In 1991, Eskom (Electricity Board of South Africa) approached the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and co-funded the development of the first camera designed specifically for corona imaging.

This camera was named CoroCAM® (Corona Camera) and was custom-built for this research organization.

UViRCO Technologies (Pty) Ltd. was incorporated in 2008 as a spin-off from CSIR.

Why Do You Need a Corona Camera?

The corona effect is visually indicated by a small blue glow around the HV hardware, which is only visible in very dark conditions.

What you can't see is the invisible ultraviolet light generated by the discharge.

CoroCAM captures an image in ultraviolet light and superimposes it on a visible-light image, allowing the user to locate corona discharges.

A corona camera is used throughout the electrical power supply chain to visualize the UV radiation emitted by external partial discharges (corona, sparks, and arcs), which are indicative of equipment or facility degradation and the potential for failures.

Corona cameras can be used in:

• Generators.
• Transmission lines.
• Distribution lines.
• Electric Substations.

The energy loss from a single discharge isn't significant, but if the discharge occurs in multiple locations, it quickly adds up.

The ultraviolet light produced by the discharge can degrade nearby rubber and polymer components (insulators and line spacers), reducing their service life.

A variety of compounds are also produced during the ionization process that can corrode various metal components or cause arcing when they react with water. The noise (both audible and radio frequency) produced during the ionization process can be annoying to people nearby and can interfere with various electronic devices.

What types of cameras do we offer?

Manual-use cameras: CoroCAM 6HD, CoroCAM 7, CoroCAM 8

Cameras for Mounting or Drones: CoroCAM 6HD, CoroCAM UVS1, CoroCAM 8 UAV