APPLICATION NOTE
Get a far-sighted infrared
view with a 4x or 2x telephoto
lens from Fluke
Many technicians already know the value of using an infrared
camera for industrial, commercial, or utilities inspections. An infrared
camera allows you to conduct inspections from a safe distance.
That means you may not have to shut down the operation or suit
up in full personal protective equipment. It saves production time as
well as exposure to hazardous environments. However, for some
applications, you need to capture images of objects that would be
very difficult to get close enough to without entering a danger zone,
climbing a ladder or maybe even using a lift or a helicopter. For
these applications, the new Fluke 4x and 2x telephoto infrared lenses
magnify your view so you can see a lot more detail from the ground
or from a safe distance.
These high-quality telephoto
lenses go far beyond simply
bringing the image closer. They
can help you capture enhanced
details while increasing your
spatial resolution to help you
see and possibly even measure
an anomaly that you might not
have been able to see with the
standard lens. This can help
you assess the possible issue
while still on site.
These capabilities make Fluke
telephoto lenses a great choice
for a wide range of applications
including power generation,
power transmission, and power
distribution; chemical and oil
Figure 1. This shot of the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington
(height 184 m [605 feet]) was captured from the ground with a
Fluke TiX560 infrared camera and a standard lens.
and gas manufacturing; metals
refinement; building inspection
or any large industrial or commercial operation.
Capture the level of
detail and data you need
Fluke standard infrared lenses
offer the spatial resolution and
field of view required for many
short- to medium-distance scans
where you need to find hot and
cold spots but don’t require an
extreme level of detail.
Top SIX
Applications for Fluke
telephoto lenses
1. Overhead transmission
lines
2. Power substations
3. Tall stacks in
petrochemical plants
4. Maintenance, electrical,
and process inspections
5. Metals refining
6. Building inspection
Fluke telephoto lenses provide
the infrared detail and thermal
data you need for applications where you can’t get close
enough to see the detail you
need. Perhaps the hazardous
nature of the target requires that
you stay a distance away, or the
target is too high or difficult to
access. You can use telephoto
lenses to scan switches, connectors, transformers, lightning
arrestors, etc. in substations as
well as check overhead high
voltage power lines. Or scan
vents, wiring, duct work or ceilings several stories high without
having to climb a ladder or
power up a lift.
You can choose from two magnification strengths based on
your distance to spot (D:S) and
the level of detail you require.
The following images show the
differences between a standard
lens and 2x and 4x telephoto
lenses to help you select the
right one for your applications.
Figure 2: This image was captured from the same location with a TiX560 infrared camera
and a Fluke 2x telephoto infrared lens.
Figure 3: This third image was captured with a TiX560 infrared camera from the same
location, with a Fluke 4x telephoto infrared lens.
2x telephoto lens
Fluke 2x telephoto lenses are a good choice for
small to medium sized targets when you cannot
get quite close enough to see the needed detail
with a standard lens. For example, if your infrared camera with a standard lens has a D:S ratio of
764:1, then you could stand 764 cm (7.6 meters,
25.1 feet) from an object and see a spot size of
1cm (.4 inches). With the same camera and a 2x
telephoto lens your D:S will approximately double,
giving you ~1530:1 (15.3 m (43.6 ft) from a 1 cm
(.4 in) spot). This would give you the ability to see
the same spot size from nearly twice the distance
or approximately 0.5 cm2 (.2 in2) area from the
same distance. As you can see in Figure 2, the
2x lens provides quite a bit more detail than the
standard lens. That means it can reduce your
need to enter the hazard zone in your plant or
to climb a tall ladder to capture critical troubleshooting or maintenance data. This makes it very
useful for inspecting electrical, electromechanical,
and process equipment. It is also a good choice
for scanning overhead vents, duct work, or wiring
or possibly for scanning below grade to see
details in a vault or a small sump.
