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Indian Standard (Reaffirmed 2020)

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Guidelines for Infrared

Thermography Inspection of
Electrical Installations

ICS 19.100

© BIS 2014

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BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS
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MANAK BHAVAN, 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG
NEW DELHI-110002
www.bis.org.in www.standardsbis.in

January 2014 Price Group 3

Non-destructive Testing Sectional Committee, MTD 21

FOREWORD
This standard was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards, after the draft finalized by the Non-destructive
Testing Sectional Committee had been approved by the Metallurgical Engineering Division Council.
This standard provides the general guiding procedures for the quantitative and qualititative inspection of electrical
installations, by the application of thermal imaging. By the adoption of thermal imaging a complete temperature
map of surface of the object is attained.
For the purpose of deciding whether a particular requirement of this standard is complied with, the final value
observed or calculated expressing the result of a test or analysis, shall be rounded off in accordance with IS 2 : 1960
‘Rules for rounding off numerical values (revised)’. The number of significant places retained in the rounded off
values should be the same as that of the specified value in this standard.
 IS 16168 : 2014

Indian Standard
GUIDELINES FOR INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY
INSPECTION OF ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS
1 SCOPE basis for comparison or calibration; and b) a concept
that has been established by authority, custom, or
1.1 This standard gives the guidelines on the
agreement to serve as a model or rule in the
application of infrared thermography technique for
measurement of quality or the establishment of a
qualitative and quantitative inspection of electrical
practice or procedure.
installations. It outlines the recommended procedures
for the inspection and lists the responsibilities of the 3.7 Background Radiation — All radiation received
end user and thermographer. by the infrared sensing device that is not emitted by
the specified area of the surface being examined.
1.2 This standard is not limited to any specific electrical
installation or component but is intended to be a general 3.8 Blackbody — An ideal thermal radiator
guide based on which detail procedures should be (emissivity = 1.0) that emits and absorbs all of the
prepared. The standard also highlights the contents that available thermal radiation at a given temperature.
should appear in the document prepared after infrared
3.9 Emissivity — The ratio of the radiance of a body
examination of electrical equipment/installation.
at a given temperature to the corresponding radiance
2 REFERENCE of a blackbody at the same temperature.

The following standard contains provision which, 3.10 Field of View (FOV) — The angular dimensions
through reference in this text, constitutes provision of of the cone/pyramid that define the object space imaged
this standard. At the time of publication, the edition by the system.
indicated was valid. All standard are subject to revision 3.11 Infrared Thermographer — The person
and parties to agreements based on this standard is qualified or trained to use infrared imaging radiometer/
encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying infrared thermography (see 3.15).
the most recent edition of the standard indicated below.
3.12 Reflected Temperature — The temperature of
IS No. Title the energy incident upon and eflected from the
13805 : 2004
General standards for qualification measurement surface of a specimen.
and certification of non-destructive
testing personnel (first revision) 3.13 Thermal Resolution — The smallest or minimum
temperature difference that can be measured by an
3 TERMINOLOGY
infrared sensor/device.
3.1 Thermographer — The person who inspects the
3.14 Thermogram — A visual grey scale/colour
electrical installations using infrared thermography
image which provides a map of the temperature
technique.
distribution/profile on the surface of an object or scene.
3.2 Thermal Image — An image showing the
3.15 Thermography, Infrared — The process of
temperature distribution over a surface area.
displaying the variations in temperature over the
3.3 Evaluation — Determination of whether a relevant surface of an object or a scene by measuring the
pattern/indication is acceptable or not acceptable. variations in infrared radiance using a suitable IR
sensing system/device.
3.4 Interpretation — The determination of whether
patterns/indications are relevant or non-relevant. 3.16 Transmittance — The ratio of the radiant flux
transmitted through a body to that incident upon it.
3.5 Reference Standard — n—a material or object
for which all relevant chemical and physical 4 SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
characteristics are known and measurable, used as a
comparison for, or standardization of, equipment or 4.1 It is well realized by the industries that the best
instruments used for non-destructive testing way to prevent outages is to identify incipient faults at
standardization instrument. an early stage so that component failure can be
predicted and major break downs averted in time.
3.6 Standard — a) A physical reference used as a Temperature is considered as one of the effective

