Thermographic course, Electrical Level 1

Should our company perform electric thermography?

In addition to the fact that thermography is exciting and can help with many tasks, in professional contexts the question arises: “Can we make money on thermography?” Of course, it is an individual answer for each one, but Rohde Consulting is trying to shed light on it for electric thermography, if you are interested in construction then look at the thermography course for construction.

There are several groups that are interested in thermography. The first sharing is for the annual insurance inspection with thermography or for general maintenance at a factory or ship.

Insurance requirements: Item 1 requires impartiality so a factory’s own electrician cannot make it for the insurance himself, but only for general maintenance. Point 2 is there a requirement for certification according to DBI?

Preventive maintenance with thermography: This is a very important parameter in large production companies, ships, offeshore installations and critical infrastructure. Here it is very difficult to price, but the operator uses thermography to insure against very expensive breakdowns. In this context, it is very important to have professionally trained personnel to carry out the right inspection at the critical sites at an appropriate interval. It requires knowledge and experience!

Choice of thermography camera

When talking about electrical thermography is the first question? Must or will you be certified by DBI. DBI sets very strict requirements that the camera must comply with. There are two parameters that are primarily emphasized in the certification scheme: Resolution and thermal sensitivity. The resolution must be at least 640 by 480, virtually all manufacturers have thermography cameras with this resolution, the price starts at approx. DK 50,000 ex VAT (Cheapest thermography camera that complies with RL010-2). With the thermal sensitivity it looks different. The thermal sensitivity describes the smallest temperature difference that the camera can measure. DBI’s certification scheme requirement is 40 mK (=0.04 degrees Celsius) and in 2022 there are only 4 manufacturers who can deliver this.

If you do not have to be certified, the requirement for thermal sensitivity is not a critical parameter. However, it is important to have professional equipment; With price developments on both salary costs and the falling camera prices, it is not a bad idea to go for a camera with a resolution of 640 by 480, although 320 by 240 can also be used. With a better thermal camera, there is less trouble and thus work is done faster. Try the camera before buying, is it good for focus? Large display? Impact protected? Feel free to take a course before buying.

Should our company be certified for electrothermography by DBI?

The certification scheme opens the door to being able to do the annual thermography at all insurance companies in Denmark. The rules apply to building installation in Denmark, but can also be applied to e.g. machine boards. In order to join the scheme, the company must be an authorized electrical installer and opens up to be able to offer its customers extra services, but also for expenses. There is a person and a company certification. The costs for personal certification are two courses to enter the scheme (Level 1 thermography, this course page and appendix B course) in addition there is an ERFA (experience exchange course) every 24 months which DBI has a monopoly on. For the company scheme, there is an annual fee to DBI, requirements for a quality management system with internal and external audits, and submission of annual documentation. In addition, there are costs for equipment, especially the thermography camera.

Costs for thermography camera

In addition to the purchase price of the thermographic camera, you should factor in the cost of an annual calibration of the thermal camera. The measurement accuracy is checked during the calibration. Our experience shows that the thermography cameras keep measuring a lower and lower temperature and after a number of years the camera cannot meet the requirements. The reason is that the surface coating on the thermal camera’s lens is damaged. The infrared lens on a thermography camera is expensive and very sensitive, it must be treated with care; and DO NOT wipe. In practice, when used in factories etc., it cannot be avoided that dirt gets on the lens. It is difficult to put an exact lifetime on a thermal camera, but for many who use their camera on a daily basis, it is 6-8 years.