Custom infrared windows

The electrical system can be shut down so that an electrician, in full PPE, can remove the panel and inspect components. The drawback, says IRISS, is that this only allows faulty components such as terminals to be identified. As the system isn’t under load there is no possibility of assessing, for example, the heat rise in a bus bar.  

An alternative solution, used for example by many in the nuclear engineering industry, is predictive maintenance using the combination of thermal imaging and IRISS polymer infrared windows. The windows provide data collection points that keep the thermographer safe while allowing him or her to inspect the fully energised system and obtain both quantitative and qualitative information.

Made from a patented polymer, the CAP Series of windows from IRISS allows the size of the window to match the application. For example, a CAP window can be specified to allow a thermal camera to image a bus bar or multiple components in a single pass.