Preventive Maintenance and Predictive Maintenance of Electrical Equipment: Specificities, Differences and Advantages
Whether you are a business or an establishment open to the public, electrical installation inspections are something that you must carry out every year. The best practices and tools used for electrical inspections are evolving to meet an important requirement: to anticipate the risk of fire or shutdowns as early as possible and with increased reliability. In industry, where preventive maintenance by thermography is the norm, there is recent progress towards predictive maintenance where smart electrical equipment monitoring devices are incorporated into Industry 4.0 systems.
Planned preventive maintenance of electrical equipment to initiate corrective actions
Preventive maintenance of electrical equipment is based on the use of infrared thermography to detect warning signs of a malfunction that can cause equipment to shut down, or much more seriously, start a fire. Thermography is used to detect an abnormal increase in temperature of equipment. A variation that the human eye cannot see. The preventive maintenance of electrical equipment is carried out by a thermographer using a thermal camera.
To ensure that the preventive maintenance of electrical equipment is optimal and does not entail any human risk, infrared windows should be installed in the enclosures of electrical installations.
« An infrared window makes it possible to inspect energized electrical equipment without opening it »
We are talking about preventive maintenance of electrical equipment here since the thermographer can safely detect a hot spot and report it so that corrective action can be taken before an accident occurs. However, it should be remembered that preventive maintenance by thermography must be planned and cannot be carried out without human intervention. Its effectiveness in terms of anticipation therefore depends on the regularity with which it is conducted.
Is it possible to automate the inspection of electrical installations? Yes, with modern technology it is now possible to monitor equipment permanently and send reports automatically when thresholds are reached. We’re talking about predictive maintenance of electrical equipment.
Connected predictive maintenance of electrical equipment for continuous monitoring
Predictive maintenance of electrical equipment relies on the combined use of thermography, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. It aims to optimize the anticipation of risks by defining thresholds. Automated and continuously operating, predictive maintenance of electrical equipment requires no planning or intervention by a thermographer.
Wintech Groupe has designed and developed the autonomous UTC SD, a connected optoelectronic device integrating a microbolometric sensor similar to an infrared camera. This device is placed directly in an area to be monitored or installed on the enclosure of electrical equipment like an IR window.
« Operating autonomously and continuously (24/7/365), the UTC SD offers permanent monitoring of installations »
In case of detection of hot spots, an audible alarm can be triggered on site and email or SMS alarms can be sent. A preliminary configuration is required to define the temperature threshold for triggering alerts. Below the alert threshold, the UTC SD also makes it possible to simply monitor equipment from a distance. The data collected can be used to better understand the “behavior” of equipment over time (stronger resistance or, conversely, a recurring defect) and plan interventions.
The term “predictive” refers to the fact that monitoring is continuous, on charged equipment, with an alert triggered at a desired temperature (below the critical threshold in order to facilitate corrective action as early as possible). Permanent monitoring with the temperature threshold significantly improves the anticipation of risks related to electrical installations by allowing intervention before any incident.
Predictive maintenance or preventive maintenance of electrical equipment: what to choose?
As you will have understood, predictive maintenance of electrical equipment by an autonomous and connected detector marks the advent of the digitalization of control and monitoring processes for electrical equipment.
Choosing to equip yourself with infrared windows for preventive maintenance with thermal cameras is not necessarily a retrograde solution in 2023. IR windows offer many advantages. They allow the inspection of energized equipment without having to shut down production lines and they assure the safety of personnel. By detecting defective connections (with thermographic camera reading), they prevent risks and extend the life of the equipment (no random connection tightening).
But the future of electrical maintenance in the age of Industry 4.0 is resolutely connected, with continuous monitoring. This is an improvement on preventive maintenance which must be planned in advance and carried out by a qualified thermographer. By determining an alert threshold, predictive maintenance using stand-alone sensors such as the UTC SD is more effective. Corrective actions can be planned and implemented well in advance of an incident reducing the impact on production. The control of your electrical equipment can become a permanent and integrated process in a smart factory using modern technology to streamline production.
