Both thermal and acoustic imaging cameras are excellent tools that can provide trained users with an immense amount of valuable data about the condition of their machinery.
The accuracy and efficiency of any preventative maintenance schedule are significantly increased through these cameras but knowing which best suits your facility’s needs is essential.
What Are Thermal Imaging Cameras?
Thermal imaging cameras are practical tools for monitoring the condition of machines, electrical systems and heat insulation. The cameras achieve this by detecting infrared radiation (IR) related to the observed object. A thermal camera is made up of a lens, a thermal sensor, processing electronics, and a mechanical housing. These components work together to create a thermal image of the observed area.
Before these cameras, IR thermometers were used, but they only provided the temperature of a remote location. Thermal imaging cameras can read the temperature of many thousands of spots simultaneously and process the data as a colour image that the user can easily read.
Industrial facilities require a regular program of preventative maintenance to assess the condition of their machines. Conventional assessment methods require the machine to be shut down whilst being checked, but a thermal imaging camera can efficiently conduct a non-invasive thermographic survey.
Any signs of machine wear or electrical faults can be spotted easily as they will stand out as either area of increased or decreased heat compared to previous surveys.
Thermal Imaging Effective Range
Thermal imaging is an effective tool for monitoring the condition of your machinery. Each thermal camera will come with a spot-size ratio specification.
Accurate thermal imaging results are connected to the camera’s spot size ratio (SSR) or Distance: Size ratio (D:S ratio). Regardless of your camera's designation, this ratio dictates the maximum distance you can review something based on its size.
Fortunately, finding the range of your camera is straightforward. The formula for calculating your SSR is Distance / Spot size. So, for example, a thermal camera with an SSR of 36:1 could effectively measure IR 36 feet away from an object just 1 foot in size. It should be noted, though, that being a ratio means you could monitor an object 4 feet at 144 feet away.
What Is an Acoustic Imaging Camera?
Acoustic imaging cameras are designed to be a user-friendly tool similar to thermal imaging cameras but significantly different. Whereas thermal imaging cameras interpret IR radiation and visualise it, acoustic imagers focus on ultrasonic information.
The Teledyne FLIR Acoustic Camera is a lightweight imaging camera that has been successfully used to identify machine faults much faster than conventional procedures for fault detection. These cameras have 124 specialist microphones to supply the data for internal processors to interpret into a visual image. In addition, the installed microphones can register audible and ultrasound noise and eliminate the persistent noise common in industrial environments.
Uses for Acoustic Imaging Cameras?
Acoustic imaging cameras provide a vital service for industrial facility maintenance by visualising otherwise impossible-to-see problems.
Compressed Air Leaks
Compressed air leaks are one of the industrial environments' most significant energy losses. Up to one-third of a facility’s compressed air will be lost due to unforeseen leaks and subtle inefficiencies within the system. Improving efficiency and lowering costs demands these faults be located and repaired as soon as possible, and an acoustic imaging camera can help achieve that.
Compressed air leaks make an audible noise alerting people to their presence, but this can easily be lost within the loud background noise of an industrial environment. With an acoustic imaging camera, a technician can instantly view the leak rate and use the data to predict the estimated yearly energy loss. The purpose of these cameras is to visualise these sounds, alerting maintenance engineers to these problems. Eliminating these faults will extend any compressor's life by preventing wasted output.
Electrical Waste
These cameras are also used to assist with electrical systems maintenance. Partial discharge is a hazard to the productivity of any electrical system. Partial electrical discharge (PD) leads to equipment failures, costly downtime and a health hazard to your onsite teams. Unaddressed PD can build to an Arc Flash where a powerful electric current breaks from its intended path and hits another conductor or grounds itself. PD can occur at any junction between two electrical components. The ultrasonic capabilities of the camera’s microphone can analyse the invisible sound emissions given off by these discharges.
Electrical corona discharge relates to when the surrounding space has become increasingly conductive. The air surrounding high-voltage transmission lines can become energised and create a bleed-off effect for the transmitted power. As this fault increases in severity, a visible glow appears around the electrical equipment at night, but the auditory effect can be detected much sooner with an acoustic imaging camera.
Acoustic imaging cameras can visualise the corona discharge even in the daytime. This early warning enables electrical engineers to address this efficiency loss and ensure the electrical system's productivity.
Which Camera Is Best for You?
The answer to this question depends mainly on the facility you are running. Thermal and acoustic imaging cameras have their unique way of achieving the same goal, ensuring your industrial machinery is operating at its best.
Thermascan supplies the best range of high-end thermal imaging cameras and other diagnostic tools, such as the new acoustic imaging camera, smartphone modules and Teledyne FLIR analysis software.