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IR Scan Identifies Critical Fault Before System Failure

Location

Minnesota

Industry

Food Processing Industry

*Due to an NDA, we are unable to provide company details.

A worker in a yellow shirt and blue hard hat inspects electrical panels in an industrial setting, using tools and wearing gloves for safety.

The Situation

As part of a scheduled Preventative Maintenance Program (EMP), Knobelsdorff (KE) technicians performed a routine IR scan at a Minnesota food production facility in June 2025. The scan flagged abnormal heating in the MCC bucket feeding the lead 150hp ammonia compressor pump, a critical component for the plant’s cooling process. Recognizing the bucket’s importance, the team planned corrective maintenance for the regular fall outage. However, at the end of July, while onsite for another project, the foreman noticed the bucket was much hotter than before. A follow-up inspection revealed a dangerous temperature spike of 302°F (up from 165.1°F in June) and severe wiring damage, indicating the problem had rapidly escalated and required immediate action.

“This bucket feeds a lead ammonia compressor. If it had failed, we would’ve lost cooling and boiler operations. IR scanning caught it before it became an unplanned shutdown.”

| Nick Dodson, Foreman at KE

Thermal image showing a piece of equipment with a hot area at 302°F in the center, highlighted by bright yellow and white colors; cooler areas appear in purple and blue tones. FLIR logo is visible in the corner.

The Solution

Thanks to the early warning from IR scanning, KE’s team was able to respond quickly when the bucket’s condition worsened. After confirming the dangerous temperature and wiring damage, the team coordinated with plant maintenance for an emergency shutdown. Wearing proper PPE, they performed lockout/tagout, deenergized the bucket and rerouted the compressor feed to a backup bucket. The faulty bucket was locked out to prevent further harm. During the scheduled outage in September, a new MCC bucket was built and installed and the wiring was returned to the original location.

The Results

By identifying the issue early, KE helped the facility avoid a major electrical failure. There was no unplanned downtime, no production loss and no safety incident. The faulty bucket was replaced during the scheduled outage, and the facility remained fully operational throughout. This case demonstrates the value of integrating IR scanning into a broader EMP, catching issues before they escalate into costly disruptions.

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