Electrical Infrared Inspection Requirements

Infrared thermography is used to perform pd pm inspections on electrical equipment because excess heat is usually the first sign of trouble on electrical or mechanical apparatus.

Electrical infrared inspection requirements.

Nfpa 70b declares a well administered electrical preventative maintenance safety program will reduce accidents save lives and minimize costly break downs and unplanned shutdowns of production equipment 70b further recommends routine infrared safety inspections of energized electrical systems. Before an electrical component burns up it heats up. The use of infrared scanning to detect early indications of system failure is a preemptive measure that can minimize equipment breakdown and downtime. Infrared scanning of electrical components and systems should be part of any preventative maintenance program and performed on a routine basis.

Standard for infrared inspection of electrical systems rotating equipment foreword this standard outlines the procedures and documentation requirements for conducting infrared inspections of electrical systems and rotating equipment. Routine infrared inspections of energized electrical systems should be performed annually prior to shut down. This standard covers an application which is both art and science. The infrared electrical systems survey is typically conducted on an annual basis as part of a regular preventive maintenance program.

The infrared electrical testing allows for inspection of a large amount of electrical equipment in a short time as opposed to the alternative method of physically inspecting and tightening electrical components. More frequent infrared inspections for example quarterly or semiannually should be performed where warranted by loss experience installation of new electrical equipment or changes in environmental operational or load conditions. Figure 1 is an old style liquid nitrogen cooled two piece infrared camera system that weighed in excess of 60 pounds. If you are performing infrared electrical inspections and you are not following these osha adopted standards you need to familiarize yourself with them and comply.

Systems and equipment covered are typical of those installed in industrial plants institutional and commercial buildings and large multifamily. Presently nfpa 70e serves as a written safety standard for the inspection of energized electrical distribution systems. While some of the requirements are redundant to osha s 1910 nfpa 70e is more comprehensive. Since thermography is solely inspection and not maintenance part iii is not applicable for infrared inspections.