Electrical Preventative Maintenance program will reduce accidents, save lives, and minimize costly break downs and unplanned shutdowns of production equipment," and recommends that "routine infrared inspections of energized electrical systems should be performed annually. . . more frequent infrared inspections, for example, quarterly or semi-annually, should be performed where warranted by loss experience, installation of new electrical equipment, or changes in environmental, operational, or load conditions." Furthermore, these recommendations have been adopted as a standard by the Occupation Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). Additionally, many insurance companies are now offering substantial discounts to clients who subscribe to regular infrared thermography inspections as part of their PdM.
Why is it so effective? Increased resistance in electrical components can be caused by equipment fatigue, improper installation, loose connections, age, exposure to the elements, and normal wear and tear. This increased resistance also results in increased heat; combined, they are the primary cause for most electrical component failures. Infrared thermography allows us to see this heat through an infrared camera before any damage is visible with the naked eye. This gives you the advantage of correcting the problem in its early stages before it has devastating effects on people, buildings, or equipment.
Data Analytics is the collection of data points with the systematic computational analysis of the data. In business terms it is used for the discovery, interpretation and communication of meaningful patterns in data. It entails tying these data patterns toward making effective decision making. In other words, these data patterns allow businesses to make educated and effective business decisions.
In collecting data while doing our thermography scan, Power Services US is the ONLY IR firm that notates the problems found in a database for our customers. Many companies collect data but do not have the technology to accumulate that data and find trends with a piece of equipment.
At Power Services we take data points captured in our infrared inspections to help you make cost effective business decisions in anything from on hand inventory to replacement of equipment. We have been able to tailor our customers’ on hand electrical and motor inventories while effectively predicting wear and end of useful equipment life so that the customer understands that they can order replacement equipment without shutting down. We are all aware of long lead times and difficulty in contractor scheduling since the pandemic began. Let us show you how we can help tailor your inventories!
Power Services US, founded in 2002, has a long standing tradition of providing the most comprehensive infrared thermography inspections throughout the country. All of our thermographers are Certified Thermographers, meeting or exceeeding the guidelines of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) SNT-TC-1A.
