by John Zyznomyrsky, Level 1 Thermographer, IRISS Inc.

Overview

The New Age industry claims that Crystals are thought to possess different levels
of energy that produce effects that enhance our health and overall wellness. These
beliefs are currently outside the testable boundaries of science but many people
believe the mysterious effects that have been reported and claimed. Similarly, many
believe that Crystal IR Windows are the best choice for inspection windows. This
belief is false and when tested against the Polymer IR Window the Crystal variety
fails miserably.

After a history of replacing a high number of Calcium Fluoride (CaF2) Crystal
infrared windows for a mining company in Canada, a Medium Voltage Power Sled
Manufacturer, located in Virginia was fed up. They determined the Crystal IR Windows
were being damaged during transport from the factory to the customer site. The task
of finding a more robust solution fell upon the lead engineer in charge of the Power
Sled design.

After investigating why the Crystal IR Windows had a high rate of failure at the mining
site in Canada, it was determined that the shock and vibration while being transported
to the site caused the Crystal IR Windows to fail. Crystal windows are known to
fail in harsh environments due to sudden shock such as an enclosure door being
slammed shut or when mobile equipment is moved from one location to another.
Ongoing mechanical vibration has also been known to cause crystal windows
to fail. In addition, over time, water and airborne contaminant absorption affect
crystal transmission rates in the infrared spectrum. When the 15kV circuit breakerbased
Power Sleds arrived on site, a significant amount of the OEM-installed crystal
windows were broken. For the end customer, this was a warranty issue, and the
Power Sled Manufacturer was field replacing a high number of crystals.
Unfortunately, for the Power Sled Manufacturer, the crystal windows were only
warranted for “manufacturing defects” and their warranty claim back onto the
window manufacturer was denied.

The lead engineer from the Power Sled Manufacturer considered many options.
After months of education and research on IR Windows, they were able to
convince their mining customer to allow them to convert to a more robust CAPENV
polymer reinforced IR windows from IRISS with the following key benefits:

• NEMA 6/IP67 protection rating.
• Construction from Stainless Steel for harsh mining environments.
• Fixed and Stable Transmission (FAST) for consistent infrared transmission rates
  over the life of the window.
• Imperviousness to shock and vibration.
• Unconditional lifetime warranty on the IR Window for the life of the electrical
  equipment.

The pictures above show finalized Power Sleds at the OEM with the CAP-ENV-4
installed. According to the lead engineer from the manufacturer, “Our end customer
is very pleased with these windows and will continue to use them in all their
applications. Thanks for the great product.”