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Thermal Imaging
Thermal Imaging
In plant condition monitoring almost every single mechanical, electrical or chemical operation has an associated temperature change. Thermal Imaging systems can check these temperatures in an accurate, non-invasive manner to see if they fall within the expected range.
Service:-
MB Inspection provides the equipment and qualified personnel to carry out an accurate wide ranging thermographic survey of plant and equipment. All information is presented using PC based reporting software and digital photography. The results of a survey are presented in a way that is concise and easy to understand.
Thermography is a powerful tool equally at home with one off fault finding missions and long term condition monitoring programs.
Applications include:
- Electrical surveys – Fuses, junction boxes, insulation switchgear etc., all increase in temperature when under excessive load or are otherwise not operating efficiently. Our thermal imaging system can scan large amounts of equipment in real-time and highlight any problems immediately.
- Product flow and blockages – Many flow related problems such as blockages in steam lines and heat exchanger matrices and ‘passing’ relief valves can be detected quickly using thermography.
- Insulation efficiency – Refractory linings, pipework insulation, refrigeration units, cryogenic storage tanks, all suffer from breakdowns. Thermal imaging can test the efficiency of the insulation without shutting the equipment down. Areas that need repair can be highlighted for the next planned outage.
- Rotating and other mechanical equipment – It only requires one worn bearing to bring down an entire process stream. MBI thermographic technicians can check for overheating bearings as quickly as an operator carrying out a visual inspection. Again, the inspections are done without shutting the plant down and mesh guards don’t have to be removed. If you can see it, we can test it.
- Modern composite materials – Carbon fibre and GRP can suffer from laminations and air bubbles trapped within their layers. Thermographic techniques have been developed to test for these quickly and efficiently.
Advantages of Thermographic Surveys
- Safety – You don’t have to touch the item to be tested surveying is done at a safe distance.
- Non Invasive – Since you only have to be able to see the item under inspection most surveys are done with plant and equipment on line. Indeed this is usually necessary to produce a temperature differential.
- Rapid Inspection – The equipment displays images and temperatures in real time.
- Accuracy and Range – The equipment is fully certified and able to give temperatures accurate within + or – 2%. All this over a range of temperatures covering equipment from refrigeration plants to furnaces.
- Repeatability – Using the latest reporting software, previous survey results are stored to compare with present results. Hard copies in full colour as well as electronic versions of reports are kept.