Whether you are a business or an establishment open to the public, electrical installation inspections are something that you must carry out every year. The best practices and tools used for electrical inspections are evolving to meet an important requirement: to anticipate the risk of fire or shutdowns as early as possible and with increased reliability. In industry, where preventive maintenance by thermography is the norm, there is recent progress towards predictive maintenance where smart electrical equipment monitoring devices are incorporated into Industry 4.0 systems.
Planned preventive maintenance of electrical equipment to initiate corrective actions
Preventive maintenance of electrical equipment is based on the use of infrared thermography to detect warning signs of a malfunction that can cause equipment to shut down, or much more seriously, start a fire. Thermography is used to detect an abnormal increase in temperature of equipment. A variation that the human eye cannot see. The preventive maintenance of electrical equipment is carried out by a thermographer using a thermal camera.
To ensure that the preventive maintenance of electrical equipment is optimal and does not entail any human risk, infrared windows should be installed in the enclosures of electrical installations.
« An infrared window makes it possible to inspect energized electrical equipment without opening it »
We are talking about preventive maintenance of electrical equipment here since the thermographer can safely detect a hot spot and report it so that corrective action can be taken before an accident occurs. However, it should be remembered that preventive maintenance by thermography must be planned and cannot be carried out without human intervention. Its effectiveness in terms of anticipation therefore depends on the regularity with which it is conducted.
Is it possible to automate the inspection of electrical installations? Yes, with modern technology it is now possible to monitor equipment permanently and send reports automatically when thresholds are reached. We’re talking about predictive maintenance of electrical equipment.
Connected predictive maintenance of electrical equipment for continuous monitoring
Predictive maintenance of electrical equipment relies on the combined use of thermography, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. It aims to optimize the anticipation of risks by defining thresholds. Automated and continuously operating, predictive maintenance of electrical equipment requires no planning or intervention by a thermographer.
Wintech Groupe has designed and developed the autonomous UTC SD, a connected optoelectronic device integrating a microbolometric sensor similar to an infrared camera. This device is placed directly in an area to be monitored or installed on the enclosure of electrical equipment like an IR window.
« Operating autonomously and continuously (24/7/365), the UTC SD offers permanent monitoring of installations »
In case of detection of hot spots, an audible alarm can be triggered on site and email or SMS alarms can be sent. A preliminary configuration is required to define the temperature threshold for triggering alerts. Below the alert threshold, the UTC SD also makes it possible to simply monitor equipment from a distance. The data collected can be used to better understand the “behavior” of equipment over time (stronger resistance or, conversely, a recurring defect) and plan interventions.
The term “predictive” refers to the fact that monitoring is continuous, on charged equipment, with an alert triggered at a desired temperature (below the critical threshold in order to facilitate corrective action as early as possible). Permanent monitoring with the temperature threshold significantly improves the anticipation of risks related to electrical installations by allowing intervention before any incident.
Predictive maintenance or preventive maintenance of electrical equipment: what to choose?
As you will have understood, predictive maintenance of electrical equipment by an autonomous and connected detector marks the advent of the digitalization of control and monitoring processes for electrical equipment.
Choosing to equip yourself with infrared windows for preventive maintenance with thermal cameras is not necessarily a retrograde solution in 2023. IR windows offer many advantages. They allow the inspection of energized equipment without having to shut down production lines and they assure the safety of personnel. By detecting defective connections (with thermographic camera reading), they prevent risks and extend the life of the equipment (no random connection tightening).
But the future of electrical maintenance in the age of Industry 4.0 is resolutely connected, with continuous monitoring. This is an improvement on preventive maintenance which must be planned in advance and carried out by a qualified thermographer. By determining an alert threshold, predictive maintenance using stand-alone sensors such as the UTC SD is more effective. Corrective actions can be planned and implemented well in advance of an incident reducing the impact on production. The control of your electrical equipment can become a permanent and integrated process in a smart factory using modern technology to streamline production.
