Few things are more exciting for me than finding a thermal anomaly I have never seen before or one I cannot quickly figure out its cause. Well, there may be a couple other things I find exciting, but those are for a different blog!
I have been involved with infrared for some time and I’ve seen hundreds (possibly thousands) of images focusing on hot electrical connections, bearings and thermal patterns on building walls. These images bring on the same emotion I get from my morning bowl of oatmeal. It’s needed, but not exciting.
In image #1, you can see what appears to be a couple of hot spots on a power pole cross member. This thermal anomaly is one I had never seen before and I’ve not seen again. This image was taken without the sun’s influence. Therefore, I can only assume it to be tracking on the wood cause by a damaged or dirty insulator.
In Image #2, a localized hot spot can be seen on an insulator. Although this type of anomaly isn’t what I would classify as rare, it isn’t all that common either. The conditions must be right to allow this anomaly to be detected. This hot spot could be due to tracking or even corona.
Image #3 displays a buildup of heat in a very low-speed chain sprocket. This sprocket was operating at around 5 or 6 RPMs. The temperature difference was around 1.5 degrees between the two sprockets. It’s not often abnormal temperatures can be detected when rotational speeds are low. The stars had to be in alignment for this one!
Last, but not least, is image #4. I found this in a hotel located in a small town in Texas. After a long day of traveling, I was happy to see this device! The image should not need any explanation of what it is. Do you know what the “Bleep" caused the abnormal temperatures? If you’ve seen this before, or know the answer post it as a comment to my blog.
