SonaVu+ and NFPA 70B: making electrical faults visible

If you do not plan maintenance, the system will plan it for you

Arcing, surface tracking and corona in insulation generate high-frequency sound that the human ear cannot perceive. For months these faults destroy the insulation of switchgear, transformers and distribution boards — until a sudden breakdown takes the line out.

SonaVu+ turns that "invisible" ultrasound into a heat map on the screen. The inspector sees the source of the fault, records its position and makes a decision before the situation becomes an incident.

---

The link to NFPA 70B

The NFPA 70B standard (Electrical Equipment Maintenance) requires proactive inspections to reduce risk, extend equipment life and document insulation condition. Acoustic imaging is one of the most effective ways to meet those requirements without stopping production.

With SonaVu+ the survey is carried out from a safe distance:

• partial discharge (PD) in insulation;
• arcing on contacts and busbars;
• surface tracking across contaminated insulation;
• corona at sharp edges and surface defects.

Results are recorded with position, photographs and PRPD diagrams — ready-made documentation for the protection engineering team and for audit.

How SonaVu+ differs from contact ultrasound

The portable SDT340 with an ultrasonic sensor is excellent for spot-checking a specific assembly. SonaVu+ covers a different task — wide-area scanning:

Task	SDT340 + sensor	SonaVu+
Spot check of a known assembly	✓	—
Scanning busbars, insulators, switchgear	—	✓
Several sound sources at once	—	✓
PRPD on the built-in display	—	✓
Detection range	up to 1 m	up to 200 m

In practice the instruments complement each other: SonaVu+ finds the zone of interest in minutes, the SDT340 confirms and details the measurement.

SonaVu InSights™ — from walkdown to report

All images and videos land automatically in SonaVu InSights™: GPS tagging, fault prioritisation, PDF export. That turns a one-off walkdown into a condition record for the electrical fleet.

Where to use it on Kazakhstan sites

• 110–500 kV substations — switchgear, disconnectors, transformer bushings
• Mining and metals — distribution boards, conveyor drives
• Oil and gas — refineries, compressor stations, offshore platforms
• Hazardous areas — the SonaVu+ ATEX version

---

Next step

KEG TRK is the official SDT distributor in Kazakhstan. We will help you configure SonaVu+ for your sites, run a demonstration and train your personnel.

Related material: Partial discharge in switchgear · SonaVu+ ATEX · SonaVu catalogue