Thermography

A New Avenue for Energy Auditing

Rajesh Tawani
Fluke India

Fluke Imagers, everything needed for

everyday imaging

The What, Where and Why of Infrared

and How it is Used

Is Infrared Dangerous?

No, infrared technology

measures the energy that
is naturally emitted from
all objects.

Overview of Thermography
Knowing a little about thermography helps!

Thermography

Is nonnon-contact
Applies to most all types of equipment and conditions
Is obtained without disturbing production
Quickly identifies specific locations
Detect problems before failure
Can scan large areas quickly

Heat is a key indicator of equipment failure/

Energy Loss

Find hot spot

Fix equipment before failure
Keep equipment operating efficiently

What is Thermography?
Thermography is the measurement of temperature
remotely to indicate equipment health and assigning
a color based on the temperature.

Electrical equipment
Electrical circuits
Mechanical equipment
Heating/cooling equipment
Building envelope
Electronic
Medical
Other
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The Art

Brighter colors are warmer

Darker colors are cooler

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The Science

For the most part, we see surfaces

However, the area of interest or thermal anomaly we are

interested in may very well originate from the inside

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Many problems may be hotter than they appear

on the surface
Net flow of energy is from
warmer to cooler areas
Flow can be:

Transient (changing)

Steady
Steady--state (stable)

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Paradigm Shift in Imaging Radiometers

Technology has gone uncooled

Costs are coming down making thermography more
affordable
Instruments are becoming easier to use
Many new applications are being discovered
Many more users and much expanded education

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How does it work?

Every object emits infrared energy / heat

12,280 / 19,200 / 76,800 sensors measure the energy

emitted by the object and produce a digital thermal
image

Sensors can detect temperature changes as slight as

0.05 of a degree Centigrade.

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How do we get the picture?

Each of the thousands of elements, or pixels, contain an accurate
temperature value. The Imager, through the use of a complex set of
algorithms, assign specific colors that correspond exactly with the
temperature value found at the specific X Y coordinate.
Some cameras save a simple picture
which does not actually contain
any measurements.
XXX Elements

Fully radiometric cameras store the

actual temperature measurements
which can be brought into a PC
later for analysis.

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XXX Elements

Fluke imagers are all fully radiometric

Its like having
Thousands of
infrared
thermometers in
one

When an image is captured using any Fluke thermal imager, all of

the background data is also saved along with the picture allowing
in-depth post processing analysis.

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If you can take a picture, you can use a thermal imager

Thermal cameras are instruments that create pictures of
heat rather than light. They measure infrared (IR) energy
and convert the data to corresponding images of
temperature.

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To capture an image
1.

Aim

2.

Focus

3.

Shoot

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Sharp focus is critical

Accurate temperatures
Image clarity
Diagnostics
Customer satisfaction

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Array Size

Most camera manufacturers provide 320 by 240

arrays
160 by 120 is a good alternative
Advantages

Cameras using 160 by 120 array can be produced at a lower

cost
320 by 240 has more pixels and therefore measure more and
help identify problems from a distance

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Palettes
Color palettes are convenient ways for you to see a thermal
image. For instance, you may chose to have cold be the
color blue, medium yellow and red hot. Or you might
want everything black and white with everything over
80
80F red. Or you might want cold to be purple and hot to
be yellow.

Rainbow

Ironbow

Gray Scale
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The Applications

Thermography Uses and Users

Where is Thermography Used

Vertical markets

Equipment Applications

Building
Diagnostics

Industrial

Engines

Furnaces

Human Health

Utilities

Drives

HVAC

Animal Health

Local & State Government

Motors

Roofs

Chiropractic

Petroleum/Gas

Electric Motor Bearings

Building envelopes

Acupuncture

Construction/Restoration

Electric Motor Windings

Water Restoration

Paper & Pup Mills

Belts and drive shafts

Mold Remediation

Data Centers

Electrical panels

Pest Control

R&D

Switchgear

Human & Animal Medical

Power lines

Automotive

UPS systems

Medical

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Thermal Applications
Building Envelope
and Roof

Process Control

Transportation

Electrical

Motors
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Electrical systems
Commonly inspected
components

(3

phase) Power distribution

Fuse boxes

Cables & connections

Relays/Switches

Insulators

Capacitors

Substations

Circuit breakers

Controllers

Transformers

Motors

Battery banks

Typical reasons for temperature

hotspots or deviations

Unbalanced

loads

Harmonics (3rd harmonic current in Neutral)

Overloaded systems/excessive current

Loose or corroded connections increased
resistance in the circuit (typically one side of
components heats up)

Insulation failure

Component failure

Wiring mistakes

Underspecified components (like fuses)
would heat up on both side of the fuse

Conditions for inspection

Direct view open enclosure doors, when possible

You cannot see through enclosure doors!
Note even small temperature differences when conditions
suggest they may be important
Understand present and future loading conditions
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Inspect with highest possible load

Loose Connections?

