Preventive maintenance is not just a matter of
organisation: it also requires knowledge and the efficient handling of
gathered information. A suitable thermal imaging camera helps in both of
these areas, with an impact which makes itself abundantly clear in the
cost-benefit analysis.
Eaton Electrical’s Field Service Department operates
from the Netherlands. An autonomous profit centre, which also has
external customers, the department inspects all of the Eaton Group’s
European sites. This means that all the electrical installations at all
twenty-six production sites from Poland to Portugal receive a thorough
annual inspection with the thermal imaging camera. Naturally, a careful
look-out is kept for hot spots and other developments in cables and
switches during these tours of inspection. But how is this information
gathered and processed? How is the thermographic information classified,
assessed and presented?
Peter Koelewijn is Field Service Supervisor and
chief thermographer at Eaton. In this function, he visits all the Eaton
Group’s sites every year. With his FLIR Systems ThermaCAM™ P65 thermal
imaging camera at the ready, he inspects all low- and medium-voltage
installations at the sites. Peter Koelewijn has a couple of
rules-of-thumb which help ensure that the inspections go smoothly: “I
set the emission value carefully. I don’t make much use of the
autofocus, because I can adjust the settings faster manually, but I do
attach importance to a precise setting for the range. I make important
comments directly into the headset.”
The images and data stored locally in the camera are
then loaded into the computer and, using the FLIR Systems Reporter
software, introduced into a report and subjected to further analysis. It
goes without saying that interpreting the infrared images requires a
thorough knowledge of the inspected installations. And although the
results of these inspections are in fact only recommendations, it is
advisable for local maintenance managers to follow the advice given by
the thermographer. “You can only draw conclusions on the basis of
experience and a thorough understanding of both the camera and the
installations you inspect” says Peter Koelewijn. “Of course, it’s also
important to have the reports of the previous years within reach,” he
adds.
150 KV station, visual and thermal images
Classification and savings
At Eaton, the inspection results are classified
according to a four-level fault rating system: a “minor problem” can be
sorted out during the regular maintenance rounds by one of the group’s
50 preventive maintenance employees. At the opposite end of the scale
are “critical problems”, which require immediate intervention and also
involve an additional thermographic inspection on site straight after
the repair work. The levels in between, “serious problem” and
“intermediate problem”, require repairs within one to two days and two
weeks of the inspection respectively.
The report, consisting of a visual and an infrared
photo of the scanned object, a temperature curve, basic thermographic
data and a commentary, is then sent to the local maintenance managers
and archived at the Service Department at Eaton Electrical for
subsequent use.
This precise classification into levels of urgency,
detailed reporting per scanned object and regular inspecting saves the
Eaton Group some 250,000 dollars a year in Europe alone.
Busbar rail system in production hall
A customer-friendly camera
So is the man with the all-seeing thermal imaging
camera actually welcome at Eaton sites? “Yes, absolutely,” laughs Peter
Koelewijn. “The visual aspect of the inspection, which this camera
provides in both its daylight and infrared modes, represents significant
added value. Another positive feature is that, thanks to the large
detachable LCD screen on the ThermaCAM P65, the local manager can follow
the measurements. A user-friendly, versatile camera is fine, but a
customer-friendly camera is obviously an additional benefit. And if we
point it upwards for a moment, we can even tell the maintenance people
which of the fluorescent lamps on their premises need replacing.”
