17 Introduction to thermographic
inspections of electrical
installations
17.1 Important note
All camera functions and features that are described in this section may not be sup-
ported by your particular camera configuration.
Electrical regulations differ from country to country. For that reason, the electrical
procedures described in this section may not be the standard of procedure in your
particular country. Also, in many countries carrying out electrical inspections requires
formal qualification. Always consult national or regional electrical regulations.
17.2 General information
17.2.1 Introduction
Today, thermography is a well-established technique for the inspection of electrical
installations. This was the first and still is the largest. the largest application of ther-
mography. The infrared camera itself has gone through an explosive development
and we can say that today, the 8th generation of thermographic systems is available.
It all began in 1964, more than 40 years ago. The technique is now established
throughout the whole world. Industrialized countries as well as developing countries
have adopted this technique.
Thermography, in conjunction with vibration analysis, has over the latest decades
been the main method for fault diagnostics in the industry as a part of the preventive
maintenance program. The great advantage with these methods is that it is not only
possible to carry out the inspection on installations in operation; normal working
condition is in fact a prerequisite for a correct measurement result, so the ongoing
production process is not disturbed. Thermographic inspection of electrical installations
are used in three main areas:
■ Power generation
■ Power transmission
■ Power distribution, that is, industrial use of electrical energy.
The fact that these controls are carried out under normal operation conditions has
created a natural division between these groups. The power generation companies
measure during the periods of high load. These periods vary from country to country
92 Publ. No. T559580 Rev. a486 – ENGLISH (EN) – November 17, 2010
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