4x telephoto
The Fluke 4x telephoto lens is excellent for
capturing thermal profiles of small targets from
a much greater distance. For example, if the
D:S of your infrared camera is 764:1 with the
standard lens, it would be approximately 4x
that—~3056:1—with a 4x telephoto lens (30.6 m
(100.3 ft) from a 1 cm (.4 in) spot). So if you stand
7.6 meters from the object you would detect a
spot size approximately 0.25 cm2 (.1 in2). A Fluke
4x telephoto lens is an excellent choice for many
applications including:
• Overhead transmission lines
• Power substations
• Tall stacks in petrochemical plants
• Metals refinement
• Other hard to reach, energized or unsafe areas
With a 4x telephoto lens, you can see critical
detail from a distance that would not be easily
viewable any other way, so you can identify
potential issues on a transmission line splice or
failing refractory that could create product quality
issues, an unsafe working environment, and/or
lost revenue.
2 Fluke Corporation Get a far-sighted infrared v iew with a 4x or 2x telephoto lens from F luke
Bring long distance details into clear focus
Adding a Fluke 2x or 4x telephoto lens to an infrared camera can multiply the advantages of that
camera. Telephoto lenses help you capture much more detail than a standard lens from a greater
distance so you can perform deeper diagnostic analysis. The following examples illustrate just a few of
the applications where telephoto lenses come in handy.
Figure 4. An exterior scan of exterior
equipment at a substation with a Ti X560
infrared camera and a standard lens
captured an anomaly on one of the phase
switches.
Figure 5. Scann ing the same area with a
Fluke 2x telephoto lens shows a definite
hot spot on the switch.
Proactive maintenance for substations
and switchyards
Substations and switchyards have many complex
electrical systems and equipment that handle
very high voltage and current. To help ensure
safe and consistent performance, more and
more utilities are using infrared cameras to run
proactive maintenance inspections on equipment
ranging from oil-filled transformers to lightning
arrestors, to high voltage transmission lines
coming in and out of the substation. Infrared
cameras can help to quickly find over– or underperforming components that might indicate a
problem.
Finding problems at an early stage can save
hundreds of thousands of dollars in replacement
costs, overtime, and the associated downtime.
Finding just one issue can usually justify the cost
of an infrared camera and the training to help
understand how to read thermograms.
We recently saw an example of this when we
scanned a substation with a Fluke TiX560 camera
and a standard lens, a 2x lens, and a 4x lens.
After scanning much of the substation’s equipment with a standard lens, we found an anomaly
in one section (Figure 4) where one of the three
phases appeared to be at a more elevated temperature than the others.
Because that image wasn’t definitive with a standard lens, we replaced the standard lens with
the Fluke 2x telephoto infrared lens and scanned
the same area (Figure 5) from the same distance.
This provided much more detail, and you can see
in the highlighted area that one of the switches
looks warmer than the other two.
Figure 6. This third image of the substation
transmission l ine, captured with a Fluke
4x telephoto lens clearly shows a hot spot
or high resistance on a knife switch.
Next we swapped out the 2x telephoto lens for
the Fluke 4x telephoto lens (Figure 6), which
clearly shows abnormal heating in a knife switch.
Because there appears to be high resistance a
short distance from the switch, that overheating
could lead to a failure. Finding this situation in a
routine inspection could save the utility and its
customers a major power outage.
Maintaining the integrity of high voltage
transmission lines
All kinds of things can affect the performance
of a high voltage transmission line. Loose connections, corrosion, or weakened or failing cable
splices can increase resistance, causing areas
that can compromise the integrity of the transmission system. Power lines run through all kinds
of terrain and have to stand up through high
winds, ice storms, and intense heat. Any weakness in the system can be amplified by those
conditions causing a significant power outage.
To minimize that risk, utility companies regularly
inspect their transmission equipment. In the
past, this often required hiring a helicopter or
climbing into a lift to get close enough to capture
necessary details on transmission towers. This
was time consuming, expensive, and potentially
dangerous.
Adding a Fluke 2x or 4x telephoto lens to a
Fluke infrared camera, like the TiX560, can help
overcome those challenges. With these telephoto
infrared lenses, a worker can inspect towers and
transmission lines from much greater distances.
3 Fluke Corporation Get a far-sighted infrared v iew with a 4x or 2x telephoto lens from F luke
Figure 7: High voltage power pole, captured with a
TiX560 camera and standard lens.
Figure 8: The same power pole captured from t he
same distance as in Fig ure 7, but with a Fluke 2x
telephoto lens.
