Infrared windows for safe electrical panel inspection
July 2012Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Infrared thermal cameras require a direct line of sight to record an accurate image. In order to detect a hot-spot the area to be measured has to be under normal operating conditions, meaning that it must be live and have been so for 20 minutes prior to inspection. This puts maintenance personnel at risk, since they have to open cabinets or doors to gain access to the internal components that they wish to image, even the most comprehensive risk assessments and method statements cannot avoid this. In response, electrical panel manufacturers are now fitting infrared inspection ports in an attempt to make their panels more maintenance friendly.
In the US, regulation NFPA 70E determines the ‘Flash Protection Boundary’ of electrical panels; these boundaries define the safe working distances in which personnel can operate from an energised component. Thermographers must be conversant with these regulations, especially if they intend to remove covers to allow access for a live inspection. Also the NFPA 70E regulations stipulate that, unless the thermographer is a certified electrician and fully conversant and qualified on the equipment under inspection, they will need to be accompanied, thus increasing the manpower requirement for the inspection.
An arc flash does not happen without a trigger, it nearly always begins due to a ‘change of state’ that causes a momentary connection between phases. 99% of the time these arc flash incidents are caused by intervention, opening a panel for example, spontaneous arc flashes very rarely occur.
IR windows offer a safe alternative
IR Windows remove the risks and downtime associated with live inspections. Their use in a thermographic inspection programme removes 99% of the triggers of arc flash incidents while improving electrical safety by allowing safe, regular infrared inspections of energised and loaded electrical switchgear.
Although there are several types of IR window available on the market, all have the same basic form of an optic material transparent to IR energy encapsulated in a holder. The ideal IR window is one that would allow infrared radiation to pass through it with zero losses. Unfortunately this is not possible with the materials currently available, but it is possible to get close enough that measurement accuracy is not compromised. IR windows can remove the risks and downtime associated with live inspections.
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