About Acoustic Cameras
Acoustic Cameras have been developed to minimise excess utility costs, equipment failures and downtime.
- Locate pressurised leaks in compressed air systems up to 10 times faster than traditional methods
- Locate partial discharge or corona precisely
Optimal Number of Microphones
In the pursuit of quieter noises, more is better. This is because a single microphone, while capable of picking up sound (signal), also creates a small amount of sound itself (noise). Adding more microphones improves the signal-to-noise ratio, allowing an acoustic camera to pick up more sound without noise interference.
Sound Detection Range
Adding just the right number of microphones to an acoustic camera can also improve the chances of picking up very quiet noises from a long distance. For example, quadrupling the number of microphones can double the sound detection range.
Microphone Placement
The placement of microphones helps an acoustic camera determine the direction and location of sounds. Microphones need to be grouped closely together to ensure they collect enough data to correctly determine from what direction they originated.
Who Could Benefit from Acoustic Cameras
(model dependent)
Pulp Paper Industry
Energy expenses are a significant portion of total production costs in the pulp and paper industry and can account for up to 20% of total manufacturing costs. Compressed air leaks can result in energy waste, reduced productivity, and increased operating costs, so it is imperative to address these leaks through proactive measures such as regular system maintenance, timely repairs of leaks, and the implementation of advanced leak detection technologies. Acoustic cameras locate pressurised leaks in compressed air systems up to 10 times faster than traditional methods.
Food and Beverage Industry
Compressed air is used in almost every production process in the food and beverage industry. Undetected leaks can lead to serious consequences, such as contamination of products, reduced efficiency, increased downtime, and food safety risks, which makes using effective predictive maintenance tools absolutely critical.
Acoustic cameras can detect and pinpoint minute leaks at long distances, even in areas with noisy machinery. This makes acoustic cameras ideal for large food and beverage manufacturing plants.
Automotive Industry
Automotive manufacturing and diagnostics involve many processes that use pneumatic systems with compressed air such as metal casting, metal working, tool making, CNC machines, assembly lines, sandblasting and car paint booths, all vulnerable to leaks. Common weak points in the equipment include the likes of valves, pipes, hoses, connectors and tools. Furthermore, automotive manufacturing and repair facilities are typically noisy environments, which makes locating compressed air leaks extremely challenging and an acoustic cameras provides the perfect solution.
Mining Industry
Condition monitoring and streamlined processes with enhanced safety is important for the mining industry. A critical component in mining operations is air compressors, which power various drilling methods, provide ventilation, and operate a multitude of tools in both underground and open pit mines. However, compressed air systems often face challenges, such as leaks that lead to increased energy costs and reduced equipment efficiency, affecting overall productivity and safety. The acoustic cameras provides the perfect solution in this challenging environment.
Manufacturing
Tire manufacturing: Nitrogen, steam and compressed air are widely used in the tire manufacturing process. In the curing phase, steam is used to implement 8 bar pressure to liquify rubber compounds - and nitrogen is used for applying 24 bar pressure to shape the tire. If predefined pressure cannot be applied, the tire cannot pass the quality checks and is separated as waste. Beside the production losses, recycling the waste tire is also another source of additional cost.
Cement manufacturing: This process involves several phases where the process temperature needs to reach up to 2000 °C. These high temperatures result in equipment deformation, making it very likely for leaks to appear in various locations. These leaks decrease process temperature, which in turn increase coal or gas consumption to compensate for the temperature drop.
Book a demonstration today to see how an acoustic camera can help with your manufacturing costs.
Utilities
Quickly locate partial discharge (PD) with acoustic imaging increase reliability of transmission/distribution systems .
For many years utility companies have been performing partial discharge (PD) measurements on high-voltage electric equipment. PD is an indicator of insulation deterioration that can lead to equipment failures or even worse a catastrophic incident. With traditional ultrasonic solutions, the systems can be large and cumbersome and the inspection reports usually need to be analysed by an acoustic engineer. Given this, inspections can become less frequent, leaving equipment like motors, generators, switchgear and transformers vulnerable to PD related issues.
Acoustic cameras, or the ability to see ultrasonic sound, has emerged as an effective method utility organisations use to locate the existence of partial discharge (PD). It enables professionals to conduct more frequent predictive maintenance routines, helping provide a crucial first warning of impending electrical failure that could lead to downtime of critical systems.
If you have any questions contact our friendly team today - experts are here to advise on the full range of acoustic cameras.