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ULTRASONIC CONDITION MONITORING
DETECT ELECTRICAL DEFECTS BEFORE FAILURE OCCURS
MET Group Sonic Trace™ is our advanced ultrasonic condition-monitoring service, designed to help identify hidden and developing electrical defects before they progress into equipment failure, unplanned outages or costly disruption.
Electrical faults can begin developing long before visible damage or a significant temperature rise occurs. Sonic Trace uses specialist ultrasonic technology to detect abnormal high-frequency sound signatures associated with electrical discharge and developing defects within energised electrical equipment.
SONIC TRACE™ APPLICATIONS
SPECIALIST BUSBAR CONDITION MONITORING
Busbar systems are a key application for Sonic Trace. Busbar trunking contains multiple joints, connections and tap-off points, many of which are enclosed and cannot be directly inspected while the system is energised.
Sonic Trace allows MET Group engineers to survey the busbar route and investigate individual busbar joints, tap-off units, connection points and termination areas for abnormal ultrasonic activity. This provides an additional method of identifying potential developing issues that may not yet present an obvious external indication.
Where appropriate, Sonic Trace can be combined with thermal imaging, allowing ultrasonic and temperature findings to be assessed together to provide a more comprehensive picture of busbar condition.
KEY CAPABILITIES
FIND ISSUES YOU CAN'T SEE
Sonic Trace can be applied across LV and HV switchgear, busbar trunking systems, ACBs, MCCBs, transformers, distribution equipment, starters and other critical electrical assets.
Sonic Trace can assist in identifying abnormal activity associated with:
Electrical arcing and tracking
Corona and discharge activity
Deteriorating connections
Abnormal activity around busbar joints
Busbar tap-off and termination concerns
Problems concealed within enclosed equipment
Changes in electrical or mechanical ultrasonic signatures
ADVANCED SENSING TECHNOLOGY
ADVANCED ULTRASONIC TESTING ON HV, LV & BUSBAR SYSTEMS
Non-intrusive ultrasonic testing that finds internal faults in live switchgear and busbars, with no unwanted shutdowns.
Arcing & Tracking Detection
Detects early-stage micro-arcing, tracking and partial discharge before any heat builds up. This works inside LV switchgear, busbar trunking and tap-offs, sealed busways, transformers and metal-clad switchboards.
Closed-Panel Cover Safety
Scanning fully energised switchgear without the need to remove covers, eliminating arc flash exposure minimising risk.
Sonic Trace™ Data Analysis
We compare live ultrasonic recordings against more than 33,000 manufacturer defect profiles to identify the root cause of each fault and pinpoint exactly where it is.
LONG-TERM ASSET MANAGEMENT
SONIC TRACE TREND ANALYSIS
The real power of Sonic Trace comes from repeatable testing and trend analysis.
Instead of viewing each inspection as a standalone survey, MET Group can establish a baseline ultrasonic signature for individual assets and busbar locations.
Future inspection results can then be compared against previous surveys:
BASELINE
MONITOR
COMPARE
TREND
INTERVENE
For a large busbar installation, this means individual joints and tap-off locations can be monitored over successive surveys, helping identify areas where activity is changing or increasing.
Combined with thermal imaging, electrical testing and historical inspection data, this gives clients a much stronger understanding of how their electrical assets are behaving over time.
PREVENTING UNPLANNED OUTAGES
FROM HIDDEN DEFECT TO PLANNED INTERVENTION
The aim of Sonic Trace is not simply to find faults. It is to find developing issues earlier, establish whether conditions are changing, identify priority assets and give clients the opportunity to plan investigation or remedial works before an unexpected failure occurs.
Detect. Record. Trend. Protect.
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