EWEB Home > For your business > Energy Saving > Useful resources > Efficiency by Design

Infrared Thermography Gives You a New Set of Eyes
It's not quite x-ray vision, but infrared thermography can identify problems that are invisible to the unaided eye.

A loose connection or a crimped wire impedes the flow of electricity and releases heat. Motor bearings get hotter as they start to fail. A roof leak makes some areas cooler than others. By showing the difference in temperature between nearby areas, infrared thermography reveals these and other problems before costly repairs are needed.

Using high quality thermal imaging equipment, Eugene Water & Electric Board regularly inspects its transmission and distribution system for loose connections, weak components and overloaded conductors. Using the same equipment and skills, EWEB staff can provide infrared thermography services for you.

The thrust bearing (left) on this pump coupler is worn and will fail soon.

The connections to this transformer need repair.

This fuse connection shows excessive heating and should be replaced.

Have you ever had a failure of an electrical connection in your facility that caused unplanned downtime? Do you want to include infrared inspection in your predictive maintenance program, but don't want to spring for the expense of a camera? Do you have thermal processes you'd like to inspect for losses or leaks? If you answered "yes" to these questions, EWEB's infrared thermography services can help you.

A variety of services are available, including simple thermal scans of equipment, full maintenance surveys with customized reporting, infrared videotaping and trending. Ultrasonic and corona detection equipment compliment the infrared capabilities. You can hire these services on an hourly or daily basis.

EWEB's thermal imaging equipment includes a focal plane array thermal camera, digital still and video cameras, video editing equipment, and analysis and reporting software. You can receive reports on paper or electronic media, videotapes of the infrared survey, or the output can be customized to your needs.

For information about EWEB's infrared and other diagnostic services, call us at 484-1125.