Here are some of the benefits to a few
additional applications:
Intrinsically safe areas/zones —these lenses could allow you
the ability to get the information you need, possibly without
having to enter these areas, and without having to get a hot
work permit or declassify an area to enter with your equipment.
See image 1.
Figure 9: The right hand connection point
captured from the same distance as in Figure7,
but with a Fluke 4x telephoto lens. T he 4x
telephoto lens gives you the level of detail needed
to verify whether you have a possible issue or if
maybe it ’s just a reflection, as in this case.
In the above examples, we inspected a power
pole with a standard lens on a TiX560 camera
(Figure 7). This image clearly shows the power
lines and the insulators, but doesn’t provide the
detail to indicate any thermal issues.
Areas that are too hot to get close to —metal manufacturers
that deal with very high temperatures need to stand at a safe
distance to measure and see their application as in image 2.
Tall stacks at a refinery or similar manufacturer make it difficult and potentially unsafe to gather information, but with the
addition of these cameras and telephoto lenses you can now capture this data from a great distance, safely, as seen in image 3.
Image 2.
Looking at the same target with a Fluke 2x telephoto lens (Figure 8), we compared the apparent
temperatures of all three wire connections to
the insulators. One connection appeared to be
~4 °C (~7.2 °F) warmer than the other two. The
other two were within 1 °C (1.8 °F) of each other.
Although that’s not a huge variance from the
average, it is enough to indicate a potential problem and document any findings.
With the 4x telephoto lens (Figure 9), we were
able to see much more detail on the connection,
and we determined that the apparently hot connection is actually the result of a reflection. If this
had been diagnosed as an issue that required a
team to come out and repair it, it could have been
ver y costly.
Image 1.
Image 3.
4 Fluke Corporation Get a far-sighted infrared v iew with a 4x or 2x telephoto lens from F luke
Best practices for optimizing image detail
with telephoto lenses
Capturing infrared images is a combination of
art and science. To maximize the quality of your
infrared program—and your return on investment—you need:
• The right equipment.
You need to have the correct camera for the
type of inspection you will be doing and the
proper lenses for all of your applications.
• Infrared training.
Understanding infrared technology will help
you and your team minimize downtime. Levels
of qualification training range from Level I for
basic monitoring and proactive maintenance
to Level II or III for advanced thermographers, who will be setting up and managing
a thermography program. Level I training will
prepare you to follow a standard work order
written by a more experienced in-house or
third-party thermographer.
• Lens and camera stability.
When scanning with a 4x telephoto infrared
lens, very small hand movements can create
large adjustments, so camera stability can be
critical. To ensure good stability, we recommend that you attach the camera to a tripod or
lean against a solid surface as you are scanning the target. To further enhance stability
for our 4x telephoto lens, Fluke designed a
patent-pending lens attachment system that
locks the lens securely in place.
• Distance to spot ratio.
To understand the distance to targets to
be inspected or measured with an infrared
camera, you need to be aware of the D:S ratio
of your camera and lens. The D:S ratio, often
used with spot radiometers that typically
only have one sensor, indicates the spot size
you can detect from a specific distance. For
example, if your D:S is 10:1, the diameter of
the spot area is 1/10th of the distance to be
measured from. When using a thermal imager
you have an array of sensors, but this is true
for each sensor or pixel.
Telephoto lenses multiply the D:S ratio of the
standard lens by approximately two or four,
depending on which lens strength you choose.
The following are the D:S ratios for the TiX560
/520 camera with the various lenses:
Camera Lens D:S ratio
TiX560/520 Standard 764:1
TiX560/520 2x telephoto 1528:1
TiX560/520 4x telephoto 3056:1
• Narrow field of view.
Because telephoto lenses present such a
closely magnified image you will have a much
smaller field of view than with a standard
lens. That means you’ll be able to see 2x or 4x
the detail but you won’t be able to see as large
a target at one time. So you can either take
more time to scan the target with a telephoto
lens, or you can start with a standard lens to
scan a wide target and then move up in magnification as you find potential anomalies.
