Application of Infrared Thermometer-Electrical System Fault Diagnosis Solutions to Common Problems of Thermometer
Tools for diagnosing and preventing electrical system and equipment failures
In electrical system and equipment maintenance inspections, infrared thermometers prove to be a money saving diagnostic and preventative tool. Raytek's full line of long-range infrared thermometers are accurate from 1-4% of reading and, depending on the model, can take measurements from as far as 180 feet away. These instruments are lightweight and have a rough, non-slip surface for ease of use.
Measuring electrical equipment
Non-contact infrared thermometers can measure the surface temperature of an object from a precise distance, making them an indispensable tool in electrical equipment maintenance operations.
Applications in electrical equipment
In the following applications, Raytech infrared thermometers can effectively prevent equipment failures and unplanned power outages.
Connectors - Electrical connections can gradually loosen connectors due to repeated heating (expansion) and cooling (shrinkage) to generate heat, or surface dirt, carbon deposits and corrosion. Non-contact thermometers can quickly identify temperature rises that indicate a serious problem.
Motor - To preserve the life of the motor, check that the power connection wires and the circuit breaker (or fuse) are at the same temperature.
Motor Bearings - Check for hot spots and repair or replace them regularly before problems cause equipment failure.
Motor Coil Insulation - Extend the life of your motor coil insulation by measuring its temperature.
Measurements Between Phases - Checks that wires and connectors in induction motors, mainframe computers and other equipment are at the same temperature between phases.
Transformer - Windings of air-cooled devices can be measured directly with an infrared thermometer to check for excessive temperatures, any hot spots indicate damage to the transformer windings.
Uninterruptible Power Supply - Identify hot spots on the connecting wires on the UPS output filter. A cool spot may indicate an open circuit in the DC filter line.
Backup Battery - Check the low voltage battery to make sure it is connected properly. Poor contact with the battery terminals can heat up enough to burn the battery core rods.
Ballast - Check for overheating of the ballast before it starts smoking.
Utilities - Identify hot spots for connectors, wire splices, transformers and other equipment. Some models of Raytek optical instruments have a range of 60:1 or even greater, so that almost all measurement targets are within the measurement range.
The non-contact temperature measuring instrument is designed based on the principle of heat radiation of objects. When measuring, the temperature sensing element is not in direct contact with the measured object, and is usually used to measure the temperature or surface temperature of a high-temperature object that moves, rotates or responds rapidly above 1000 °C.
Its advantages are:
(1) Wide range of temperature measurement (theoretically, there is no upper limit). Suitable for high temperature measurement;
(2) The temperature field of the measured object is not destroyed during the temperature measurement process. The original temperature field distribution is not affected;
(3) It can measure the temperature of moving objects;
(4) The thermal inertia is small. The response time of the detector is short. The response speed of temperature measurement is fast. About 2-3s, it is easy to realize fast and dynamic temperature measurement. Under some specific conditions, such as nuclear radiation field. Radiation temperature measurement can carry out accurate and reliable measurement.
The disadvantages of non-contact temperature measuring instruments are:
(I) It cannot directly measure the true temperature of the measured object. To get the real temperature, it is necessary to correct the emissivity. And the emissivity is a parameter with quite complicated influence factors. This increases the difficulty of processing the measurement results.
(2) Because it is non-contact. The measurement of the radiation thermometer is greatly affected by the intermediate medium. Especially under industrial site conditions. The surrounding environment is relatively harsh, and the intermediate medium has a greater impact on the measurement results. In this regard, the choice of the wavelength range of the thermometer is very important.
(3) Due to the complex principle of radiation temperature measurement, the structure of the thermometer is complicated and the price is high.
Non-contact temperature measuring instruments mainly include radiation thermometers, fiber optic radiation thermometers, etc. The former is divided into full radiation thermometers, brightness thermometers (optical pyrometers, photoelectric pyrometers) and colorimetric thermometers.
