Aluminium production is big business in India and FLIR thermal imaging is helping producers to reduce the cost of the process by assuring that plant and equipment is running optimally through predictive maintenance.
The technology is used for inspecting all electro-mechanical plant and systems, furnace ducts, heating chambers and tanks and also for monitoring scale build-up in pipes and vessels. Any problems are then scheduled for repair during maintenance shutdowns. In this way faults are corrected before they have the opportunity to become costly failures and the cause of lost production.
For this reason, an industry body in India is an enthusiastic proponent of thermal imaging. The Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC) uses a FLIR P660 thermal imaging camera to help its customers - Indian aluminium producers - to achieve reliable and cost-efficient production.
The FLIR P660 is the top-of-the-range model that provides every feature for advanced thermal imaging and analysis. With <30mK sensitivity and temperature measurement accuracy of +/-1 per cent, the FLIR P660 detects small thermal anomalies over distance. It includes radiometric and non-radiometric video recording, contrast optimisation and every facility for quick, easy and effective inspection. USB and Firewire connection is standard.
JNARDDC confirms that initially the aluminium producers were hesitant about using the technology but soon recognised it many benefits, the principle one being that it is optimally used when systems are fully operational. Electro-mechanical problems can be seen without any loss of production. and as a result many manufacturers have pro-actively adopted predictive maintenance programmes with thermal imaging a key element.
To learn more about thermal imaging, please visit www.flir.com.