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application story

Failure Cause and EffectThe risk of blackouts and brownouts areincreasing on the power distributiongrid due to aging infrastructure, and alack of automation systems that monitorthe condition of critical equipment atsubstations and elsewhere on the grid.

For example, transformer fluid leaks or internalinsulation breakdown cause overheatingthat leads to failures, but many utilities donthave automated thermal detection systemsthat reveal these problems.

Whatever the cause, a critical substationfailure may cascade into series of failures. Theresult can be a massive failure of banking

facilities, security systems, manufacturingplants, food refrigeration, communicationnetworks, and traffic control systems. Ofcourse, an electric utility involved canlose huge amounts of revenue and incurenormous costs in getting their systems upand running again.

Thermal imaging cameras help to savemoneyThermal imaging technology can improvethe reliability and security of electricsubstations. Although electric utilities havefor many years used handheld thermal

imaging cameras to monitor substationequipment, quite some are now turningto permanently installed thermal imaging

Thermal imaging cameras forsubstation monitoring

Electric power utilities are faced with an aging infrastructure, increasing risk of blackoutsand brownouts. A brownout is a drop in voltage in an electrical power supply, so named

because it typically causes lights to dim. Utilities also face costly unplanned maintenance

and rising costs.

Utilities are looking for ways to address these issues in order to improve the reliability of

electric power delivery while at the same time reducing costs.

By using FLIR thermal imaging cameras and automation software, impending equipment

failures and security breaches can be detected anytime, day or night, at a remote monitoring

location. The net effect is increased reliability and reduced cost.

camera systems. Through the use ofautomated thermal imaging cameras andinnovative software, FLIR and its partnershave developed monitoring systemsthat provide early warning of impendingequipment failures.

These systems employ advanced sensing andmeasurement technology, control methods,and digital communications. They are ableto anticipate, detect, and respond rapidly toproblems, thereby reducing maintenance

High voltage electrical installations tend to heat up beforethey fail. By monitoring HV-equipment continuously withthermal imaging cameras costly breakdowns can beavoided.

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For more information about thermal imaging

cameras or about this application,

please contact:

FLIR Commercial Systems B.V.Charles Petitweg 214847 NW Breda - NetherlandsPhone : +31 (0) 765 79 41 94Fax : +31 (0) 765 79 41 99e-mail : flir@flir.comwww.flir.com

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uk}_A

costs, the chance of failure, a blackout, andlost productivity.

Just one example: one large utility discovereda hot bushing rod in a substation transformer

and repaired it at a cost of only 12,000. Asimilar problem that occurred before thefirm instituted its thermal imaging programresulted in a catastrophic failure that costmore than 2,250,000.

A few substation components whosethermal signatures are precursors to failureinclude:- Power transformers (oil levels and pump

operation)- Load tap changers (oil levels, other internal

problems)- Insulator bushings (oil levels and bad

connections)- Standoff insulators (moisture,

contamination, degradation)- Lightning arrestors (degradation of metal

oxide disks)- Circuit breakers (oil or SF6 leakage)- Mechanical disconnects (bad connections,

contamination)- Control cabinets (wear and tear on fans,

pumps, and other components)- Batteries

Detection of temperature increases in thesecomponents with thermal imaging camerasallows preventive maintenance operationsbefore an unplanned outage occurs due tooutright failure.

Principles of thermal imagingThe first principle of thermal imaging ismany components heat up before they fail.

Second, all objects emit thermal radiation inthe infrared spectrum that is not seen by thehuman eye.

Third, thermal imaging cameras convertthat radiation to crisp images from whichtemperatures can be read. This non-contacttemperature data can be displayed on amonitor in real time, and can also be sent toa digital storage device for analysis.

Thermal imaging cameras do not require lightto produce images, and can see hot spots

well before excessive heat or loss of insulationleads to failure. They can be mounted in all-weather housings and placed on pan/tiltdrive mechanisms to survey large areas ofa substation. Due to FLIR's wide selection oflenses with different focal lengths. Therefore,they support 24/7 monitoring in all types ofweather and locations.

FLIR thermal imaging cameras recognizedifferences in the heat signatures ofelectrical components and the surroundingbackground (such as the sky or clouds), and

can compare the temperatures of similarcomponents in close proximity to oneanother. Built-in logic, memory, and datacommunications allow them to comparethe temperatures in their images with user-defined settings, and send that data to acentral monitoring station for trend analysis,

triggering alarms, and generating exceptionreports. They can even notify facilitymanagers in remote offices of abnormalconditions by triggering an email message.This makes them ideal for unattendedmonitoring of substation equipment.

Typical System ConfigurationsIn co-operation with automation system

suppliers FLIR Systems works to createcustomized thermal imaging and non-contact temperature measurement systemsfor electric substations.

These systems can automatically perform sitepatrols, monitor equipment temperatureswithout human supervision. The videoimages and their temperature data arecarried over Ethernet, wireless, or overfiberoptic cables to an appropriate interfacethat communicates this data to the centralmonitoring location.

The diagram on this page depicts a typicalsubstation monitoring system that uses FLIRA310 thermal imaging cameras. Systems ofthis type have been installed at substationsworldwide. The most advanced versions ofthese systems provide time-stamped 3-Dthermal modeling of critical equipment andareas.

FLIR A310

FLIR A310 is a

fixed mounted

thermal imaging camera. It can be

easily integrated in an all weather

housing and installed almost

anywhere to monitor critical

equipment and other valuable

assets. It can safeguard your

substation and measure temperature

differences to assess the criticality of

the situation. This allows you to seeproblems before they become costly

failures, preventing downtime and

enhancing worker safety.

Features incorporated in the

FLIR A310 are:

Built-inextensiveanalysisfunctions

Built-inalarmfunctions

Ethernet/IPandModbusTCP

compliance

Easysharingofanalysis,alarm

results to PLCs.PoE(PoweroverEthernet)

Digitalinputs/outputs

Built-in100MbEthernet

connection

Schematic overview of substation monitoring system