Interesting Cases

 

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Waiting for the Elevator:  
Many Thermographers/IR Engineers do not check elevator equipment because it's generally handled by specialized elevator technicians. Elevator techs, however, don't typically do IR inspections.

 

Our engineer was conducting an inspection at the Raleigh, NC branch of a major hotel chain, and because it’s our policy to do as complete an inspection as possible, he went to the roof and opened the elevator cabinet.

 

Most electrical problems show up only when the equipment is in operation/under load, so he waited for the elevator to actually run.  During the cycles of elevator operation, it was clear that there was a bad/broken strand in the stranded wire bundle. This showed as a “barber pole” heat signature following the curve of the broken strand within the wire.


Even with the intermittant use at that time, the wire temperature rose 85 degrees to 120 degrees in approximately 10 seconds.  With sustained use of the elevator during busier hours, the temperature could continue to rise higher, quite possibly resulting in a failure.


An unplanned shut down of the elevator could be unpleasant to guests at best. Detecting the problem at this stage allowed for a planned shut down during slower hours and avoided inconvenience to the guests, not to mention the possible stigma of having an elevator failure.

 

 

Thermal Image reveals Barber Pole heat signature in electrical wiring

 

 


 

Hatchery Power
An inspection of a hatchery facility for a major poultry processing company revealed eight problems, three of which were critical. The pictures below show one of the critical problems.

 

In the main feed to the building, the line side C phase fuse clip was at 307 F.  It’s difficult to identify the exact cause, or causes of this problem – exposure to varying weather/temperatures outside, fluctuating loads, etc. – but once flaws develop, they will only get worse. 

It was necessary to disconnect from the power companies side to correct this issue. If it had failed the entire hatchery would have lost power. 

 

Thermography shows critical heat problem in main feed fuse clip

 

 

Recent Projects:

Brief summaries of some of the projects we have recently completed.

Shows the wide range of businesses that benefit from infrared inspections.


Interesting Cases:

More detailed descriptions of some of the problems we have found.

These also serve as case studies in how a good thermographer/field

engineer works.  

Download:

* Electrical Inspection Flyer
* Sample Report Pages
* Roof Inspection Flyer