1
IS 16168 : 2014

precursor to the health of a component and key to is possible to convert these IR radiation into electrical
successful plant maintenance. The magnitude and signals which can then be displayed on a monitor as a
distribution of the temperature are indicators of grey level image or colour image in which different
departure from normal/acceptable performance. grey levels or colours represent different temperature
range. Thus a complete surface temperature map of
4.1.1 Thermography is one of the advanced non-
the object can be obtained in a non-contact way. With
destructive testing method based on the detection/
appropriate calibration, it is also possible to get the
mapping of temperature on surface and finding wide
absolute temperature values of any point on the surface
application in the field of condition monitoring.
of the object. Infrared refers to a region of the
Thermography is well suited for application of
electromagnetic spectrum between the visible and
condition management because it quickly locates hot
microwave. The IR spectrum extends from 0.75 mm
spots and determines the severity of the problem and
to 1000 mm. However for practical applications it is
how soon the equipment should be repaired.
the 1-15 mm band which is used. The properties of
4.1.2 Thus, periodic monitoring through infrared infrared radiations are similar to other electromagnetic
thermography has become an indispensable tool in radiation such as light. They travel in straight lines;
electrical industries. In electrical equipment such as propagate in vacuum as well as in liquids, solids and
bus bar systems, transmission lines, transformers, gases. They can be optically focused and directed by
battery sets, circuit breakers, switch boards, power and mirrors and lenses. The laws of geometrical optics are
lighting distribution equipment, disconnects, valid for these also. The energy and intensity of infrared
generation equipment etc., temperature variations (rise) radiation emitted by an object primarily depends on
are usually created by an increase in resistance caused its temperature and can be calculated using the
by loose or corroded connections, short circuits, analytical tools such as Wein’s law, Planck’s law and
overloads, load imbalances or faulty, mismatched or Stefan Boltzmann law.
improperly installed components.
5.2 Techniques in Infrared Thermography
4.1.3 The unique advantages of thermography are:
(a) non contact nature, (b) real time capability, 5.2.1 IR Imaging Basically Exploits the non-
(c) ability to provide full field images that helps in equilibrium thermal state within a material for the
visualizing the process and the effects, and (d) its direct detection of defects. This non-equilibrium state can
applicability to engineering components. However, be achieved through the use of sources which can heat
interpretation of thermal images requires skill and or cool the body. Such sources can be located within
adequate knowledge of infrared physics. the material itself or can be external to it. Thus, two
approaches or techniques are generally recognized in
4.1.4 It should be highlighted that infrared thermal NDE — (a) passive, and (b) active.
thermography provides the information about the
equipment scanned at that time. Interpretation of the Passive technique involves applications where the
data with respect to integrity of the equipment or material already contains its own internal source of
recommendations for predictive maintenance/ heat. Majority of the condition monitoring applications
condition management requires adequate technical where the component themselves get heated up due to
knowledge and skills which this standard does not a variety of reasons fall under this category.
purport to address. It is also emphasized that 5.2.2 Active techniques involve the application of an
performing infrared thermography is not corrective / external thermal perturbation (heating or cooling) to
remedial in nature by itself, and by itself does not assure the object as a whole or of a small area of interest within
proper/normal operation. the object. While both heating and cooling can be
applied, it is heating, which is generally preferred. A
5 BACKGROUND
variety of stimulation sources have been used such as
5.1 Principle of Infrared Thermography hot air guns, incandescent and flash lamps, lasers,
plasma arcs, inductive heating, heating strips, etc.
Thermal imaging or thermography is the mapping of
temperature profiles on the surface of the object or For this particular application it is the passive technique
component. It makes use of the infrared band of the that is adopted for the inspection of the electrical
electromagnetic spectrum. Any body above absolute installations. The current passing through the
zero emits electromagnetic radiation. At ambient component generates heat following the equation 1
temperatures and above, these radiations are which in turn results in thermal anomalies in the faulty
predominantly in the infrared band of the components.
lectromagnetic spectrum. Using an infrared detector it H = I2 R …(1)

2
 IS 16168 : 2014

6 INSPECTION PERSONNEL practice, thermographers should equip themselves with

the following:
6.1 The personnel deployed for inspection shall have
necessary technical qualifications and experience with When setting out for a thermographic survey of a
adequate and sound knowledge on inspection substation, it is recommended to follow the current
technique, and capability to interpret the observed path. This ensures that no connections and equipment
temperature patterns specified in IS 13805. will be overlooked.
6.1.1 The inspector should have adequate knowledge A copy of the checklists from the previous survey or if
and shall comply with all the safety precautions and it is the first time application generate a check list.
procedures stipulated by the end user and or competent
electrical authorities especially when examination of 8.2 Safety Related Documentation
live systems are involved. 8.2.1 A customized emissivity table, preferably created
The inspector shall use an appropriate thermal imaging by the thermographer based on the materials likely to
system with adequate capabilities to meet the be encountered during the survey.
examination requirements. 8.2.2 Black tape for determining unknown surface
The thermography personnel shall not touch any emissivity. Clamp type ammeter for current
electrical equipment open/remove any covers etc. measurement.

