Breakdown of Benefits

摘要

As ethanol producers see their facilities surpass the 20-year mark across the Midwest， the results of effective maintenance programs can be seen on the bottom line.It‘s a well-known fact that equipment fails.The area where equipment failure is most detrimental to an ethanol plant is the electrical system-the lifeblood of the facility.The good news is failure in electrical equipment can most often be predicted and avoided with the right maintenance program.A good infrared predictive maintenance program(IR PdM)can deliver many benefits for an ethanol producer， including less unexpected downtime， longer equipment life and improved safety， all adding up to cost savings.So what is infrared thermography? The Infraspection Institute defines it as a"noncontact， nondestructive test method that utilizes a thermal imager to detect， display and record thermal patterns and temperatures across the surface of an object."For an ethanol plant， using infrared thermography allows a thermographer to inspect electrical assets(motor control centers， panels， transformers， etc.)while they are energized and find problems before they lead to unexpected downtime.Problems in an electrical system can be detected by the anomalies in heat signatures-something skilled thermographers are trained to understand.IR PdM programs can be implemented in many ways， from simply purchasing a thermal imager and creating a program， to hiring a specialized outside contractor， or a hybrid of the two.Choosing the right route depends on manpower， infrared training， time and budget.But with many facility services， hiring an expert is often the most effective way to get the job done.Once in place， infrared thermography brings a wealth of benefits to the ethanol industry.Here are a few.