Thermal imaging surveys go in-house at Eurotunnel

Eurotunnel has chosen the FLIR ThermaCAM PM575 for the regular inspection of power supply and mechanical/electrical systems from the 225,000V main substation in France down to 110V dc systems

Figures just released by Eurotunnel confirm its cross-Channel market leadership with 54% market share for cars and 48% for freight.

Reliability is a key component in the continued success of this operation and naturally considerable emphasis is placed on an efficient condition monitoring and predictive maintenance programme.

Since 1994 this has included thermal imaging surveys conducted by an outside contractor.

The decision to bring thermography in-house was taken to expand the use of this method and complement other condition monitoring resources including partial discharge analysis on resin-core transformers, vibration analysis on all main pumps and motors, and oil analysis.

The thermal-imaging camera chosen by Eurotunnel was the FLIR ThermaCAM PM575 whose scope of use has subsequently proved to be wide, both in the application sense and geographically.

The prime task of the ThermaCAM is the regular inspection of power supply and mechanical/electrical systems ranging from those at the 225,000V main substation in France and its 132,000V counterpart in the UK down to the 110V dc systems throughout the site.

Indeed, within the first few months of its purchase, the ThermaCAM had detected a faulty connection on the traction load balancing system at the main UK substation.

Ultimately this would have led to costly shuttle delays, but in the event a controlled changeover of the system configuration was smoothly engineered to avoid sudden failure.

The camera is also proving to be a valuable resource for Eurotunnel suppliers too.

A switchgear manufacturer was recently called in to investigate a compound leak on an electrical termination.

Thanks to the availability of the ThermaCAM PM575, it was easy to confirm the absence of heat in the joint, enabling the supplier to make a swift diagnosis without dismantling the termination.

This not only led to a speedy resolution of the problem but also the minimum involvement of Eurotunnel manpower.

"When looking for a thermal imaging camera, we did not limit ourselves to one type," confirmed Thermographic and High Voltage Agent Methods, Melvin Morris.

"We took a cross section of the cameras available on the market and by a process of elimination, we focussed on four models.

Suppliers of each of the brands shortlisted were then invited to give a presentation on the same day." The four final contenders were evaluated against seven criteria.

Firstly, the camera had to be simple to use, as it would be the subject of cascade training.

It also had to be lightweight and compact as a cumbersome design would simply not be practical in the 50 kilometres long service tunnel.

Its potential use in restricted space required a short focal length.

Longwave operation was a further stipulation, allowing the camera to be used effectively outdoors without the problem of solar reflection.

Lens upgradeability to expand application potential and the range of accessories available with the camera, were also assessed.

And finally, but most importantly, the unit had to be fully compatible with Eurotunnel's network software.

Each unit was allocated a points rating for each criterion and the FLIR ThermaCAM PM575 emerged the winner.

"The features of the ThermaCAM best suited our needs," Melvin Morris confirmed.

"Our only addition to the basic hardware was a large format LCD screen to display images in some restricted areas and as a training aid." The maintenance-free, uncooled ThermaCAM PM575 has a range of features to meet the needs of predictive maintenance professionals.

These include 30 seconds of digital voice recording per image file and AutoSpot hot spot finder.

Fitting comfortably into the palm of the hand, this lightweight, cordless camera requires one button press to obtain perfectly adjusted thermal images.

A second button stores images to the removable PCMCIA memory card.

Long-life, no memory NiMH batteries are contained in its fully sealed internal compartment providing over two-hour of operation per battery.

To provide compatibility with Eurotunnel's network software, the ThermaCAM was supplied with FLIR's Report OLE software module.

This allows Melvin Morris and his colleagues to transfer thermal images taken in the field into report templates stored in Microsoft Word.

These documents can then be accessed via any terminal on the network.

The package also supports in-place activation of thermal analysis.

The main reason for Eurotunnel's investment in thermography was to maximise maintenance time but as Melvin Morris concludes, "We want to maintain the equipment to the best of our ability - the use of the ThermaCAM gives us that edge.".

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