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What is Infrared Thermography?
Thermal imaging, or infrared thermography, allows us to see the thermal, or heat energy that is radiated by objects.
It's simply "heat and picture" combined together.
Thermal imaging is the technique that measures infrared radiation emitted from a surface. All but very, very cold objects emit this type of energy. The infrared camera evaluates and converts this energy into meaningful temperatures. Components in various states of failure will emit more thermal radiation as a direct result of more energy dissipated into the component. This extra energy is caused by increased friction in mechanical devices, and higher resistance in electrical devices.
Why use Infrared Thermography?
Just as doctors use temperature in disease diagnosis, infrared thermography allows us to diagnose and pinpoint mechanical problems based on the temperature differential of areas. Temperature provides an excellent identification of the condition of equipment. It is the ability of the thermal camera to "see" these early stages of increasing temperatures that makes thermography such a valuable technology.
The Value of an Infrared Inspection Program is Immense:
- Locate problems accurately and safely, prior to failure
- Find, quantify, and document problems caused by faulty components, poor connections, corrosion, contamination, load imbalances, etc.
- Verify new equipment installations to establish a baseline for future inspections
- Postpone previously scheduled maintenance of equipment found to be in good condition
- Track problems using our special database which will provide you with a total recall of previous inspections and the status of past problems
- Get an easy-to-understand report that provides thermographic images, digital images, and temperature information to help you determine what needs corrective action and what is operating normally
PREVENT
A Note about Insurance Companies:
Many insurance firms are seeing the advantages of utilizing
infrared inspections for their policy holders.
Delmarva Infrared Services provides thermographic assessments, which will
provide scientific and visual proof of property damage due to flood, storm,
mold, electrical and fire damage. A compiled report with thermographic
photographs will contain an explanation of any extent of damage. When it comes
to claims, it is important that the necessary repairs are just that; and nothing
more. This eliminates unnecessary expense to the insurer, less downtime for the
property owner, and assurance that nothing was overlooked, which can only lead
to possible liabilities down the road.
Insurers are also seeking to have
industrial and commercial policyholders perform regular infrared predictive maintenance inspections on critical and costly components of their electrical distribution network. In many cases, the realized savings in insurance claims due to premature equipment failure have pushed insurance companies to obligate their clients to perform regular infrared inspections as a term of their policy renewal. Although this might seem onerous for the client, many studies have shown that the financial and safety benefits to industrial and commercial facilities far outweigh the costs of implementing and maintaining an effective infrared program.
Insurance companies should read: Best's Review on Infrared for Insurance
How does Infrared Thermography Predictive Maintenance Save you Money?
| Using IRT |
Yes |
No |
| Equipment Failure |
- most likely detected before failure occurs
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| Possible Results |
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- unscheduled shutdown
- damage to critical equipment
- safety hazards to personnel
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| Costs to Client |
- cost of inspection
- maintenance costs
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- cost of repairs
- lost revenue due to unscheduled shutdown
- potential liability for personal injury
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| Costs to Insurer |
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- property damage claims
- possible health insurance claims
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If you have any questions about infrared thermography, or how it can be used to save you downtime and costly repairs, please contact us at:
info@delmarvainfrared.com.
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