Busbars play a crucial role in the electrical systems of manufacturing plants, ensuring the efficient distribution and management of electrical power. In an integrated plant, busbars are responsible for power distribution across HT lines, distribution transformers, and high-voltage equipment. Maintaining busbars in cement plants is essential for reliable power distribution and minimizing downtime.

Busbars Efficiency transfer large amounts of power from point A to B, designed for optimal heat dissipation

Challenges

Maintaining busbars in a manufacturing plant is essential for the early detection of issues such as overheating and loose connections to prevent costly failures and ensure safety. Busbars are prone to corrosion and degradation in environments full of dust and moisture. Manual thermography for inspecting busbars in cement plants presents a variety of challenges. Personnel conducting inspections may encounter safety risks due to hazards like electrical shock. Covering extensive areas manually is time-consuming and can lead to incomplete inspections, especially in large plants with multiple distribution transformers and equipment.

Continuous online monitoring of busbar temperature gives a good indication of anomalies to help teams identify issues preemptively based on thermal trends. This enables electrical teams to take timely action, which can help avert major losses, increase safety, and improve the upkeep of electrical operations. Further to that, long-term monitoring can give insights on improving design specifications of busbars based on frequency of increase in thermal trends.