The end user is primarily responsible for (a) ensuring 8.2.3 Adequate battery resources, for example, spare
compliance to all safety procedures, and (b) consequences batteries for infrared camera and digital camera.
of all actions resulting of application/non-application of 8.2.4 Spare image store capacity, namely an additional
thermal imaging experimental data acquired and flash memory card.
interpreted by the thermographer.
All necessary personal protective equipment required
7 EQUIPMENT for the task.
7.1 The right choice of infrared camera with appropriate 9 PROCEDURE
accessories and filters is essential for successfully
carrying out the inspection of electrical installations. 9.1 Obtain the parameters such as load, ambient
temperature, relative humidity, wind speed before the
7.2 Spectral Range inspection of the electrical component/installation.
7.2.1 Infrared cameras are available in short 9.2 Ensure that all authorizations such as for access
wavelength (2-6 microns) and long wavelength (7-14 etc, necessary are available.
microns) band. Both short wavelength and long
9.3 Ensure the power supply to the thermal imaging
wavelength systems can be used for inspection of
system either directly from the mains or using the
electrical installations but long wavelength systems are
battery pack. In case of the battery pack, ensure that
preferred for more accurate results.
the batteries are charged and loaded.
7.3 Lens 9.4 Make all the necessary inter connections and
7.3.1 Lens selected should match the intended ensure it.
applications. IR camera usually has 25° or 20° lens 9.5 Insert the formatted flash card into the disk drive.
fitted with the instrument. This lens is satisfactory for
many applications. Telephoto lens is also preferred 9.6 Switch on the thermal imaging equipment.
when less target area such as high voltage switch and 9.7 Perform a calibration test(s), to ensure that all
distribution components are encountered. measurements are within the manufacturers’ standard
specifications for accuracy.
7.4 Calibration
9.8 Ensure that the equipment to be examined is under
The infrared camera which is used for the inspection
adequate load. Allowing sufficient time if equipment
of electrical installations need to be calibrated and
is energized recently.
calibration should be traceable to International/Indian
Standard. 9.9 Focus the thermal imaging system on the object
under investigation. The infrared camera should be
8 INSPECTION PRACTICE focused such that the 80 percent of region of interest
is covered in field of view.
8.1 Check List
9.10 Load the parameters such as emissivity, ambient
To avoid unnecessary delays and better inspection
3
IS 16168 : 2014

temperature and relative humidity as inputs in the 10.5 Wind

camera software.
Almost all the electrical installations inspection has to
9.11 Acquire the thermal image of the object and save be carried out outdoor. During the outdoor
it in the flash/hard. measurements wind factor is to be taken into account
since it causes a cooling effect on the component that
9.12 Analyze the thermal images using appropriate is inspected. Thus during the inspection of components
thermal imaging software. the wind factor can influence and temperature
9.13 Record the results, analyze and report as per the measurement done using thermography may not be
format approved. accurate. Table 1 gives the correction factor for the
various wind speed.
9.14 The infrared thermographer shall document any
exceptions found during examination. Table 1 Correction Factor for Various Wind
Speeds (These are Indicative Values Only and
9.15 The inspection personnel shall repeat if necessary
Accurate Values Depend on Location and Other
ambiguous patterns and also, when requested by the Factors. Actual Values are Best Obtained
end user, re-examine each abnormal pattern after repair Through Experimentation)
to assure that its operating temperature is normal and
(Clause 10.5)
the potential problem corrected.
Wind Speed Correction Factor
10 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE (m/s)
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
1 1
2 1.36
10.1 Emissivity 3 1.64
4 1.86
Emissivity is important parameter to measure the 5 2.06
absolute temperature of the component. Emissivity of 6 2.23
a particular surface can be obtained from the emissivity 7 2.40
8 2.54
reference tables. Target emissivity values can be
obtained using the black tape. 10.6 Rain

