Electrical Equipment Reliability with Ultrasound & Infrared

Ultrasound and infrared technologies are a perfect match when conducting inspections of electrical equipment.

At any voltage, thermal anomalies and sources of ultrasound such as tracking and arcing can occur. Corona can also occur at 1000 volts and greater. Any of these conditions threaten the reliability of the equipment being inspected.

Typical electrical components that can be inspected with ultrasound and infrared include switchgear, load interrupter switches, breakers, transformers, motor control centers, and terminal transition cabinets. This paper will provide information on how using both infrared and ultrasound together for electrical inspections can allow for more problems to be found sooner, and will also discuss how safety is increased when using ultrasound to scan enclosed electrical gear prior to opening for further inspection.

As a further complement to infrared inspections and to aid in the proper diagnosis of the condition heard recorded ultrasound examples will be shown in both FFT and Time Wave Form from a spectrum analysis software to show how to properly diagnose electrical anomalies. This form of analysis is referred to as ultrasound imaging.