What is Thermography (Thermal Scanning)?
- Thermography term comes from Thermo (Temperature) + Graphy (Image), It is a combination of both which creates Thermal image which can be analysed to find out current problems and predict upcoming issues at initial stages.
- Thermography is a Non-Destructive Technique in which a Thermal camera/Infrared Camera is used to detect infrared energy emitted from an object which is not visible to human eyes and can be detected by special methods and thermography is one of the methods which is easily available and widely used.
- Any object above absolute zero emits infrared radiation (0 Kelvin = -273.15 °C).
- Thermography Camera usually detects infrared radiation in between 9–14 µm of the Electromagnetic spectrum.
| SPECTRIAL BANDS | RANGE (µm) | DETECTOR MATERIALS | APPLICATIONS |
| NIR | 0.74-1 | SiO2 | Telecommunications |
| SWIR | 1-3 | InGaAs, PBS | Remote Sensing |
| MWIR | 3-5 | InSb, PbSe, PtSi, HgCdTe | High-Temperature inspection(Indoor Scientific research) |
| LWIR | 8-14 | HgCdTe | Ambient temperature(Outdoor Industrial Inspection) |
| VLWIR | 14-1000 | – | Spectrometry, astronomy |
How does Thermal Camera Work?
Thermal Camera Detects Infrared energy emitted by an object which is converted to Electrical signal and furthers it process those signals and convert them into a Thermogram (Thermal Image). These Thermograms were analysed by a qualified Thermography Analyst to find out abnormalities in the object using Analysing Software.
Why is it required & what are the benefits?
It is an advanced technology which can be used to easily identify different types of problems in all kinds of fields like Electrical, Mechanical, defence, Space, Medical, Surveys, etc. It is a very good preventive as well and predictive maintenance tool. It is very safe & portable which makes it one of the most popular & widely used instruments in all kinds of industries.
The Benefits of thermography are as follows:
- It reduces unscheduled power outages in the industries by predicting upcoming issues by capturing heat signatures of the object.
- It can detect & predict problems at very early stages and helps in preventing major equipment failures without disturbing the system.
- It minimizes preventive maintenance and troubleshooting time.
- Thermography services are easily available.
- Affordable technique.
Can Cover a large area in a single Thermal image, if required
What are the Applications of thermography?
Electrical
- It is a very useful predictive maintenance tool in Electrical Maintenance. It can predict upcoming failures in Switchgears, circuit breakers, transformers, bus-bars, capacitor banks, batteries in control panels, Current transformer, potential transformer, cable joints, complete Switchyard etc
- Overhead Electrical line to check corona loss, joints, and earthing issues.
- All kind of Electrical motor inspections for phase unbalance, Bearing issues, cooling issues, etc
- It covers all type of Electrical Systems including LV & HV
Buildings, Structures & Houses
- Floor inspections for water leaks.
- To identify missing & damaged insulation in walls
- To identify Air leaks from windows, gates & other zones.
- Heat & cooling loss in the building.
- Condition of Electrical connections in the building to avoid any kind of electrical fire.
- Identify wires and pipes in the building etc
Mechanical Systems
- It can predict upcoming bearing & flow issues in the pumps.
- Can check Boilers for heat loss, leakages, damages etc.
- Combustion patterns & heat distribution of fuel inside the Furnaces.
- Boiler outer portion also can be checked to find out abnormalities related to refractory, poor insulation, air ingress/ leakage etc.
- Detect tar build-up in gas pipelines.
- Ii can detect flue gas leaks in air preheater superheater, Economiser, FBHEs, electrostatic precipitator (ESP) etc
- Bearings can be monitored for over greasing, deposition inside & failures.
- Equipment misalignment issues can be checked.
- Gears teeth can be checked for wear and tear.
Petrochemical Applications
- Weak insulation & leaks in petrochemical pipelines.
- It can analyse the efficiency of all types of Heat exchangers like Air cool condensers, Water-cooled condensers etc.
Electronic Equipment
- Good predictive maintenance tool to predict failures in PCB (Printed circuit board) components.
- Thermal mapping & scanning of semiconductor devices
- Inspection of soldered small joints
Environmental
- Old structures, caves & chambers buried inside the ground can be located easily.
- Can be utilised in different types of R&D.
Automotive
- Tyre & road contact analysis for racing cars and bikes to improve overall performance.
- Air resistance analysis to improve aerodynamics in structures of vehicles to enhance overall efficiency.
Aerospace
- Tire and brakes system analysis & check if planes.
- Crack and corrosion identification.
- Overall rocket & jet engine performance analysis.
Medical
- Different types of injuries related to issues in the human body like back injuries, joint pains, bruises etc.
- It can predict critical diseases like – especially breast cancer, arthritis etc.
- Dentistry, jaw dysfunction identification.
- Sports injuries evaluation and therapy progress
Airborne
- Pipeline inspections, leak detection, and detection of stress corrosion cracking areas
- Industrial & forest Fire Mapping,
- High Voltage Aerial Electrical inspections for transmission lines
- Search and rescue
- Police search operations to catch criminals/culprit in the dark, wide area, sea, river, roofs etc.
- Drone attacks in terrorist surveillance & counter operations.
**In short, there is no limitation in thermography; there are a lot of areas where it can be used very effectively. Every year Thermography analysts & scientists are discovering & exploring the new areas wherever it’s proved to be very cost-effective, fast & safe technology.
