Enhancing Safety in Industrial Electrical Maintenance

TIME IS money for busy plant managers and one technology that’s transforming the landscape is thermal imaging. By allowing engineers to "see" heat, lightweight and easy-to-use handheld cameras help diagnose problems quickly and accurately, offering significant downtime and cost savings.

Traditional diagnostic methods often involve trial and error, manual inspections, or taking apart systems to find the root cause of a problem. This process is time-consuming and can involve a significant amount of guesswork. 

One company already reaping the benefits is Mtex Solutions and their ongoing work at Amazon Filters, a major industrial site in Surrey, where they’re responsible for three-phase electrical installations, regularly upgrading the site’s power supply as new machines are brought in and handling general maintenance tasks.

They first used it when the facility’s power supply was being upgraded from 200 amps to 400 amps. Thermal imaging played a crucial role in gauging the temperature of cables during this upgrade, particularly those running at high capacity - and continued monitoring helped ensure that everything remained safe and efficient.

It was also particularly useful in quickly pinpointing overheating connections, such as an MCB (miniature circuit breaker) that was running hotter than expected. By catching these issues early, the camera adds a layer of preventive maintenance that enhances overall safety and performance. 

By regularly scanning machines at Amazon Filters, Mtek can also monitor component temperatures and assess whether preventive action is required, ensuring the longevity of expensive equipment.

But imagine being able to work even faster and more efficiently – with ultra smart detection built in as standard and specialized inspection tools providing a more accessible, affordable and intuitive solution. Highly intelligent algorithmic functions are reshaping safe, automated and accurate inspection experience across all types of industrial applications – turning advanced diagnostics into actionable insights for first time users and seasoned plant professionals alike.

An AI-driven innovation now automatically identifies problematic water leaks by analysing sound frequency, intensity, and spatial characteristics to pinpoint the exact leak point. Traditional acoustic leak detectors require trained professionals to interpret audio feedback and distinguish between normal pipe noises and potential leaks; however this algorithm automatically isolates the relevant noise patterns, making the detection process fast and straightforward and allowing even first-time users to achieve professional-level results with minimal training. 

When it comes to identifying air leaks, heat loss and moisture damage there is also a bespoke deep learning algorithm designed to simplify the inspection process and make it faster. It focuses on a vast collection of thermal images representing typical issues such as insufficient insulation and water leakage. This enables the software to quickly and accurately identify potential insulation deficiencies and suspicious water leaks during Infrared (IR) inspections, which immediately makes it the essential smart scene recognition assistant for newcomers to thermal imaging equipment. 

For more experienced, professional users there is enhanced functionality, whereby an intuitive colour algorithm works with additional tools like hygrometers to analyse and alarm thermal images based on temperature and humidity data. During IR inspections, this helps quickly pinpoint potential insulation defects (marked with a blue alarm) and suspicious moisture issues (marked with a green alarm) – to tangibly boost efficiency, accuracy and clarity of image. 

What’s more, automated risk detection for electrical panel inspection and PCB safety is now a reality, simplifying workflows via built-in algorithms that identify temperature measurement targets in specific scenarios and determine if anomalies exist. This reduces the complexity of plant operations to improve inspection safety and result reliability, while also reducing downtime risks and optimising equipment lifecycle management efficiency.

In electrical panel inspection, image recognition and Delta T (ΔT) algorithms are combined to accurately locate overloaded/degraded fuses through absolute temperature alarms and relative difference warnings. Micro-temperature sensing can also detect thermal differences as low as 0.5°C, flagging potential hazards before they escalate. 

For PCB inspection, pre-configured templates plus AI calibration can batch screen high-density boards to identify short circuits, cold joints and overloads. What’s more, by automating zone analysis and leveraging thermal conduction models, the calibration time of new PCBs is reduced from more than 30 minutes to less than 5 minutes. 

These latest innovations represent a giant leap forward in making thermal imaging even more intuitive, intelligent and inclusive – bringing absolute precision and consistency to tasks that once demanded extensive time and expertise. Whether you’re looking to optimise plant electrics, track down a problematic water leak or safeguard an industrial system, breakthrough AI-driven functionality now make every inspection smarter, every decision faster and every outcome more reliable. 

For more information:

www.hikmicrotech.com/en/industrial/

Tel: +44 2035140092