Sonascreen IR is expected to offer a simple way to spot and troubleshoot maintenance problems. A thermal mode is said to deliver performance increases compared to other regular acoustic cameras.
Sonascreen IR localises sound sources using beamforming. It visualises complex acoustic information in colour in real-time. The camera provides acoustic feedback via industrial headphones making ultrasound audible and visible. The solution enables users to track operating conditions over time during regular inspections of the systems and identify deviating measured values in order to initiate further investigations. This means users can detect weak points or damages at the earliest stage.
According to Sonotec, preventative maintenance with Sonascreen IR is the most efficient way to prevent unplanned downtime as it helps to extend the life of critical assets and improve the equipment performance.
The device can detect compressed air and gas leaks as well as electrical partial discharges due to the selective localisation of the sound sources on the live image. In addition, the user receives the acoustic feedback via ear protection headphones. As a result, they also see and hear inaudible ultrasonic sources and can, for example, distinguish compressed air leaks from other sound sources. With the additional infrared camera, electrical partial discharges in particular can be further characterised. The acoustic camera can find partial discharges at an early stage and use software to differentiate between corona and surface discharge. The thermal imaging sensor is integrated into the device and can be used to determine on site whether the identified fault already has an increased heat signature, which is evidence of an advanced fault condition.
Sonascreen IR lets users detect and distinguish between corona, tracking and arcing stages. It can be used for high, medium and low voltage applications, to test open or closed electrical systems, and to test control cabinets, switch boxes, relays, transformers and insulators. The device is designed to detect partial discharges in the ultrasonic range at the earliest stage. Sonascreen IR is claimed to ensure the reliability and safety of equipment and recognise typical characteristics of partial discharges in the spectrogram. Users can display multiple partial discharges in one image.
The device is said to help users save energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It enables them to visualise leakages in a spectrogram, adjust bandpass filter and dynamic range, display multiple leakages in one image and filter out interfering sound or ultrasound in industrial environments. This makes Sonascreen IR suitable for supporting users in their energy audits. A free software for leakage loss assessment and report generation in Excel and PDF formats comes with the device and helps users to have all results in one place. Sonascreen IR helps to reduce the cost of electricity for compressed air to compensate for the exorbitant increase in electricity prices.