Thermal imaging has become one of the most valuable diagnostic tools in industrial electrical engineering. Thermal cameras are essential diagnostic tools in industrial settings, providing critical insights into equipment health and safety. These cameras use infrared radiation and advanced technology to detect heat signatures emitted by electrical components. Selecting a thermal camera with the appropriate temperature range is important for accurate diagnostics in different industrial applications. In production-dependent environments such as food manufacturing, cold storage, pharmaceuticals, logistics and process engineering, it provides visibility into risks that cannot be detected through conventional inspection alone. This guide explains what thermal imaging reveals, why it matters, how it improves compliance, and how it prevents costly downtime.
💡 Key Insight:
Electrical systems rarely fail without warning. Heat is almost always the first sign of degradation. Thermal imaging is the only non-invasive method that shows this deterioration before it becomes a breakdown.
Why Thermal Imaging Is Now Essential in Industrial Facilities
Industrial electrical systems operate under high load, continuous duty cycles and often within temperature-sensitive environments. Over time, components heat up due to resistance, wear, contamination, overloaded circuits or poor terminations. Overheating components can lead to larger problems, such as equipment failure or fire, if not detected early. These issues cannot be seen with the naked eye and often remain undetected until a failure occurs.
Thermal imaging offers a compliant, non-contact method of analysing electrical distribution boards, control panels, MCCs, PLC cabinets, field wiring, drives, refrigeration controls, high-load industrial circuits, and the overall electrical distribution system.
⚠ Critical Warning:
Most electrical fires begin with heat build-up caused by loose terminations, overloaded circuits or degrading components. Without thermal imaging, these issues remain completely invisible during routine visual inspections.
Conducting routine checks with thermal imaging is essential to maintain safety and identify hazards early.
What Thermal Imaging Actually Reveals Inside Electrical Systems
Thermal imaging highlights temperature anomalies, known as hot spots, that indicate early-stage faults in electrical devices. By enabling condition monitoring, thermal imaging allows for regular assessment of electrical devices to detect these hot spots before failures occur. These issues can be categorised into five major groups.
1. Loose or Degrading Terminations
Loose connections are the number one cause of hotspots in control panels and distribution boards. As a termination loosens, electrical resistance increases, generating heat. Any affected electrical component can be compromised by excessive heat. If left unchecked, this leads to melting insulation, terminal failure, arcing or fire.
busbar terminations
cable lugs and gland plates
neutral and earth bars
PLC I/O terminal blocks
contactor terminals
📊 Industry Statistic:
Many panel failures investigated by engineers originated from loose or overheating terminals detected during thermal imaging surveys.
2. Overloaded Circuits
Electrical circuits operating above their designed load generate sustained heat. Thermal imaging quickly identifies whether electrical circuits, breakers, or cable groups are running hotter than expected.
In cold storage, production lines and temperature-critical environments, overloaded circuits often go unnoticed because equipment is added incrementally over time without full load assessment.
Thermal imaging is highly effective for pinpointing electrical faults in overloaded circuits before they escalate into major failures.
3. Failing Components and Control Devices
Components approaching end of life often exhibit heat patterns caused by resistance or reduced efficiency. Thermal imaging reveals:
overheating contactors and relays
failing motor starters
overloaded VSDs
faulty magnetic coils
damaged power supplies
Even a small problem, such as a slightly overheating relay, can escalate into a major failure if not addressed promptly.
Once failing components are identified, it is essential to take corrective action to resolve the issues and prevent further damage.
4. Refrigeration and Temperature-Control Failures
Thermal imaging is especially powerful in temperature-critical environments. It can identify:
compressors running hot due to electrical imbalance
control wiring with hotspots indicating phase imbalance
Short cycling of compressors increases electrical stress on starters and control circuits
Overloaded circuits due to additional equipment or incorrect design can push components beyond rated capacity
Thermal imaging is also valuable for inspecting HVAC systems, helping to detect faults and inefficiencies in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment.
Identifying and correcting these issues can improve overall energy efficiency in industrial facilities.
