Mission control: thermography moves forward
September 16th 2005

Adding SCADA capability to its range of IR sensors sees QHi Systems enter the industrial continuous monitoring market.

QHi says its ExerTherm technology enables true predictive maintenance of mission critical plant. Originally developed for switchgear, the plastic-bodied sensors require no power, meaning they can be placed inside an enclosure to continuously monitor plant components without requiring recalibration. Standard IR thermography methods only provide an indication of components immediately adjacent to the panel, meaning vital equipment is unchecked between inspections, according to QHi MD, Ross Kennedy.

“Preventative maintenance using [standard] thermal imaging is no longer good enough,” says Kennedy. “There is an increasing requirement across the industry for continuous, predictive monitoring of critical equipment. If it’s going to shut the building down or halt production, it demands truly continuous monitoring – and now it can be done.”

Used by NASA in its shuttle programme, the technology is also used in Eurotunnel’s fire detection system. Eurotunnel’s specification was that it must offer a minimum of 15 years between maintenance. Kennedy claims the sensors have a MTBF (mean time before failure) of 1000 years.

The company now seeks global distribution partners.

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