Improving Predictive Maintenance Through Infrared Thermography

By Author: SamJacob Thomas
Total Articles: 40
Comment this article

Predictive maintenance (PdM) attempts to assess the equipment condition by performing continuous (online) or periodic equipment monitoring. The eventual goal of PdM is maintenance performance, at a predetermined point in time when the maintenance activity is most economical, and before the equipment loses its performance within a limit.

Integrating Thermography into PdM

Heat is often, an early sign of equipment wear and tear or failure, making it a vital monitored performance criteria in PdM programs.

Thermography is becoming one of the hottest (pun intended) predictive maintenance technologies available. An infrared camera (also known as a thermal imager) can quickly measure and evaluate heat signatures for each of the equipments on the inspection route, without upsetting any operations.

It thus provides, huge returns ...
... to companies by reducing downtime, improving reliability of processes, reducing spend on equipment repairs and reactive maintenance and, extending the life duration of a machine and improving the personnel safety.

For top results, all maintenance technologies should be integrated onto the same computer, so that they have access to the same lists of equipments, histories, work orders and reports.

Inspection Process

• It begins by making use of existing equipments lists from a computer managed maintenance system (CMMS) or any other inventory tool
• Equipments that aren't befitting for infrared measurement are eliminated
• Maintenance and production archives are evaluated
• Grouping of critical equipments is done on the basis of function or area, onto a database or spreadsheet
• Thermal imagers are used to click baseline images of critical equipments
• Real-time images may be recorded and analyzed to determine the condition of the equipment or product

To click the finest of images:

• Verify that the target system is functioning at a minimum 40 % load, as lighter weights don't tend to produce much thermal energy, thus making detection of problems difficult
• Come in close proximity to the target and restrain from shooting through doors (especially glass)
• If safety procedures permit, electrical enclosed areas must be left open or infrared windows must be used
• Account for air currents, winds and air temperatures

Applications

• The above integrated technology, monitors and measures bearing temperatures in large motors or other rotating equipments
• It identifies "hot spots" in electronic equipments
• It identifies sealed vessels’ leaks
• It also finds faulty insulation in process pipes or other insulated processes

It is quite indicative from the above mentioned facts, that PdM programs may be used in a host of sectors like manufacturing, utilities, service companies, electrical contracting, etc. They, along with an incredibly versatile infrared thermography, just need to be in sync with ever-evolving industries.