5. Poor Panel Design and Ventilation Issues
Panels without adequate spacing, cooling, segregation or cable management trap heat. Trapped heat energy within panels leads to accelerated component degradation. Thermal imaging helps engineers diagnose root causes, including overheating VSDs, densely packed wiring or expired cooling fans.
❗ Important Engineering Note:
Heat inside panels accelerates component degradation. A hotspot of only 10°C above design temperature can halve a component’s expected lifespan.
The colour spectrum in thermal images allows engineers to quickly identify hotspots and temperature differences, making it easier to pinpoint areas of concern.
Why Visual Inspection Alone Is Not Enough
Visual checks are essential, but they do not reveal internal resistance, hidden degradation or thermal imbalance. Unlike a standard visual camera, which captures images visible to the human eye, a thermal imager detects heat signatures invisible to the naked eye. Thermal imaging bridges this gap by providing engineering-grade data on how electrical systems behave under load.
Unlike normal inspection:
thermal imaging requires no shutdown
it captures real-time operation under genuine load
it identifies issues invisible to physical inspection
it provides temperature baselines for lifecycle monitoring
Compliance Requirements Linked to Thermal Imaging
Thermal imaging supports compliance across multiple industrial standards and regulatory frameworks. While not always mandatory, it is increasingly expected in high-risk sectors where uptime and safety are critical.
BS7671: helps demonstrate safe operation and detect overheating conductors or terminations. Thermal imaging also supports electrical inspections required by many standards.
BS EN 60204-1: supports safe electrical equipment of machinery by identifying degradation inside control panels.
PUWER: aligns with requirements to maintain equipment in safe condition.
Insurance Requirements: insurers increasingly require thermal surveys for renewal in cold storage and manufacturing.
Audit Readiness: provides evidence of proactive risk management, and a digital image generated by thermal imaging offers clear documentation for audits.
📘 Definition: Thermal Non-Contact Diagnosis
A diagnostic method that uses infrared imaging to detect abnormal temperature variations in electrical and mechanical systems without direct physical contact.
How Thermal Imaging Prevents Breakdowns
Breakdowns rarely occur without early warning. Thermal anomalies typically appear weeks or months before failure. Early detection through thermal imaging enables proactive maintenance, allowing teams to schedule inspections, lubrication, and parts replacement to prevent breakdowns. These patterns highlight the root cause early enough for planned maintenance, not emergency repair.
1. Detecting Early-Stage Faults Before Component Failure
Loose terminals, degrading components and insulation failure all generate heat signatures before they trigger protective devices or visible symptoms, allowing engineers to monitor the condition of terminals and components over time.
2. Reducing Unplanned Downtime
Thermal imaging integrates directly with preventive maintenance so repairs can be incorporated into scheduled maintenance windows, allowing them to be scheduled during planned downtime, night shifts, or seasonal production gaps.
3. Extending Lifespan of Assets
Lower operating temperature equals longer component life. Modern facilities use thermal imaging as part of their lifecycle management to reduce replacement cost and improve reliability, and timely parts replacements based on thermal imaging findings can further extend asset life.
✅ Case Example:
Engineers detected a hotspot on a refrigeration compressor contactor in a cold store. Repair was done in minimal time. If left, it would have caused a full compressor shutdown, risking a large amount of stock loss.
How JBB Engineers Conduct Thermal Imaging Surveys
A high-quality thermal survey follows structured engineering methodology. JBB’s process reflects the Assess → Modernise → Protect → Prevent → Support framework.
Findings from thermal imaging surveys can be integrated into a facility's pm program, allowing for organized tracking and scheduling of maintenance actions as part of ongoing preventive maintenance management.
📋 JBB Thermal Imaging Survey Framework
Assess – Survey panels, MCCs, distribution boards, drives and field wiring under full load.
Modernise – Recommend corrective actions or infrastructure upgrades based on findings.
Protect – Improve cable management, ventilation, cooling, surge protection and documentation.
Prevent – Integrate results into preventive maintenance and periodic maintenance schedules, as well as ongoing thermal comparison.
Support – Provide reports, guidance, and engineering follow-up for compliance and uptime.
