Techniques of infrared thermography for condition monitoring of electrical power equipment

Abstract

The application of computer vision continues to widen with advancement in technology. Imaging systems which provide necessary inputs to the computer-vision-based models can come in various ways. Such as X-ray images, Computed Tomography (CT) scan images, and Infrared (IR) images. This paper is a review of different application areas of infrared thermography (IRT) for monitoring the status of electrical power equipment. It summarizes in tabular form recent research and relevant works within the field of condition monitoring of power assets. A general review of the application of IRT in power devices was undertaken before a specific review of selected works based on IRT for important electrical power equipment with a tabular review of possible causes of hotspots using photovoltaic installation as a reference. Results of previous works were presented with highlights on performance metrics used and accuracies achieved. Emphasis where made on the future potential of IRT and some associated techniques. The work saw that heat production within systems during operation is an important characteristic that enables IRT to become applicable for monitoring diverse physical systems, most importantly power systems. The high cost of high-definition, and long-range IR cameras limits the wide adoption of the technology for its potential applications for monitoring power installations. The work recommends future research in the development of affordable IR imaging systems with advanced features for condition monitoring of physical systems such as power installations.