The Expert Speaks: How FLIR 80° IR Lenses Make Data Centers Safer & Save Money

Infrared windows improve safety, but the lens you choose for the IR window will also enhance the safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of electrical cabinet inspections.

By Rob Milner

Electrical cabinets present a few challenges that maintenance teams must work around. When electrical connections and components break down, the result is typically unplanned downtime, costly repairs, and production loss.

The potential loss from malfunctioning electrical power and control systems, along with regulatory requirements such as NFPA 70B, means facilities must perform inspections on a regular basis, but such inspections pose inherent safety issues.

Since thermal cameras visualize heat, equipment must be energized and operating under normal load conditions during thermography surveys. But opening electrical panel doors or covers increases the risk of an arc flash or electrocution for the personnel involved.

Arc Flash Quick Facts

  • As many as 7,000 injuries per year in the USA are caused by arc flash, with up to 20,000 more injuries where arc flash is a contributor.
  • 480 V equipment is just as likely to cause arc flash injury as all medium and high voltage equipment combined.
  • NFPA 70B requires all electrical equipment to have thermography scanning performed at least annually.
  • Removing panel covers is a major cause of arc flash incidents.
  • Arc flash energy often greatly exceeds NFPA 70E Category 4 PPE rating of 40 cal/cm2.
  • Infrared windows provide a safe way to scan electrical components without removing panel covers.

Data Center Challenge:

Improving Electrical Inspection Safety

One way to avoid the risks associated with electrical cabinet inspections at data centers—or, really, any large facility—is to install infrared windows on critical assets.

Infrared windows, also known as IRW or IR Windows, allow thermal energy to pass through a semi-transparent material, while infrared ports use an engineered hole. Both allow thermographers to see internal cabinet components while remaining safe behind a protective barrier.

This installation creates an easier inspection for 480 V and above cabinets and reduces the level of personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to conduct the inspection.

Ports and windows are easy to install and feature a permanent, hinged cover that flips open effortlessly, so there are no loose parts to drop, mix up, or lose.

Why IR Windows make sense

  • One large facility saved 528 man-hours (95%) of skilled-trade inspection time by conducting IR surveys of switchgear using infrared windows instead of removing panel covers.

  • A 300-asset survey will save approximately $62,000 per year in labor after installing ports or windows.

  • Increasing survey frequency from annually to quarterly, made possible by IRW installation, can improve Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of equipment by over 50x.

FLIR's round IR window series includes 2-, 3-, and 4-inch crystal diameter sizes. (25, 50, 75 mm).

IR windows are a great solution for mitigating the risks of electrical inspections, but without the right lens, their use can limit a user’s field of view. This could mean that in order to gain sufficient inspection coverage across a series of wide cabinets, the facility may have to install hundreds of IR windows. Even a one-inch diameter difference in window selection has huge cost ramifications. FLIR’s 80° lens enhances an IR window’s field of view (FOV) and comes without impacting budget.

Using the 80° lens along with the IRP-1 port or small, 2-inch IRW will achieve a similar or better cabinet interior view than using a 4-inch IRW, while greatly saving capital cost.

Comparison of standard (24°), wide (42°) and ultra-wide (80°) lens images taken of a hot fuse through an infrared window. The 80° lens provides exceptional scene context even in tight spaces. Note conductor in upper right corner with slight temperature elevation which is not visible in the narrower lens images.

We can use the MSRP for the IRP-1, 2-inch and 3-inch IR windows to immediately see the savings this wide-angle lens presents. Let’s say a hypothetical company needs to install 300 IR windows.

Option A: Installing 300 3-inch IR windows at a cost of $374 per window

$0

Option B: Installing 300 2-inch IR windows at a cost of $254 per window

$0

Option C: Installing 300 IRP-1 ports at a cost of $129 per window

$0

FLIR 80° Lens and IRP-1 Inspection Port. FLIR IRP-1 is a port with a hole diameter corresponding to the maximum allowed by UL in specification UL 50 V.

The hypothetical company could then use its savings to purchase a 640 × 480 FLIR T-Series camera with Routing & Reference Image along with a FLIR Thermal Studio license for $26,500, plus an additional 80° lens for their camera for $5,000.

FLIR T-Series with 80° Lens and IRW-2C window

Now the purchase comparison looks like this:

Option A: Installing 300 3-inch IR windows at a cost of $374 per window

$0

Option B: Installing 300 2-inch IR windows at a cost of $254 per window + professional reporting software + premium thermal camera + ultra-wide angle lens

$0

Option C: Installing 300 IRP-1 ports at a cost of $129 per window + professional reporting software + premium thermal camera + ultra wide-angle lens

$0

Even with the additional purchases, options 2 and 3 allow the company to have sufficient coverage of their critical assets and buy a new FLIR T-Series camera, reporting and analysis software, and an ultra-wide-angle lens—all at a lower cost than option 1.

Regardless of the infrared window or port option chosen, annual savings based purely on technician time saved on an annual inspection is likely to be over $60,000, according to our return on investment calculator, which does not factor in costs associated with injury, production, and reputational impacts.

Total cost to install and inspect 300 assets, not including any new thermography camera purchase. Source: FLIR IR Window Return on Investment Calculator.

When purchasing IR windows for your facility, consider not just the size of the windows themselves, but also ways you can empower your thermography program. FLIR Routing with Reference image functionality, embedded within all Exx, T5xx and T8xx series cameras, enables you to simplify your work instructions while speeding up your report generation time and report quality.

Citations:

  1. 10 Years and 10,000 IR Thermography Surveys By CNA Thermographers, John Whitmer, CAN. Inframation 2015-012.
  2. OSHA arc-flash injury data analysis. IEEE, 2012.
  3. How Common are Arc Flash Incidents? | Tyndale USA
  4. https://www.vertiv.com/49be24/globalassets/shared/the-effect-of-regular-skilled-preventive-maintenance-and-remote-monitoring-on-critical-power-system-reliability-.pdf
  5. FLIR IRP-1 & IR Window return on investment calculator