Howard John from Siemens Industry Automation looks at electrical equipment temperature monitoring, and how a fresh approach based on the concept of continuous monitoring could help organisations tackle risk and energy management issues going forward.

For many companies and organisations that require a high degree of power resilience, any problems that occur with a power distribution system through mission critical electrical equipment can be catastrophic.  Whether it’s a hospital, a production plant or a computer data centre totally reliant upon a computer system to drive their business, mitigating the risk associated with essential electrical equipment is paramount.  Disruption to such equipment can close down wards, halt manufacturing processes, and even stop a business performing.  Keeping a close eye on the performance of critical equipment should be top of the risk management agenda.

The traditional method of monitoring for potential problems, which are often forewarned by rises in temperature in items such as cabling or switches, is to spot monitor the system periodically via thermal imaging techniques – usually once or twice a year – to check for warning signs that a problem may occur in the system.  Putting aside the infrequent nature of such a monitoring regime, this approach can often throw up other obstacles such as inaccessibility to areas in a system that need measuring, as well as the ongoing cost associated with organising such imaging projects.  For instance, it may have to take place out of business hours, or involve closing down production, or shutting up shop for a period.

At the end of this potentially costly and disruptive exercise, the system has been monitored and the results recorded to be acted upon, or not, depending on the outcome. However, it is very much a snapshot in time that may well not tell the whole story.  With the next thermal imaging monitoring task not scheduled for possibly another six months, the risk management team could potentially miss vital information or warning signs that could erupt into a real problem within days or weeks of the last recorded evidence. 

Likewise, the information gathered is often one dimensional and does not really present a full picture that would be helpful to management.  For instance, would it not be extremely helpful to be in a position to also gather data from the electrical system that looks at vital areas such as energy consumption, so that informed and intelligent decisions can be made around the overall performance of the critical electrical equipment in place.  At a time where energy monitoring, management and consumption levels are at the very top of every business agenda, is this a trick that is being missed?

So what is the way forward?  I believe it lies in a new approach to monitoring and one that moves away from the standard one off, static check made periodically and instead towards one based on continuous assessment – an possibility that  today’s technology advances can offer to organisations.  Just think of the twin benefits to be gained from a 24/7 critical electrical equipment monitoring procedure, which would not only support the ideal scenario of predictive maintenance with potential risks to the system highlighted speedily, but also provide, for instance,  additional intelligence on energy consumption levels measured over set periods, which would allow management to analyse information and help them take decisions based on the back of real data gathered in real time. 

What about the financial implications of a continuous approach in terms of payback?  Well, there is real benefit here also.  With the cost of an intermittent spot thermal imaging procedure costing upwards of £2,500 per occasion, the installation of a continuous monitoring system will provide a return on investment that will pay back its cost within a couple of years.  The cost benefit doesn’t end there.  Leading insurance firms have indicated that companies who embark on a continuous critical electrical equipment monitoring system as a strategic approach to its risk management could benefit from lower insurance premiums based upon the technology installed to monitor their potential electrical equipment risks every day, as opposed to one based on an infrequent periodic  programme.

The technology needed to provide this kind of 24/7 thermal image monitoring is available and is designed to detect and identify the exact location of a potential problem long before the actual failure.

In contrast to traditional thermal imaging that is carried out outside the enclosure and can only be used for terminations and components immediately adjacent and with direct line of sight to the panel surface, new technology uses patented, small, non contact IR sensors.  They can be placed inside the enclosure to directly thermally monitor any component in any location, and they monitor continuously, 365 days a year.  Generally, the IR sensors are utilised to monitor critical busbar terminations (ACB’s, switches, busbar joint connections), with cable sensors used to monitor critical cable terminations. New technology allows closer direct monitoring of critical inaccessible points within a switchboard system, where an IR device would be too big and would provide inconclusive outputs.

Such an approach will help in areas where access is limited or non existent as it will not rely upon lines of sight for the thermal imaging to be undertaken.  Each sensor has two alarm levels which trigger in the event the temperature of any monitored component exceeds pre-set limits. These can be linked to any host system and provide ample warning, via SMS if required, of potential problems.

With thermal inspection recognised as the best method of detecting poor terminations which in turn is the most common cause of power outages, moving towards continuous thermal monitoring for mission critical systems should be actively considered by businesses and organisations with a lot to lose through electrical component failure or disruption.

The additional benefits of potential energy management data collection are also easily added to such ongoing risk management monitoring systems to enhance the management information available for key decision making.  High levels of network capability can be added to the build management and a monitoring system delivered that can not only offers peace of mind through mitigating the risks associated with running critical electrical equipment, but takes system intelligence to another level by potentially providing the energy management information that is deemed to be essential as we move into an era of higher energy costs for everyone.   


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