Corona Cameras

Models: CoroCAM 504 | MultiCAM | AirCAM | CoroCAM I | CoroCAM III

	The CoroCAM 504 corona camera is a development of the very successful CoroCAM IV+ and daylight system with many improvements and additional features. These include on-board data storage and background UV noise reduction. It features the same solar blind optical system but is housed in a modern sleek compact and very light weight body. The ergonomic design ensures that the control buttons fall nicely to the users' hand in the palm-strap.
	UV/IR Daylight camera MultiCAM The MultiCAM System provides a simultaneous video image of an infrared spot and corona. This information assists the user in determining the location of the hot spot and/or corona and also, by a close examination, its possible cause. Since the video provides a moving image, it is possible to determine the seriousness of the hotspot (i.e. how the pattern develops over time), the characteristics of the corona source and to identify the type in question.
	Airborne UV Daylight camera AirCAM The AirCAM corona camera is a development of the daylight CoroCAM in a reinforced casing allowing mounting into a gimbal or other holder for airborne applications. It has remote control, enabling both its operation and the data recording, from the aircraft cockpit.
	UV Night camera CoroCAM I CoroCAM I is the entry level product in the CoroCAM range and is ideal for quick and simple use in detecting UV discharges on high voltage equipment, particularly in substations, at night time. It is also well suited to indoor use on junction boxes, generating equipment etc.
	UV Low Light camera CoroCAM III CoroCAM III is the more sensitive low light corona camera in the CoroCAM range. It can be used in early morning and late afternoon conditions when the sun is not visible, in addition to night time and indoor use. It has a much better optical lens and fi lter system giving much improved image resolution and sensitivity than the CoroCAM I.

Corona Cameras

Corona effect discharge activities radiate energy in the form of light. This is mainly ultra-violet light which is invisible to the human eye. A small protion of the energy is however just visible at night and appears as "bluish flames" at sharp edges on high voltage equipment. During the day, the energy radiated by the sun in the UV spectrum, is orders of magnitude larger than that released from corona discharges. The corona discharge energy is thus almost completely absorbed by the solar energy. Consequently, to observe corona during the day is impossible with the naked eye.

The corona cameras had overcome this. It has been developed a day light corona observation and recording system, which uses three unique technologies. The first one uses an UV optimised detector with the appropriate filters, the second one controls the aperture of the lens, and the last one enhances the pictures obtained.

Amperis markets five different corona cameras with different features, specifications, applications and users.

What is corona?

St Elmo's fire was probably the first recorded form of corona. During stormy weather at sea, flame like reddish or bluish lights appeared occasionally on the tops of ship masts. Sailors associated it with a form of protection and named it after their patron saint, St Elmo.
During the course of electrostatic investigations in the 17th century, the same light-like phenomenon was first observed in the laboratory. It was also traditionally referred to as corona. The term corona is now commonly used to describe this external electric gas discharge phenomenon.

The Effects:

Generation of light
Audible noise
Vibration due to electric wind
A deterioration of materials due to ion bombardment
Deterioro de los materiales como consecuencia de un bombardeo de iones
Generation of ozone, oxides of nitrogen, and in the presence of moisture, nitric acid
Dissipation of energy

Corona may typically occur:

Around line conductors
On spacers and dampers
Damaged insulators - ceramic or non ceramic
Polluted insulators
At the live ends of insulator assemblies and bushings
At any point of your electrical equipment, where the electrical field strength exceeds 3kV/m

Another category of electrical discharge on high-voltage equipment, is gap discharge. This can be described as follows:

Descarga de chispa ocurriendo entre dos superficies metálicas cualesquiera unidas eléctricamente
Spark discharge, occurring between any two metal surfaces bound together electrically
Micro-spark discharge, occurring in a miniature air gap formed between a conducting and insulating surface