Published in August 2005 American Longwall Magazine
Until recently, this powerful diagnostic tool was prohibitively expensive, but now a new “forward-looking infrared” (FLIR) camera, costing under $US10,000, has been introduced by FLIR Systems.
This type of technology is helping make the wide-scale deployment of infrared cameras in mining operations the norm.
Thermal or infrared (IR) light energy has a wavelength too long to be viewed by the human eye. It is part of the spectrum perceived as heat, and as such can be detected and captured by infrared camera.
Thermography uses infrared cameras to not only “see” heat emissions, but also measure the output, enabling the detection of any equipment operating outside its normal temperature parameters.
Nearly everything gets hotter before it fails, with heat indicating a need for maintenance or possible parts replacement, or the potential (and hazard) of imminent failure. This makes IR cameras the perfect diagnostic tool for monitoring equipment in many diverse applications, including mining.
“Implementing a predictive maintenance program utilising infrared thermography in the mining industry provides many benefits, not only in terms of equipment optimisation, but more importantly in the health, safety and welfare of the workers themselves,” said FLIR marketing communications manager Scott Pasho.
Both electrical and mechanical systems can be effectively inspected via infrared thermography, verifying their proper operation or revealing potential equipment failure points requiring attention.
Using IR cameras, engineers can proactively inspect bearings, motors, pumps, compressors and conveyor systems – detecting hot spots due to improper equipment lubrication or overloading - before they become failure points, or lead to irreversible damage.
Thermography even complements other forms of predictive maintenance like vibration analysis. When comparing banks of motors, for example, thermographic inspection can instantly identify even minute changes in temperature readings on bearings and couplings.
The utilisation of IR equipment also allows operators to see through conditions like smoke, steam and darkness that can obscure normal vision and make it difficult to monitor operations.
Pasho said many variables affected the selection of an IR camera. These include image quality, a factor of detector material used, pixel quantity, and screen refresh rates. Also, the smaller the range of thermal sensitivity the more accurate the temperature readings taken by the IR camera.
Pasho said FLIR’s ThermaCAM E25 was ultra-portable and ideal for equipping numerous work crews in any mining operation.
“It is not uncommon to hear that a newly purchased IR camera will pay for itself in a matter of days,” he said.