10.2 Ambient Temperature Rain is an important factor that influences on the

temperature measurement. Rain causes cooling effect
The ambient temperature influences the temperature on electrical component which is inspected. Thus,
values being investigated. Ambient temperature is thermography results may not be satisfactory and
determined and fed in the camera before thermal accurate.
measurements are attempted.
10.7 Solar Reflection
10.3 Relative Humidity
Solar reflections mislead the thermographer as a
Relative humidity is a parameter which influences the hotspot on the component. To overcome the solar
temperature measurement particularly when the reflection appropriate filters or viewing angles need
distance between the object and infrared camera is to be used.
greater than 500 m. For object distance greater than
10.8 Magnetic Fields
the 500 m the correction factor for relative humidity
should be considered to avoid inaccurate values in the Strong magnetic fields are produced when high electric
temperature measurement. currents pass through the component. The magnetic
fields affect the display unit and causes distortion in
10.4 Loading the thermal image. This problem is specially
encountered when scanning live 230 kV transformers
Since 3-phase systems are very common in electrical at short distances. This can be solved by increasing
utilities, it is easy to compare the three phases directly the scanner object distance or use a ‘mu-metal’ shield
with each other, for example cables, breakers, to negate the disturbing magnetic field.
insulators. An even load per phase should result in a
uniform temperature pattern for all three phases. A fault 11 INTERPRETATION OF THE THERMAL
may be suspected in case the temperature of one phase IMAGES
differs considerably from that of the two remaining 11.1 For the interpretation of the thermal images, the
ones when the load is evenly distributed. thermographer shall know the following information:

4
 IS 16168 : 2014

11.1.1 Shall have the required knowledge about the b) electrical system loading,
component that is inspected to understand the c) the degree of redundancy of plant and
temperature distribution on the component. equipment,
11.1.2 Shall have the knowledge of the load and the d) the cost of electrical failure to the business,
current flow path in the inspected component and
e) seasonal and production loading.
11.1.3 Shall ascertain the environmental conditions in
which the inspection has to be carried and the influence
Table 2 Classification of Faults
of these physical parameters on the temperature
measurement. (Clause 12.2)

11.1.4 Shall have knowledge of the component surface Fault Temperature Recommendations
and its condition for ascertaining the emissivity value. Category Rise
Accurate temperature measurement of a component is 1 >50°C Must be repaired immediately
possible only when appropriate emissivity value is fed. 2 25-50°C Repair at the earliest opportunity
3 10-25°C Investigate during next scheduled
maintenance activity
12 CLASSIFICATION OF FAULTS
4 <10°C Record and continue to monitor
12.1 Once a faulty connection is detected, corrective
measures are recommended. In order to recommend 12.4 Initial IRT surveys will almost always result in
the best possible repair action, the following criteria the identification of more electrical anomalies than
should be evaluated: subsequent surveys because the rate of fault
12.1.1 Load during thermal measurement. identification and rectification is always greater than
the rate at which new faults develop. Finally, inspection
12.1.2 Even or fluctuating load. frequencies should also reflect the time between the
12.1.3 Expected future loading situation. thermal visibility of a fault and component failure, as
this will vary depending on the component, the nature
12.1.4 Is the overheating measured directly on the of the fault and factors that may moderate or exacerbate
faculty spot or indirectly through conducted heat or fault condition.
caused by some fault inside the apparatus?
Inspection frequency and components shall be arrived
12.2 Assessing the severity of electrical fault at based on necessity and mutual discussions between
temperatures and recommendation (see Table 2) (these end user and inspection personnel.
are indicative and can vary from component to
component shall be arrived based on discussion with 13 REPORTING THE RESULTS
end user and criticality of components).
13.1 Before the actual thermographic inspection is
12.3 Frequency and Timing of IRT Inspection performed, the inspection agency shall submit detailed
procedures that shall be approved by the end-user in
12.3.1 The frequency of electrical inspections depends accordance with Annex A. After the inspection all
upon a number of factors. These are: documented details shall be provided as report. A
a) the age and condition of the electrical system, typical procedure format of report page is given below.

Procedure No. Organization Carrying Out Inspection Report No.

Date:

5
IS 16168 : 2014

Building ID
IR Image No. Photo Image No.

IR IMAGE PHOTO

Survey Details
Plant Description Ambient Relative
Temperature: Humidity:
Plant ID: Emissivity: Distance:
Location: Time: Equipment
Details
Analysis Details
Image Point Point Description Image Point Temp. Temp Diff (Amb).

Point 1 - *

Point 2 - *

Point 3 - *

Point 4 - *

Comments/Notes :
Fault Cause:
Recommendations:
Special remarks/observations

Signature:……………………… Date:…………………………

ANNEX A
(Clause 13.1)
REPORTING THE RESULTS
Essential equations that may be required during the inspection, interpretation and reporting of the temperature
measurement using infrared thermography technique.

∆ Tfull load = ∆ Tmeasured (Ifull load/I measured)2

Tfull load = Tambient + (Tmeasured – Tambient) (Ifull load/I measured)2

6
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Amendments Issued Since Publication

Amend No. Date of Issue Text Affected

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