Electrical failures in high-voltage systems rarely originate from a single cause, often developing through fundamentally different pathways of deterioration. While thermal (IR) imaging is an essential tool for identifying temperature rises associated with current flow and resistive losses, integrating it with complementary technologies provides a more complete diagnostic picture. This presentation explores how Infrared (IR), Ultraviolet (UV), and visual (RGB) imaging seamlessly coexist within a comprehensive inspection ecosystem.

Because each technology responds to a different trigger, they reveal different dimensions of equipment condition without competing. UV imaging detects voltage-related discharge activity, such as corona, which can appear long before measurable heating develops. Meanwhile, RGB visual inspection adds crucial physical context, documenting mechanical damage, installation irregularities, and surface contamination.

Through a series of real-world field examples and case studies, we will demonstrate how this combined approach works in practice. The session will highlight various scenarios where concurrent UV, IR, and RGB findings successfully identified overlapping degradation mechanisms and linked electrical anomalies to the physical state of the asset.

Attendees will learn how correlating findings across IR, UV, and RGB improves diagnostic confidence and helps determine the dominant failure mechanism at the time of inspection.

This presentation explores the application of infrared thermal imaging as a diagnostic tool for identifying radiant heat damage to adjacent vessels resulting from marine fires. Focus is placed on the interpretation of thermographic data collected from live-burn simulations and controlled testing environments, in which fiberglass-composite vessels were subjected to various flame exposures, radiant heat, and fully engulfed fire modes. These tests were conducted to evaluate temperature propagation, material response, and thermal thresholds associated with damage mechanisms such as interlaminar separation (laminate delamination), laminate-to-core disbonding, and surface oxidation.

Utilizing active thermography, temperature measurements were captured using high-resolution imagers with proper calibration, including adjustment for emissivity, reflected ambient temperature, and thermal tuning. The study emphasizes the importance of correct imaging technique, surface preparation, and environmental control to ensure reliable thermal interpretation. Case studies include post-incident evaluations where adjacent vessels—though not directly involved in combustion—exhibited latent thermal damage detectable only through infrared inspection.

The findings demonstrate that thermal imaging, when applied using standardized methodology, offers a non-destructive, reliable means of detecting heat-related structural anomalies, enabling more informed repair decisions, insurance evaluations, and risk assessments following marina or dockside fire events.

This presentation explores the critical intersection of material science, transient heat flow, and evaporative dynamics to pinpoint optimal windows for exterior thermal imaging. Standard "post-sunset" guidelines are often insufficient for complex modern envelopes. This session will equip thermographers with more advanced thermodynamic frameworks needed to match specific facade materials with their ideal weather conditions, ensuring maximum thermal contrast during thermal inspections.

Key Topics Covered:

• High-Mass Dynamics: Strategies for leveraging the significant thermal capacitance of porous claddings—such as brick veneer and traditional stucco—to exploit their delayed, prolonged diagnostic windows well after solar unloading.
• Low-Mass Rapid Transitions: Techniques for capturing the near-instantaneous environmental reactions of low-mass systems, like fiber cement (Hardie panel) and the outer lamina of EIFS, before their brief thermal signatures normalize with ambient temperatures.
• Weather as a Catalyst: How to actively use specific environmental shifts—such as brief solar loading on damp walls followed by rapid shading—to trigger evaporative cooling and force moisture anomalies to aggressively reveal themselves on camera.

What does a Reliability Engineer’s Day really look like? It’s not spent behind a desk—or entirely in the field—but in the constant movement between both. This presentation walks through a realistic, fast-paced day in the life of a modern Reliability Engineer, where condition monitoring data, unexpected equipment issues, staffing challenges and strategic planning all compete for attention.

From early-morning data reviews and thermography inspections to troubleshooting abnormal vibration trends while collaborating with operations on critical assets, attendees will see how decisions are made in real time. The role demands more than technical skill — it requires prioritization, communication, and the ability to turn complex data into clear action. Whether responding to emerging failures or building long-term reliability strategies, every hour carries impact.

Grounded in experience with United States Navy operations, power generation, and global industrial environments with Amentum, this presentation brings an authentic, boots-on-the-ground perspective. Including how predictive technologies like thermography, ultrasound, and vibration analysis are integrated into daily workflows to prevent downtime and drive performance.

If you’ve ever wondered how reliability actually plays out beyond theory, this session delivers a candid, relatable look at the challenges—and rewards—of the role.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the typical daily activities, challenges, and responsibilities of a Reliability Engineer.
• Understand how condition monitoring data is prioritized and acted upon in real time
• Recognize the importance of communication and collaboration across teams
• Identify how daily tasks connect to long-term reliability and asset performance goals

Diagnosing the root cause of building environmental biotoxins with thermography begins with understanding microclimates through the lens of building science. It also requires understanding specific biotoxins—why they are formed, what drives them, and how they present within a structure.