Engineering Steps During a Thermal Survey
👉 Step 1: System Load Verification
Panels must be energised and operating under typical load for accurate thermal patterns.
👉 Step 2: Capture and Analyse Infrared Data
Infrared images are captured at multiple angles to remove reflective anomalies and ensure accurate readings across all conductors and components.
👉 Step 3: Identify Thermal Anomalies
Engineers compare temperature differences across phases, terminals, devices, and circuits. Any point >10°C above reference triggers investigation.
👉 Step 4: Root Cause Analysis
JBB engineers determine whether the cause is load imbalance, loose termination, component failure, poor ventilation or wiring degradation.
👉 Step 5: Recommendations & Lifecycle Report
A formal report documents hotspots, compliance considerations, corrective actions, and future preventive steps.
Integrating Thermal Imaging Into Preventive Maintenance
Thermal imaging is most effective when part of a structured preventive maintenance programme. Combined with periodic inspections, testing and lifecycle monitoring, it becomes a powerful uptime strategy.
annual thermal imaging surveys for all high-load panels
pre-peak season checks for refrigeration systems
quarterly monitoring for plants with rapid load changes
snapshots after new equipment installations
baseline comparisons after shutdowns or major repairs
☑ Preventive Maintenance Actions
tighten and inspect all control wiring
replace degraded terminals or components
validate panel cooling and ventilation
review PLC panel wiring and I/O terminations
update documentation and lifecycle records
When Should a Facility Use Thermal Imaging?
Thermal imaging should be deployed when risks, load conditions or compliance requirements indicate early-stage degradation is likely. The following scenarios indicate immediate need.
increasing nuisance tripping or unexplained alarms
ageing control panels with limited documentation
expanding production lines or recent equipment additions
temperature-critical products requiring audit-ready logs
insurance requirements for high-risk sectors
recurring electrical smells or heat near panels
When implementing thermal imaging electrical systems, potential challenges such as scheduling inspections and allocating sufficient resources should be considered. Additionally, budget constraints may affect how frequently or extensively thermal imaging surveys can be conducted.
ℹ Engineering Note:
Even well-maintained systems develop thermal anomalies over time. Annual surveys are the most cost-effective method of maintaining compliance and protecting uptime.
How Modern Systems Improve Reliability Using Thermal Data
Modern PLC, SCADA and control panel systems integrate thermal insights into a broader reliability strategy, playing a vital role in modern industrial maintenance. This integration reduces costs by minimising downtime and expensive repairs and helps control overall equipment maintenance costs. Using thermal imaging as part of these reliability strategies can also improve safety for personnel and assets by identifying issues before they become hazardous. This enhances both safety and operational performance.
SCADA trend analysis reveals load drift and imbalance
PLC diagnostics highlight electrical issues before failure
critical spares strategy is optimised based on thermal stress
preventive maintenance schedules adjust dynamically
energy optimisation identifies overworking components
FAQs
What risks does this issue create?
Thermal anomalies indicate early-stage faults that can lead to fire, insulation failure, equipment shutdown, or total loss of production. Early detection prevents catastrophic failures.
How does compliance affect this?
Thermal imaging supports compliance with BS7671, BS EN 60204-1, PUWER and insurance audit readiness by identifying unsafe operating temperatures and documenting preventive action.
What preventive measures should be taken?
Facilities should implement annual thermal surveys, tighten and inspect wiring, replace hotspots, verify cooling, review load distribution and maintain accurate lifecycle documentation.
How do modern systems improve reliability?
Modern systems use thermal data for diagnostics, energy optimisation, predictive maintenance and identifying electrical stress before failure. This significantly improves uptime and safety.
Next Step: Request a Compliance & Breakdown Prevention Assessment
If your facility relies on industrial electrical systems, thermal imaging is one of the most effective methods to reveal unseen risks. JBB’s Compliance & Breakdown Prevention Assessment combines thermal imaging with lifecycle analysis, compliance review and preventive maintenance planning.
Request a Compliance & Breakdown Prevention Assessment today to protect your electrical infrastructure and reduce downtime risk.
