Corona camera
Updated 2026-10-27
Data records
- Some cameras combine the solar-blind ultraviolet channel with a high-definition visible camera and a radiometric long-wave infrared camera, so that a discharge and a hot spot at the same place are seen in one pass.
- Corona produces ozone, nitric acid and oxalic acid that damage the electrical components around the discharge, which is why a located discharge is treated as a developing fault.
- A corona camera images the ultraviolet light that corona and surface discharge emit on energized equipment, discharge that is invisible to the eye, and shows where the discharge sits on the equipment.
- The camera captures the narrow ultraviolet band that corona emits and superimposes that signal on a visible-light image of the scene, so that the discharge is seen against the equipment that produces it.
- The camera registers the ultraviolet photons that corona emits, and the photon count is logged with the video, stills and position of each finding; a score against baseline parameters and a criticality matrix then set the urgency of repair.
- The camera works in the solar-blind band of the ultraviolet, where the atmosphere absorbs sunlight before it reaches the ground, so corona is detected in full daylight without interference.
- Typical targets are polymer, porcelain and glass insulators, corona rings, bushings, conductors and line hardware, where contamination, sharp edges and loose or damaged components concentrate the electrical stress.
- Partial discharge is driven by voltage, not by heat, so ultraviolet detection does not depend on load and shows the stress even at low current, while an infrared camera needs enough load to produce detectable resistive heating; the ultraviolet image shows the stress before any heating and a thermal image then confirms whether resistive damage has followed.
- Beyond lines and substations, the cameras inspect generator and motor winding insulation during shutdowns, railway catenary systems, airport power and radar systems, and prototypes in laboratories; surface arcing on line hardware may indicate the need for line washing.
Elsewhere in the family
- Partial Discharge Online related entry on Electrical Testing Reference
- Partial Discharge Online related entry on Switchgear Testing Reference
- Partial Discharge Online related entry on Transformer Testing Reference
Sources
- Ofil technology page, Partial Discharge and Corona Detection, web page edition, Ofil. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- Ofil technology page, UV Technology - DayCor solar blind UV cameras, web page edition, Ofil. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- UViRCO application page, CoroCAM Applications, web page edition, UViRCO. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- UViRCO product page, CoroCAM 8HD, web page edition, UViRCO. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
Changelog (22 entries)
| Date | Revision | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.combined-camera) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.combined-camera) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.corona-effects) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.corona-effects) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.definition) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.definition) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.overlay) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.corona-camera.overlay) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.overlay) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.photon-count) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.corona-camera.photon-count) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.photon-count) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.solar-blind) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.solar-blind) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.targets) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.targets) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.vs-infrared) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.corona-camera.vs-infrared) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.vs-infrared) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.corona-camera.wider-applications) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.corona-camera.wider-applications) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.corona-camera.wider-applications) |
Cite this page
Cite the governing standard for the fact itself; cite this page as the finding aid.
"Corona camera." Test Instrument Reference. 2026-10-27. https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/corona-camera/.
Test Instrument Reference, Corona camera (Oct. 27, 2026), https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/corona-camera/.
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title = {Corona camera},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/corona-camera/}},
organization = {Test Instrument Reference},
publisher = {Test Instrument Reference},
year = {2026},
note = {last substantive change 2026-10-27}
}{{cite web |title=Corona camera |website=Test Instrument Reference |publisher=Test Instrument Reference |url=https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/corona-camera/ |date=2026-10-27 |access-date=}}