NDT (^) ⠿
MARINE MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL | APRIL 2016 ⠿ 05
Find
the hot
spots
A
s with digital cameras, infrared
thermography equipment has
benefited from an explosion of
technology and innovation. Basic
cameras offering low-resolution images
initially cost upward of US$20,000 and were
bulky and relatively difficult to operate.
Now models at the ‘point and shoot’ end
of the market are available as smartphone
attachments for as little as US$250, while the
basic maintenance toolbox thermal cameras
start in the low thousands.
Despite the availability of equipment,
the old saying ‘all the gear but no idea’ still
applies. Professional training is vital to an
understanding of the results of thermal images.
Many ships may have high-end cameras on
board, but the crew who were initially trained
to use them may have moved on, and cameras
can be found gathering dust.Where to look
The terms ‘thermal imaging’ and ‘infrared
thermography’ tend to be used interchangeably,
but thermography is a precise discipline.
Anyone can buy a mass-market item and spot
the hot air coming from a ship’s funnel, but
recognizing that an electric motor housing is
running a temperature is another matter. A 10%
increase in motor housing temperature is the
electrical equivalent of influenza, and equates to
a halving of the motor’s expected life, so use of
imaging in a preventive maintenance regime can
easily pay for itself with the first critical find.Regular inspections
Infrared thermography inspections are
endorsed in class maintenance inspections
and best done at sea or when commissioning
equipment with systems under at least
40% load.Analysis of the heat output of electrical and
mechanical components has developed rapidly
over 20 years as infrared sensors and equipment
have become cheaper and more sophisticated
Mike Garside, Marine Maintenance Technology International