Infrared Windows

National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) specification NFPA 70E establishes guidelines for safe work practices around live electrical components. This is changing how thermographers can conduct thermal inspections of low, medium and high voltage electrical equipment.

Infrared Windows help Predictive Maintenance (PdM) thermographers comply with NFPA 70E by allowing them to scan the electrical equipment without opening or removing covers of electrical enclosures.

Scanning without opening enclosures greatly reduces the risk of Arc Flash, it makes inspection faster, and takes away many of the triggers of an arc flash.

The first Element of any risk assessment is the adoption of the hierarchy of control whose first principal is to ELIMINATE RISK. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) should always be considered as a last resort.

IRISS Infrared windows are used to remove the risk to thermographers by ensuring that they are never exposed to energized electrical equipment while inspecting equipment, therefore ensuring safe IR inspections of electrical switchgear. Additionally the use of this type of inspection methodology means that the switchgear always remains shut during the inspection eliminating 99.9% of the causes of arc flash.

The IRISS VPFR range of IR windows were designed to eradicate the two main failure modes of traditional IR windows using crystal lenses, breakage from impact and loss of function from water ingress. The IR2 lens system used in the VPFR range has the same IR transmission as traditional IR crystals with none of the inherent weaknesses, also the lens system is a fraction of the price of crystals making IR windows a much more cost effective solution that they have ever been.

The first Element of any risk assessment is the adoption of the hierarchy of control whose first principal is to ELIMINATE RISK. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) should always be considered as a last resort.

IRISS Infrared windows are used to remove the risk to thermographers by ensuring that they are never exposed to energized electrical equipment while inspecting equipment, therefore ensuring safe IR inspections of electrical switchgear. Additionally the use of this type of inspection methodology means that the switchgear always remains shut during the inspection eliminating 99.9% of the causes of arc flash.

The IRISS VPFR range of IR windows were designed to eradicate the two main failure modes of traditional IR windows using crystal lenses, breakage from impact and loss of function from water ingress. The IR2 lens system used in the VPFR range has the same IR transmission as traditional IR crystals with none of the inherent weaknesses, also the lens system is a fraction of the price of crystals making IR windows a much more cost effective solution that they have ever been.

IRISS Infrared Windows can be ordered with any of 8 different infrared transmissive materials. These Materials Include Germanium, Zinc Selenide, Sapphire, IR Glass, IR Polymer, Barium Fluoride, Calcium Fluoride. Most of these are used for special purpose applications and research. For predictive maintenance applications three materials are typically used, Calcium Fluoride, Barium Fluoride and IR Polymer.

Regardless of IR Transmissive material the windows are UL Listed, IP 65 Rated, and have received Lloyds of London Type approval.

Please call 1.800.281.0650 or contact us to consult with our applications specialists.