Comparing CoroCAM 504 and Infrared Camera P660

Seasons Greetings,

I am a Level 2 Infrared Technician, have sold infrared cameras for 15 years and co-authored the Corona Technology Course and for the past 10 years am the North American distributor of the CoroCAM 504 and am also a dealer for Infrared Cameras Inc. infrared cameras.

An infrared camera looks at the heat emitted by everything, thus in the hands of a knowledgeable, trained infrared technician because of the emissivity (heat radiating and reflecting) of aluminum which transmission and distribution conductors are made of the temperature or relative (phase to phase comparision) temperature of components with about the same load can be compared or measured with less then normal temperature accuracy, due to variables such as wind, sun, angle viewed from, ... Pixels in the infrared detector (now 640x480 array) is the best choice for transmission and also a 70 to 100mm lens to help with zoom. The idea is to get as many pixels as possible on the object being viewed for best thermal accuracy. I recommend the ICI Prodigy 640 Pro or the DuraCam 320 Pro and if you are going to be driving the lines consider the X32 unit for pan & tilt and get remote control for the cameras.

A daylight corona camera (CoroCAM 504) looks at ultraviolet light in the solar-blind or UV wavelengths, the camera is looking for corona activity which causes the nitrogen in the air to change state and emit UV light. The UV light can also be present and very strong due to arcing, corona presents a weak UV signal.

The corona and arcing actually emit light across the entire spectrum from UV thru infrared but corona emits strongest at 320nm wavelength (visible is about 540 to 700 for color) at night we can also see corona light, the blue glow on a wire or insulator.

Thus to answer your specific question, in putting together a electrical inspection program look at my website www.specialcamera.com and the www.infraredcamerasinc.com website to select an infrared camera, then go back to my website and look at the Syntronics CoronaFinder (www.syntronics.com) which is a low-light corona viewer.

I recommend low-light inspection of distribution or transmission voltages to eliminate reflection and other problems during daylight inspection. If the transmission inspection is to be flown from a helicopter look at the CoroCAM 504 or the MultiCAM on my website.

I also have the Corona Technology Course ($250US) which is on DVD and was presented as a 2-day course to explain corona, corona inspection and methods to prevent corona.

Any questions please contact me - cameras@maqs.net

Thanks a lot for your reply…I will be back again after I review your reply

Thanks again

Hi again

Let me ask this question:-as you know the corona is very harmful for silicon rubber insulator

How the CoronaCam504 help us to protect the insulator specially for Extra High Voltage like 380 kv line Considering the line in coastal area?

The CoroCAM 504 will identify insulators that are contaminated or have defects that are causing corona, corona on an NCI eventually becomes arcing which destroys the jacket and inner fiberglass rod on the insulator resulting in the line dropping when the insulator is too weak to hold the line.

The time to failure, if corona is present at the fitting on the hot end of an NCI at installation it may take 10 years to failure, versus the expected life span of 60 to 80 years for an NCI.

If corona results due to contamination, and the contamination is washed off by fresh water rains every couple weeks it may last a very long time.

If the coastal salt contamination is refreshed by salt fogs frequently or not washed by rain then the salt build-up can create numerous corona areas on an NCI, the most likely to "grow" into a problem are near the ends.

Road salt and sea salt fogs can create corona, flash-over, arcing and outages on NCI or ceramic insulators.

The corona, flash-over and arcing are all visible with the CoroCAM 504.

Thanks for your fast reply, another question please:-

1-did there's a deferent between seeing corona in the night by (binocular) without using CoroCAM 504 and the day corona which can be seen only by CoroCAM 504?

2-after we discover the corona by CoroCAM 504, what will be the recommendations for treatment to avoid insulator failed ?

Regards