Exertherm Thermal Monitoring Systems
The Problem
The most common cause of unplanned outages & Arc Flash incidents is bad connections on both copper and bus bar joints (where it can result in arc flash/explosion etc).
It can also occur on cable connections, where fire is a major result. In both instances the resultant downtime and ancillary damage can be extensive & highly expensive.
Current Technology Solution
Originally inspections utilised an engineers hand to guage the temperature of the panel. Now periodic thermal imaging using Infrared cameras has, over the last two decades, become the accepted "Best Practise".
However, there are a number of key problems that this solution does not overcome: for example inspection frequency, external inspection, cost implications & poor integration.
Inspection Frequency
<1% of Available Time
Annual periodic thermal imaging can only inspect the cabinet less than 1% of the available time. To only inspect your most critical utility 1 day out of 365 leaves a huge amount to "luck".
External Inspection
Internal Problems with External Inspections
The "problem" is on the joints which are INSIDE the enclosure. The inspection is conducted on the OUTSIDE of the enclosure, and then "correlated" to what that means on the inside.
Cost Implications
High Cost for Ineffective Solution
Thermal windows can be expensive & can reduce the integrity of the panel: even the best still obscures 30% IR transmission, providing only a limited view. If joints are in horizontal formation to window, it is only possible to see the front joint; this solution still does not overcome a 1 day out of 365 reliance on luck.
Poor Integration
Periodic not Real-Time
The IR inspection reports are not "real-time", cannot be integrated into the BMS or EMS & cannot be viewed remotely etc. i.e. they are not an integrated part of the management system.
The Solution
24x7 Thermal Monitoring - IR Inside the panel
The Next Technology Step
The Exertherm IR sensor is small, non-contact, self-powered & has housing manufactured from non-conductive materials.
IR sensor is placed inside the enclosure to directly and continuously monitor each critical joint. This overcomes all key problems evident in current technology solutions.
Exertherm IR sensors have lifetime warranty & calibration. No other IR sensor can provide this, as all other IR sensors require power.
In addition, the IR sensor provides a Delta T (rise over ambient) reading. This eliminates variances in panel to panel, or site to site comparison, and is the accepted method of temperature measurement internationally.
"Exertherm provides a solution which eliminates the risks associated with opening panels"
All sensors connect back to data acquisition cards, which linearise, condition & convert signal to Modbus protocol. These are inter-connected, using standard 485 cable to form a network.This enables simple and easy integration into any existing host BMS, EMS, or SCADA system. In the event a stand-alone system is required with just common alarm to BMS, this can be provided & is fully web enabled to provide both local & remote view via LAN / WAN.
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Thermal Monitoring Systems
