Sunday, March 16, 2014

Understanding The Importance Of Electrical Infrared Inspection

By Lisa Williamson


Proper management of an electrical system is a basic requirement considering just how a small mistake can turn out to be the cause of a disaster. Malfunctions can be caused by human errors during installation, vandalism or damages from physical elements. The only way out is periodic inspection with the aim or reveling flaws, points of weaknesses and other potential disasters well in advance for early repair. This process does not have to be time consuming and labor intensive as is normally the case when physical testing is done, instead it is prudent to resort to electrical infrared inspection that is highly effective and a significantly cheaper 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.

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 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.

If you choose to use this form of testing, there is no need to shut down any part of the system as the testing is non-contact and nondestructive (NDT) at the same time. This means that all components can be inspected under their normal loads in the normal operating system. It involves scanning with the aim of revealing improper connections, damages and any form of flaws well in advance before they can result to any disaster.

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.

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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