Preventive maintenance is the process of routine inspection and upkeep of equipment to avert failures by identifying issues before they escalate. Unlike other methods, preventive maintenance incorporates real-world insights to foresee and prevent equipment failures and malfunctions. It’s used to ensure the equipment’s longevity and reliability. On the other hand, predictive maintenance is a proactive approach that involves monitoring the condition and performance of equipment to predict when maintenance should be done. This helps in preventing equipment failures, minimising downtime, and optimising maintenance schedules by addressing the issues before they occur.
Thermal imaging technology offers a non-invasive way to detect and diagnose potential faults within building infrastructure and machinery. Thermal imaging plays a crucial role in both preventive and predictive maintenance by providing detailed information about the thermal performance of the equipment. This helps in detecting issues at an early stage, predicting failures, and optimising maintenance activities.
In this blog, let’s understand what thermal imaging is, the mechanics of thermal imaging cameras, and how they benefit preventive and predictive maintenance.
What is Thermal Imaging?
Thermal imaging uses infrared radiation to visually represent temperature disparities within different areas. Elevated temperatures can indicate potential issues such as overheating or electrical malfunctions, while cold spots may reveal areas of insufficient insulation or failing components, enabling proactive maintenance and troubleshooting in various fields such as electrical, mechanical, and building inspections. It assigns different colours to various temperatures, offering a non-invasive approach to examining crucial components otherwise inaccessible for a conventional temperature assessment. It provides real-time monitoring of systems, machines, and infrastructure, allowing a proactive maintenance strategy.
The process of thermal imaging involves the use of an infrared camera known as a thermal imager, which captures the intensity of IR radiation and converts it into an image called a thermogram. Various colours represent different temperature regions – warmer areas appear in red and yellow, while cooler areas are indicated in blue and purple.
How Does Thermal Imaging Work in Predictive Maintenance?
Thermal imaging is a crucial tool in modern predictive maintenance techniques. It operates on the principle that mechanical and electrical systems under stress or malfunction typically exhibit abnormal heat patterns before the failure becomes apparent. Thermal imaging in predictive maintenance ensures equipment longevity, enhanced safety, and optimised operational efficiency through monitoring temperature profiles.
The thermal imaging camera converts radiation to electrical signals, which are then processed into colour-coded thermographic images. This image visually describes the temperature variations. The regular thermal imaging routine helps establish a normal operating temperature for various components.
The real-time data provided by thermal imaging helps the team make repairs and replacements on time, thereby avoiding unplanned downtime and production losses. This helps in increasing the performance and lifespan of the equipment. Since the inspections can be done in a non-invasive manner, there is absolutely no need to shut down the equipment. This enables uninterrupted productivity while ensuring comprehensive monitoring of the equipment.
Pinpointing when and where the equipment needs to be maintained reduces the frequency of checking. Moreover, early detection of faults and potential issues can minimise the repair cost.
Thermal Imaging in Preventive Maintenance
As much as thermal imaging has become an integral part of predictive maintenance, it also plays an important role in preventive maintenance. In preventive maintenance, thermal imaging is used to regularly inspect machinery and systems to detect issues before they cause failures.
This is based on capturing thermal images to identify abnormalities in the temperature patterns that might indicate underlying problems. These cameras capture the infrared radiation emitted and convert it into electrical signals that, in turn, are used to create thermal images.
By detecting abnormal temperature regions early, thermal imaging helps the maintenance teams identify potential issues before they become serious problems, thereby ensuring the equipment’s reliability, efficiency, and longevity. Integrating thermal imaging into preventive maintenance can enhance the ability to maintain optimal operation conditions and prevent unexpected failures.
Having explained the utility of thermal imaging for maintenance, it is important to understand the desirable features of an ideal thermal imaging device.
Ideal Thermal Imaging Devices
A wide range of choices are available when it comes to thermal imaging devices. The ideal selection is based on the intended scope of use, the environment of operation, and the preferred infographics. Also, thermal sensitivity and resolution should be taken into consideration while choosing the device.
