Spotting power failures before they occur
July 2000
Electrical Power & Protection
Gail Norton Instruments
Traditionally, the thermal method used to locate switchgear faults was to 'look' at the switchgear cabinet from the outside, with infrared cameras or infrared sensors. This had the disadvantage that any changes in temperature in parts of the switchgear would take a long time to propagate to the surface of the cabinet. By the time the externally mounted sensors were able to register any change, the chances are that it may be too late to do anything about it. There is also the problem of internal cabinet walls (as well as other switchgear) masking areas that may be faulty. Of course this is also a temporary set up and not practical to have permanently installed.
Gail Norton Instrumentation is offering a much better solution. Already used by many leading companies in the UK, the Exertherm system has probes mounted inside the cabinets, with a separate probe monitoring each critical area within the switchgear box. The non-contact IR sensors, requiring no external power source, compare the target temperature to the local ambient temperature. The resultant signals are sent to a remote PC, where they can be displayed on the screen. The system is always on and running.
When an unexpected change in the monitored temperature occurs, two audio-visual alarms give operators ample warning to take action before a major failure occurs. Trend analysis of the probe's output data over time allows potential problems to be highlighted long before an expensive failure happens.
Installation is easy, with a simple link that will interface to most building management systems via a serial port. It is quickly fitted to new or existing systems - and it is expandable. With the Exertherm, one can be made aware of imminent switchgear failure in time to rectify the situation before the power dies.
Gail Norton Instrumenation
(031) 701 4861
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