5 Fluke Corporation Get a far-sighted infrared v iew with a 4x or 2x telephoto lens from F luke
Fluke infrared lenses at a glance
Lens TiX580/
560/520/
500
2x telephoto TELE2
smar t lens
4x telephoto 4XTELE2
smar t
lens (not
compatible
with t he
TiX580)
Ti480/400/
300/200
TELE2 smart
lens
4XTELE2
smar t lens (not
compatible
with t he
Ti480)
TiX1000/
660/640
XLens/Tele Small to medium
XLens/SupTele Small target,
Use for Target audience
sized target, viewed
from a distance
viewed from a great
distance
7
• Maintenance, electrical, and process technicians—when
equipment is too high, difficult to reach, or unsafe to approach
• Building inspection—see fine detail f rom a distance
Most relevant to those working in
• Petrochemical–tall stacks
• Power utilities generation and transmission–long distances
• Metals refinement—too hot to approach; may have equipment
near refinery that needs inspection
1
3
5
4
2
Fluke TiX580, TiX560, TiX520 and TiX500 Expert
Series cameras with a 2x or 4x telephoto lens provide a
unique set of capabilities for fast and accurate utilities
inspections.
5.7 inch responsive touchscreen–makes it
1
quick and easy to change settings, and the image
is large enough to see what you captured while
you’re still in the field.
Rotating screen–don’t get a kink in your neck
2
staring up at overhead lines. The articulating lens
allows you to point the lens at the target and still
view the screen at an angle that’s comfortable for
you.
4 times the resolution–with SuperResolution
3
mode, you can turn 640 x 480 images into 1280
x 960 images, and 320 x 240 images into 640
x 480 images for enhanced image quality and
increased temperature measurement accuracy.
On camera analytics–analyze saved images in
4
the field right on the camera.
Post-capture image processing–edit emissivity,
5
background temperature, transmissivity, palettes,
color alarms, and IR-Fusion, and enable/disable
markers all on the camera.
Fluke Connect® wireless compatibility enables
6
you to see, save, and share still images and video
and measurements with others with the push of
a button from your smart phone or PC. Just push
the shortcut button to connect1.
Share lenses between compatible cameras–
7
the lenses for the TiX580, TiX560, TiX520,
TiX500, Ti480, Ti450, Ti400, Ti300, and Ti200
are smart lenses, which means they do not need
to be calibrated to a specific camera, and they are
interchangeable between compatible cameras.*
6
* Not all option al lenses are compat ible w ith all Flu ke
infrared cameras. Contact your local Fluke representative
for more information.
6 Fluke Corporation Get a far-sighted infrared v iew with a 4x or 2x telephoto lens from F luke
Close the gap in thermal detail with
Fluke telephoto infrared lenses
Any thermal inspection that requires scanning
a target from a long distance, either because it
is not possible or not safe to get closer, can be a
good application for a Fluke infrared camera and
telephoto lens. This combination will allow you to
stay a safe distance away from hazardous areas
F1
F2
F3
and still get the precise thermal detail you need
to identify potential points of failure. Identifying those anomalies early can help you prevent
downtime or perhaps more catastrophic results.
To determine if a 2x or 4x telephoto lens is
right for you, contact your local Fluke
representative.
Preventive maintenance simplified. Rework eliminated.
Save time and improve the reliability of your maintenance data by
wirelessly syncing measurements using the Fluke Connect® system.
Find out more at flukeconnect.com
Fluke. Keeping your world
up and running.
Fluke Corporation
PO Box 9090, Everett, WA 98206 U.S.A.
Fluke Europe B.V.
PO Box 1186, 5602 BD
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
For more information call:
In the U.S.A. (800) 443-5853 or
Fax (425) 446-5116
In Europe/M-East/Africa +31 (0) 40 2675 200 or
Fax +31 (0) 40 2675 222
In Canada (800)-36-FLUKE or
Fax (905) 890-6866
From other countries +1 (425) 446-5500 or
Fax +1 (425) 446-5116
Web access: http://www.fluke.com
©2015, 2017 Fluke Corporation.
Specifications subject to change without notice.
Printed in U.S.A. 1/2017 6005424b-en
Modification of this document is not permitted
without written permission from Fluke Corporation.
®
7 Fluke Corporation Get a far-sighted infrared v iew with a 4x or 2x telephoto lens from F luke
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