Thermography in low voltage systems: Electrical panels and transformers

This research aims to evaluate the efficiency of thermography as a tool for the detection of faults in low voltage electrical networks. For this, a thermovisor was used in several equipment, such as panels, transformers and capacitor banks, to locate possible thermal anomalies. Two analyzes were made: one qualitative and the other quantitative. The first is based on the investigation between an adjacent element and the suspicious element and a definition of criticality, in which actions are taken to correct failures. The quantitative analysis aims at improving a definition of criticality where possible, such as not identifying the thermal emissivity of the materials involved that are not identified by the electric currents of the circuits. In addition, for the cases studied, a criticality comparison was made between the two methods.