The clarity of the device directly correlates with the resolution, determined by the pixel count. Each pixel carries specific thermal data, which means that a higher number of pixels yields sharper images. The key attributes to be kept in mind while selecting the optimal imaging device include high resolution, sensitivity, the ability to adjust focus, the wide temperature range that can be accommodated, and software integration. Ease of use, connectivity, and portability also enhance the device’s utility.
Benefits of Thermal Imaging as a Tool for Predictive and Preventive Maintenance
With a range of compelling advantages that significantly enhance industrial operations, thermal imaging plays a crucial role in both preventive and predictive maintenance. From cost reduction to safety enhancement, its uses impact every vertical. The major benefits include:
- Conduct non-invasive examinations: Since the need to shut down equipment during an inspection is eliminated through non-intrusive examinations, it helps reduce downtime and minimise operational disruptions. Also, quicker inspections enable covering more areas.
- Early detection of potential failure: The ability of thermal imaging to detect early signs of deterioration and malfunctions before they become severe, helps avoid unexpected breakdowns.
- Find hidden defects: As thermal imaging cameras use infrared radiation to detect potential risks, they help find risks invisible to the naked eye.
- Detect leaks: Though thermal imaging cameras can’t directly identify moisture or mould, using one with a moisture gauge can help detect leaks.
- Improve energy efficiency: The areas of energy loss are easily detected by thermal imaging cameras. These areas include poorly insulated walls, air leaks, or inadequate piping insulation. Identifying these areas of thermal irregularities can, in turn, improve energy efficiency and reduce utility costs.
- Enhanced safety: By preventing equipment failures, thermal imaging improves workplace safety. Early detection of thermal discrepancies will avert hazards caused by overheating.
- Extended Lifespan: Preventive maintenance based on thermal imaging findings helps in maintaining equipment in optimal condition, which can extend the operational life of equipment.
- Resource allocation: Better planning and prioritisation of maintenance tasks based on the severity of the issues detected leads to more efficient resource allocation.
Return on Investment in Cost Savings
According to the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), proper implementation of preventive and predictive maintenance can result in 30-40% savings. Investing in thermal cameras for predictive maintenance is a strategic decision that offers a significant return on investment (ROI) and long-term cost savings.
It also reduces maintenance costs by 25-30%, eliminates equipment breakdowns by 70-75%, decreases operational downtime by 35-45%, and raises production efficiency by 30-25%.
Integrating all the maintenance technologies within the same digital platform can give optimal results. This provides a unified view of equipment lists, historical data, reports, and work orders. This integration allows a complete condition assessment of all assets, allowing for more informed decisions with the combined data.
Applications of Thermal Imaging Cameras
With the help of infrared technology, thermal imaging cameras have changed how industries approach maintenance, safety, and efficiency challenges. Beyond troubleshooting tools, these cameras find applications across various fields. Some of the major applications are:
- Track and measure the temperatures of machinery and equipment.
- Detect areas of excessive heat within electronic devices.
- Discover leaks in the large vessels.
- Detect high-voltage electrical circuits with improper connections.
- Spot faulty insulation in the processing pipelines or insulated systems.
- Identify overloaded circuit breakers within a power distribution panel.
- Locate fuses operating close to/at their maximum rate.
- Identify issues within electrical switching equipment.
- Record the process’s temperature readings.
- Conduct energy audits and building inspections.
Infrared Thermography by Ocean-ME
Predicting and preventing equipment failure is a critical necessity, as it can result in significant damage to businesses, safety risks to individuals, and threats to public property. Thermal imaging technology transforms industries by enhancing safety and promoting cost-efficient practices. Thermal imaging devices work on the simple principle that high temperatures often indicate an emerging issue, while cold spots may signal a component’s failure.
OceanME’s Infrared Thermography Services specialise in delivering top-tier thermography solutions across various industries to ensure optimal performance and safety. As a leading engineering company in Oman, we offer comprehensive condition monitoring services like vibration analysis, laser shaft alignment, ultrasound analysis, partial discharge testing, and more. Safeguard your machinery’s operational efficiency by partnering with OceanME!