These are hidden, localized environments within a structure that clients and patients cannot see, nor during normal thermography investigation. Yet they are often the primary source of exposure and illness. In this presentation, we explain what microclimates are and why they act as a biotoxin reservoir in nearly every building. In several cases, they cause more mold and toxin damage than even obvious issues like roof leaks.  We will discuss why micro climates from a building science mechanism standpoint combined with medical exposure, allow these environments to form and persist.  We also identify which biotoxin and mold species are driven by these conditions.
 
Using thermography and thermal anomalies, we reveal what cannot be seen. This allows us to pinpoint hidden vapor, condensation, and humidity patterns—and the resulting biotoxin activity. You will learn how to better understand what is harming clients, especially those who are medically sensitive. You will also gain the ability to confidently locate where and why toxins are formed, even when there are no visible signs.

Last year’s conversation around “Digital PTSD” focused on lost access, vendor lock-in, and systems that couldn’t be managed or recovered.

But the problem has evolved.

Today, many businesses are operating on what can best be described as a “Frankenstein Stack”—a mix of platforms, tools, and now AI, all stitched together over time. Content is created inside apps, systems are connected across multiple services, and critical parts of the business often live in places that are difficult to see, manage, or move.

In this session, Anthony Romano explores how these invisible dependencies are forming, including the rise of tool-based assets—things that only exist inside the platforms used to create them—and why they introduce a different kind of risk.

This is not a technical deep dive. It’s a practical look at how to better understand where your business actually lives, what you truly control, and how to avoid getting stuck when something changes.

This presentation will use several case studies to illustrate the use of vibration
analysis to support root-cause analysis studies. Sensors used in vibration analysis
will be discussed including accelerometers and velocity transducers to measure
vibration, precision data microphones for sound studies and dynamic pressure
transducers for pulsation studies. Time waveform, frequency spectral analysis
and natural frequency testing techniques will be reviewed. Case studies will
include:

• Transformer Noise Transmits through Floor to Conference Room Below.
• Axial Fan Failure at a Nuclear Power Plant.
• Excessive Vibration leads to Coupling Failures in a Pump

The use of thermal imaging cameras in the fire service has become more commonplace. However, there exists an unseen and often neglected area of discussion regarding these valuable life saving devices.
NIOSH produces line-of-duty death reports when a firefighter is killed to help provide recommendations to the fire service in how to prevent these tragedies. However, one contributing factor remains consistent: The misuse or lack of thermal imaging use during firefighting. This presentation will list and discuss previous incidents where firefighters tragically died, and where the use or misuse of thermal imaging cameras was mentioned in these reports. The data will also share how thermal imaging technology and the education of these devices has not been prioritized nor standardized in this industry. A summary of recommendations and additional resources will be shared with those in attendance to assist local fire departments in their areas as means to assist with resolving this issue in the fire service.

There is a reason why insurance underwriters, code officials, risk managers, property management companies, and corporations in general have developed an interest in thermal infrared surveying of electrical equipment maintenance in buildings – It improves safety and saves downtime! This does not mean there are no risks associated with IR surveying. Risk managers are promoting IR surveys, but at the same time pushing back on IR thermography programs, particularly opening switchgear while it is operating.

NFPA 70B was written by National Fire Protection Association and covers electrical equipment maintenance in industrial plants, institutional and commercial buildings, and large multi-family residential complexes.  Since 1973, NFPA 70B has been a non-mandatory, but recommended practice. But as of 2023, NFPA 70B is now a standard, and its provisions are mandatory once an authority having jurisdiction (typically a state, city, or municipality) formally adopts it. This standard then becomes law and building owners are required to follow it. NFPA 70B does detail some IR thermography-related issues such as frequency of inspections, documentation, training and certification of the thermographer and IR equipment calibration.

If you are a building owner, you are ultimately responsible for safety in your workplace. Code compliance may be more complicated than one might think. For instance, to comply with NFPA 70B, with respect to Thermal IR Imaging…

1. You need to have an IR survey of all electrical gear on (at least) an annual basis.
   
2. To accomplish the IR survey, the survey team must know what PPE that they need to wear.
   
3. To know the proper PPE, there needs to be a label on the switchgear with the arc flash rating.
   
4. To get the arc flash rating, you must have performed an arc flash survey.
   
5. For an electrical engineer to do the arc flash survey calculation, you need updated one-line diagrams.
   
6. To make updated on-line diagrams, you need to hire an electrical engineer to review the drawings

This presentation picks up where two previous papers by this author left off about risk and IR surveying. For an electrical IR thermographer, it promises to be very important and interesting presentation.