History of the FLIR Si124 application: Can air leaks be visualized?
For this application story related to the FLIR Si124 industrial acoustic imaging camera, we interviewed Mr. Soichi Yagyu, president of Minalco Co., Ltd; Mr. Yamaguchi, general manager of Manufacturing; and Mr. Iwade, general manager of Operations.
FLIR: Why were you concerned about air leakage?
Mr. Yagyu: Whenever I made regular factory tours, I was concerned about the hissing sounds in the manufacturing centers. We could not identify where the air leaks were occurring, but we could hear the hissing sounds. Our Mie plant (Iga City, Mie Prefecture) uses many air compressors to generate aluminum powder. Typically, 20 to 30 percent of electricity costs are air-related in manufacturing plants. But in our case, they account for about 50 percent. Air leaks directly result in additional energy costs, so we consider measures to counteract them; but leaks are difficult to locate, as they are not visible. If air leaks occur in a quiet environment, it is possible to identify where they are by listening for them; but in the plant, large and small noises interfere with that. We understand that the FLIR Si124 could help us identify leakage points even in noisy environments. Since the air pipe networks at the Mie plant run smoothly, we knew that it would not be an easy task to completely eliminate leaks, but we wanted to address the problem.
Many air pipelines are installed in auxiliary installations as well as in main manufacturing facilities.
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Mr. Yagyu: The first thing I felt was that both use and operation are very easy. It is possible to observe the points where air leaks are suspected with the camera without any special training or knowledge.
In this inspection, we found air leaks at a point where we did not expect them, which led to the visualization of a loss in electricity costs. The positive thing about the FLIR Si124 is that it shows the number of air leaks and annual loss costs in real time, which increases our awareness of the costs at our manufacturing sites. Also, in the end it turned out that the air leakage points that we had not been able to identify were really difficult to detect by sound, which led to many new findings.
The number of leaks and the annual cost of loss displayed in real time.
Visual image of a place where air leaks can be heard.
The FLIR Si124 can easily identify leakage points that would otherwise have gone undiscovered.
Mr. Yamaguchi, General Manager (Manufacturing General Manager): In our manufacturing sites, there are places with loud ambient noises such as burners. I had some doubts about being able to find leaks with a camera that can be operated with one hand. However, when I inspected the factory with the FLIR Si124, I was surprised that we were able to detect leaks more accurately and easily than expected. The camera also sufficiently detected air leaks from distant pipes in the ceilings.
Inspection of the air pipes in the roof.
Mr. Iwade, Chief Operating Officer: When tracking pipelines with the camera, there are narrow spaces due to the presence of surrounding equipment. However, the FLIR Si124 camera can easily enter these spaces. When I learned that the Si124 was less than half the size of general acoustic cameras, I immediately felt the advantage of its compact size.
The FLIR Si124 has been designed for comfortable one-handed operation....
How reflexes appear...
Leaks can be identified with simple adjustments to the Si124, such as changing the angle or mode for better visibility.
FLIR: What would you say to someone thinking about using the FLIR Si124?
Mr. Yagyu: Since carbon neutrality is very important in recent years, the FLIR Si124 can find leaks with minimal burden to the manufacturing facility, thus reducing electricity costs and helping to reduce CO2 emissions. Seeing is believing! Why not try air leakage checks at your facility?
FLIR: Every time we team up with a client to perform an inspection, we find something new.
Mr. Yagyu: The most impressive thing this time was being able to locate leak points in pipes using the Si124 that we could not locate with sound alone. Normally, we treat reflected ultrasonic waves as subjects to exclude, but this time, we had a unique experience in finding leak points by tracing reflections. Thank you very much.
Minalco Co., Ltd.
Minalco Co., Ltd. is the only manufacturer in Japan specializing in atomized aluminum powder, established more than 104 years ago. By improving its own in-house manufacturing system for the Japanese market, Minalco has experienced an increase in demand due to the level of appreciation for the functionality offered by its products, in addition to its flexibility in terms of supply.
Soichi Yagyu, president of Minalco. Co., Ltd.
Questions and Answers
Q: How long is the average training period?
A: For operations and handling, it will take about five minutes. To use the chamber efficiently for in-situ OJT, it takes 15 to 30 minutes (for three leak points).
Q: What are the diagnostic issues?
A: It is the pipeline for air, steam, nitrogen, etc. The types of air do not matter. However, the pressure must be above a certain level (min. 0.3 Mpa or more).
Q: What about the effects on cost reduction?
A: Based on a tentative calculation with the leakage point size of 1.5 mm and at a pressure of 0.7 Mpa, about 100,000 JPY per year (72,000 JPY at 0.55 Mpa). If the leakage point size is 12 mm, the effect will be 600 000 JPY at 0.7 Mpa.
In most cases, inspecting a fabrication shop for about 30 minutes will result in five or more leak points.
FLIR Si124 video
If you need more information about the ultrasound acoustic imaging cameras, please contact our technicians by e-mail or by calling 91 159 39 78 | 93 706 36 79
Acoustic imaging with FLIR Si124
The FLIR Si124 industrial acoustic imaging camera produces an accurate acoustic image that is superimposed in real time on a digital camera image.
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FLIR Si124 acoustic camera, detects compressed air leaks and partial discharges visually.
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