Abstract:

It was in 1998 that Mr. Allinson (Jack) launched his fifth (5th) career as an Accredited Marine Surveyor specializing in Recreational Yachts and Small Craft.

The key deliverable of this business is a written report that elucidates either the “Condition” of the subject vessel or its suitability for a specific work event.

The need for this information is paramount regardless of whether clients are individuals who are purchasing, selling, financing or insuring a boat, a claims adjuster who is processing a damage claim, or a leasing company (on hire vs. off hire condition).

Non Destructive Testing procedures including visual inspection, oil analysis, airborne ultrasound and infrared thermal imaging coupled with repeatable standard procedures have been the keys to his success at gathering the right information to form a defensible opinion.

Join Jack as he guides you through over fifteen (15) years of practical experience in “Applying Non Destructive Testing to Marine Surveying”.

Abstract:

Conveyor systems play an integral part in a facility’s operation by transporting products and goods from one location to another with minimal interaction of manpower.

They can range in complexity from single belt systems to advanced systems that sort, merge, and track goods along the way to their destination.

Both mechanical and electrical components interact in conveyor systems; each dependent on the other for reliable operation.

This talk will present thermal patterns associated with a conveyor system that included various types of workloads and common problems found within normal operations.

Abstract:

Infrared technology is now a well established tool for the condition monitoring of both mechanical and electrical systems.

Its use is considered a “best practice” throughout the facilities-services industry.

Although facility managers often believe they have a solid program in place, there are often defects in their approach. While implemented with good intentions, these oversights and shortcuts can create unintended consequences and lead to far bigger problems.

Left as they are, these programs can be a significant liability to the plant and its parent company.

A well-designed infrared program takes into consideration the greater regulator environment in which the plant operates, as well as providing management with the metrics with which to gauge the effectiveness of the program.

The benefits are reduced liability along with a program which demonstrates its own cost effectiveness.

This paper will address these issues and how to avoid the common mistakes which can undermine program effectiveness, thereby compromising any benefits which might otherwise have been achieved.

Abstract:

Infrared roofing system surveys have been valuable tools for decision-makers since the 1980’s.

As use of infrared roofing surveys to detect concealed moisture thermal patterns has increased, we propose that contracting for an infrared thermal survey of existing roofing, with the owner’s anticipation of enjoying the savings afforded by salvaging existing insulation and avoiding demolition and disposal costs associated with total roof removal and replacement, should be the responsibility of the owner and therefore is quality assurance.

This presentation will confirm that a knowledgeable, skilled third party thermographer apart from the roofing contractor desiring to submit a competitive bid proposal should perform the infrared scan.

Further, meaningful roof thermal scans can be performed and provide valuable information at twenty (20) timeframes in a building’s service life. Everyone involved with the roof can benefit from an accurate scan and moisture contour map.

Abstract:

Thermal imaging is a non-destructive test technique with numerous applications for structures and electrical and mechanical systems.

Whether you are a building inspector, energy auditor, or someone interested in facility maintenance, the infrared camera is not your only tool.

Visual inspections, moisture meters, and ammeters are all routinely used to help confirm the cause of thermal patterns.

This presentation will look at several tools that complement the infrared camera and help you get the job done.

This presentation will also discuss how these tools work and communicate together, making report generation easier and faster than ever before.

Abstract:

Heat transfer and water flow are highly coupled processes in the natural environment so the distribution of heat can be used to characterize hydrology.

I am using thermography as an investigative tool in the outdoor environment. Surveys of creeks, wetlands, lakes, bays and beaches have been done via walking surveys, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter, blimp, and fixed tower platforms.

Work includes investigations for contaminants at industrial sites and temporal imaging of tidal water flow in wetlands.

This paper will discuss challenges associated with this application including oblique imaging, varying emissivity, and targets with small thermal contrasts  (<10 Co and typically < 5 Co) within noisy thermal environments.

