Specialists in the field of electric power systems are used to thinking in milliseconds when analyzing the operation of protection relays during short circuit faults or other abnormal conditions. And they always look for ways to further improve the speed of fault detection.

In order to find new ways to achieve better results, it may be helpful to better understand what happens before the fault occurs, and how the conditions at the location of the fault change during the very short time. High-speed cameras can be used to record the process in order to perform the analysis and look for new methods for fault detection or even fault prediction. As in any other activity we need to know the requirements we have, the market availability, and the resources needed for the desired results.

If money is not an issue, there is no question what to buy – the DRS’s Imacon 200 - the most advanced and sophisticated ultra high-speed digital imaging system in the world. The user can set the number of frames from 1000 to 200 million per second. Since the requirements for use can vary significantly depending on the application, the system offers mounting flexibility based on a Nikon® Bayonet ‘F’ style lens mount. This allows the use of a variety of lenses, microscopes and custom optical applications. In order to support 3-dimensional and stereo imaging it is possible to synchronize two cameras using a fiber optic cable. The imaging system is based on multiples of intensified CCD modules and provides a resolution of 1360 x 1024 pixels. The system is used by military, commercial and other institutions and comes with a price that is as high as its capabilities .

The Phantom V12.1 is a lower budget solution. In the heart of this camera is a specially designed, high-definition CMOS sensor available in color or monochrome, and built specifically for high-speed imaging applications. Even though the characteristics of the camera are much lower than the Imacon 2000, the price of less than 3000 US dollars makes it affordable to a much wider range of users and applications.