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Hot fuse and connections

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Poor Electrical Contact

Before Repair

After Repair

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Transformer and sub station applications

Most likely caused by high resistance corrosion on the
connector

The Thermal Imager is capable of detecting an

overheated electrical transmission line
connections at a distance of more than 30
meters

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Identify a possible phase imbalance or high

resistance connection

Note the increase in

temperature on this phase

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Electro-mechanical
Commonly inspected
components

Motors

Pumps

Heat

exchangers

Typical reasons for temperature

hotspots or deviations

Bad

cooling-- due to reduced airflow

cooling

PQ problems like unbalance, overload or 5th
harmonic (voltage) will cause heat dissipation

Bad alignment

Insulation problems with motor windings

Bearing problems lubrication, wear, etc.

Motors
Uneven heating in an electrical motor will reduce the life and
efficiency of the motor if not properly addressed

For each 10C (18F) rise over

maximum rated temperature,
approximately the life of a motor
is lost due to insulation failure! 39

Mechanical systems
Commonly inspected
components

Bearings

Gearboxes

Drive

belts

Typical reasons for temperature

hotspots or deviations

Friction

due to wear, misalignment or

inadequate lubrication

Find loose or misaligned belts

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Process installations
Commonly inspected
components

Refractory

insulation

Tanks and vessels

Steam systems/traps

Pipes and valves

Heaters/Furnaces

Manufacturing equipment

Plastics Industry (Molding)

Pulp & Paper (Rollers, handling
equipment, etc)

Metal Foundry

Boilers and Reactors

Research & Development

Typical reasons for temperature

hotspots or deviations

Damaged

structures caused by worn pipes

Abnormal heat flow/heat gradients

Gas or steam leakage

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Steam traps

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Rotating cement kiln

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Buildings
Commonly inspected
components

Walls

Insulation

Roofs

Windows

Doors

HVAC

Insulation

Floor

Typical reasons for temperature

hotspots or deviations

heating

verification like improperly installed

or missing insulation

Roof inspections; leaks cause water to enter
to insulation

Construction evaluation

Locate air leakage

Moisture intrusion; damage to insulation and
building materials

Mold detection

Thermal bridging in joints between walls

Heat loss through damaged seals in multimultiplane windows

Damaged heat ducks/leakage of buried
steam lines

Building envelope

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Electronics
Commonly inspected
components

Electrical

components and sub

assemblies

Circuit boards Assemblies

Typical reasons for temperature

hotspots or deviations

Under

designed components

Component failure

Improper soldering

Broken traces

Reversed polarity

Troubleshooting electronic boards

Printed circuit board testing can find either poorly
specified components at the design phase or failing
components in the field.

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Troubleshooting Electronic Boards

Printed circuit board

testing can find either
poorly specified
components at the
design phase or failing
components in the field.

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Fluke Thermal Imagers

Focus

Fluke

Free

Convenience
Simplicity
Quick troubleshooting

Fluke

LaserSharp
LaserSharp
Auto Focus

IRIR-OptiFlex
OptiFlex

Convenience
Simplicity
Quick troubleshooting
Improved accuracy &
image quality
Flexibility of focus free
and manual focus

Convenience
Simplicity
Quick troubleshooting
Improved accuracy &
image quality
Laser provides exact
reference and drives
perfect focus every time

Fluke thermal imagers are easy-to-use

Fluke thermal imagers are designed to be simple to
operate. Comprehensive training is available for each
Fluke thermal imager, designed to help you get up and
running quickly.
Designed to last a life time
Tested for a 2 meter drop
Dust and water protected IP54

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The reality

You can do this

Its easy, point/click/shoot

It will make you more effective
You WILL find problems

You will solve problems faster

You will save money
Minimal investment / Payback potential is large
You can verify that the problem has really been solved

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www.fluke.com/thermography

Questions?

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Thank you
Rajesh Tawani
rajesh.tawani@fluke.com
Mo. : 7738889876
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