Abstract:

Utilities are continuously looking for technologies that can help them maintain or improve equipment reliability.

One available technology, infrared imaging, is already used because of its fault detection capabilities.

The main challenge encountered with this technology is the fact most cameras used are portable and require manual operation.

While the technology is effective, the process can be time consuming and requires personnel to perform the survey work and later feed the data into a system for analysis.

Infrared (IR) cameras with online substation monitoring capability have existed for many years.

The challenge lies in intelligently processing the data in a way that improves the accuracy and confidence of the IR measurement; this requires developing algorithms having data input to key parameters.

If IR cameras with intelligent data processing could be used, then automated systems could be designed to provide online 24/7/365 monitoring of thermal conditions of substation equipment.

This project seeks to validate this idea. A successful project outcome may increase station reliability by detecting impending equipment failure before an event that may lead to outage occurs.

Some of the key research questions which this research will aim to answer include the following:

• Can infrared substation inspections be completely automated to maximize the value proposition?
• What are the factors that contribute to the difference in actual temperature measurements obtained and how can they be measured and corrected for?
• Can knowledge gained from this project be implemented into present monitoring and maintenance strategies and what effect would this have?

Through the project research, efforts will be made to derive algorithms that can correct, to the extent possible, those factors that can influence absolute infrared (IR) thermal measurement accuracy that, if successful, may result in:

• Temperature correction algorithms that can be applied by a utility in their IR substation inspection practices.
• Utilities being able to deploy 24/7/365 substation-wide infrared and visualization systems to effectively monitor the thermal conditions of substation or switchyard equipment and derive early indications of equipment condition concern, thus increasing reliability and avoiding unplanned outages.
• Add value to the IR inspection process by increasing the confidence in the absolute thermal measurement of a substation component
• An approach for real time condition based monitoring and/or temperature trending of station assets.
• A potential reduction in the number of false alarms (smart alarming).

The benefit may include higher service reliability by lowering unscheduled outages and preventing reliability events.

This presentation will be an update on the project which includes an EPRI Laboratory IR development system that includes a designed substation component defect simulation test bed that allows for the simulation of defects in substation type components (e.g. insulators, conductors, metal surfaces, etc.) under controlled conditions.

The data collected are being used to develop IR algorithms.

Abstract:

It is becoming more prevalent for insurance companies to request an infrared survey be performed or perform infrared themselves in-house.

This paper will focus on Hartford Steam Boiler’s infrared program and how our program has developed over the last 30 years.

Elaborating on some of the lessons we have learned over this time period, this presentation will cover some of our claims data regarding electrical losses such as common causes of failures, costs, etc.

Also discussed is how insurance companies differ and some common misconceptions regarding the industry as a whole.

Abstract:

It has long been known that all real world objects above zero Kelvin radiate infrared energy.

Emissivity is the term used to describe the rate at which the surface of an object can transfer radiated energy.

Experienced thermographers are well aware of emissivity and its relationship to reflectivity, but what exactly is it which makes the surface property of one material a good emitter and another a poor emitter?

This paper will explore the topic of emissivity and will examine the surface properties of materials to explain the difference.

Abstract:

Refrigeration systems are critical for extending the shelf life of our food as well as beverage cooling.

Energy is actively pumped from a cold storage section of the system via refrigerant, heat exchangers, motors, and compressors.

The system has different modes of operation during cooling, defrost, and resting states.

System energy dynamics change during system state transitions and present interesting thermal variations of system constituent elements.

All of these components present the opportunity to use thermography to examine thermal patterns across various system elements during system operation.

This thermography project presents research and development testing of a new refrigeration evaporator assembly designed to be used in commercial walk-in food coolers, beverage coolers, and other various large cooler applications.

Thermal pattern distributions are studied using thermography, to better characterize cooling efficiency of a new heat exchanger relative to a comparable currently available competitor product and thermal energy flow impacts on other system elements.

The stated goal is to visually differentiate large system operational energy efficiency differences between both products.