This case study was provided by Bob Taylor at AMEC, who received the below comments from a senior electrician using an infrared camera onboard an oil platform.

"Following events yesterday, I believe the FLIR InfraCAM has paid for itself already. The events were as follows: the AC LO pump for G-8020 tripped out (luckily, it was when we had the unit down for air flow checks) due to heat build-up in the MCC, which blew the red fuse."

"Once I replaced the fuses, I ran the pump for a short time and checked by hand that the cables were still cool, which they were. At this stage, I left the pump running while I went for tea, and a colleague carried out run-up checks."

"We then used the infrared camera on the MCC and, although the cable insulation was hotter on the red phase than the others, it did not seem as serious as the camera suggested. If we had run the unit up again, though, I have no doubt that this would have led to significant deferment. We had no option - given what we had seen with the camera - but to completely change the fuse carriers by isolating the board."

"The fact that the camera was so good for this purpose tells me that we should be doing thermal imaging as part of our planned maintenance on motors, and the JPEG images we take can be added to the motor's inspection history."

"Two examples of overheating damage to the MCC that we've seen on shift recently were due to different causes. The first was a technician error, in that the fuses were not tightened properly, and the resulting loose connection generated excess heat."