Infrared Thermography for Assessing and Monitoring Electrical Components within Concrete Structures

摘要

The paper presents the application of infrared thermography (IRT) for assessing and monitoring electrical components within concrete structures. It is well known that the integrity of a power system is of paramount importance when it supplies electricity throughout a facility, especially during peak time. Overloading, load imbalance, corrosion and loose connection of electrical components can produce a thermal anomaly or hot spot. The abnormality of the components will occur when its internal temperature reached beyond its limits. Consequently, the overheating of the electrical component within the concrete structure can potentially result in unplanned power outages, possible injury and fire hazard. In addition, the efficiency of an electrical system becomes low prior to failure, thus energy is spent generating heat in the structure, causing unnecessary loses. Therefore, early prevention is required to avoid future faults and increase the reliability of the electrical components. Conventionally, for a large building and wide area of power distribution systems, the inspection of electrical power components within the structure requires extra manpower to conduct the test and take a lot of time as well as cost. Furthermore, only certified and experienced personnel can justify the severity of the problematic components. This is due to the complex analysis and various factors should be considered during the inspection especially when the cables are deep into the structure. Therefore, this research proposed a new method of an intelligent monitoring system for electrical components by diagnosing its thermal profiles. The system uses infrared thermographic camera or thermal imager in order to capture the thermal behavior of electrical components in the concrete structure. The main feature of the proposed system is to automatically identify the thermal anomaly in electrical components and classify its level of severity if the anomaly is detected. A new method of inspection is introduced by implementing the combination of an advanced image processing technique and artificial intelligence system. Finally, the system will give a complete analysis report, including the most suitable action to be taken for the problem that was detected.