Why Thermography is The HOT Topic !

Thermography as whole is an extremely interesting subject and is definitely a hot topic at the moment. So with this in mind lets look at a few different applications of thermography. 

Electrical Inspections.

When it comes to performing general inspections on electrical installations, thermal cameras can be an invaluable tool. They do this by allowing you to get a view of the electrical connections that can't be seen with the naked eye. 

When a current of any kind is passed through a conductor some of this energy is dissipated and given off as heat. So when there are loose connections within an electrical panel these can appear as hot spots within a thermal image. As well as this, within three phase installations we expect for the loads to balanced. If this is not the case then there will be a temperature difference between the phases that can also be detected by our camera.

Electricians and Maintenance engineers can then use this information to narrow down the search when looking for potential issues. 

Planned Preventative Maintenance.

Performing planned preventative maintenance using thermography is something that is really starting to catch on across multiple industries, as with all mechanical equipment there is a certain level of accuracy that must be maintained in order to ensure machinery's life span and stop unwanted failures. Thermography as a tool can be used to ensure that equipment is operating within the manufacturers specifications and operating efficiently. avoiding costly failures and shutdowns of equipment/sites. 

Thermal cameras can even be used to inspect conveyer belts in large warehouses. All conveyers contain bearings and once these begin to fail friction is created, which in turn generates heat that can be detected through your thermal camera. 

Building Inspections/Diagnostics.

Thermography within building inspections and diagnostics has a wide variety of applications and is a must use tool, with its ability to detect a wide range of faults whether inside the building or out, from missing insulation to damaged heating systems and even pest control there is always an application for thermography. 

There are a few things however that we do need to take into account when performing outdoor thermal inspections of buildings, we need to understand that this must be done once the sun has set and as well as this we need to turn the heating on within the building. This is done so that we can have a temperature difference which in turn our camera will be able to see.    

Research & Development.

Within research and development thermography can be used at multiple stages depending on the application. Thermography can be used to characterise material properties and can also be used as a way to provide accurate non-contact temperature measurements.

As well as this thermal equipment can be used to aid in the design of PCB's, this is done by allowing designers of PCB's to visualise and quantify heat patterns that form within the circuits that they create.

Choosing The Right Camera.

Choosing the right thermal camera for your application depends on quite a few factors but generally amongst most people it comes down to budget, we still however need to take in to consideration that not all thermal cameras are built equally. As a general rule of thumb the more expensive the camera, the higher the pixel resolution and also thermal sensitivity. 

Lets have a look below at the cameras we supply and some of their uses.

Flir C3-X - An entry level thermal camera that's great for the most basic of applications and hobbyists.

Flir C5-X - The upgraded version of the C3-X with a higher temperature range and greater resolution perfect for detecting blockages in heating.

Flir E5-XT - The first pistol grip thermal camera we offer and is a great tool for electricians looking to scan distribution boards

Flir E6-XT - The upgraded version of the E5-XT, with a greater thermal sensitivity and higher temperature range it makes this camera a great choice for electricians of HVAC engineers.

Flir E8-XT -  The top of the range camera in the EX range comes with the highest thermal sensitivity so far and with a great image quality it ensures not only accurate measurements but quality thermal images.

Flir E54 - The entry level in the EXX range of cameras and has the greatest  thermal resolution making this a great tool for building inspections and planned preventative maintenance.

If you have any questions regarding thermography or would like a demonstration then please do contact us and one of our experts will be in touch.