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Thermal Imaging - What, Why, and How

Former Member

    Hello and welcome to a discussion all about thermal imaging, also called thermography, from FLUKE. Recently, Fluke released new infrared cameras, also known as thermal imagers, to the consumer market. The purpose of thermography is simple; precise preventative maintenance. In many industries, including basic machinery, HVAC, utilities, etc., temperature plays a huge factor in performance and quality. Using an infrared camera provides an image with a color scheme overlaying it to show the difference in temperature in the area your image is focused on. Example: you use the infrared camera to take a picture of a fuse box. A fuse that has more current flowing though it (to power more equipment) is going to be a "hotter" color because the higher the current, the hotter the fuse:

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Some of Fluke's infrared cameras can also capture video! This is just a simple one I took of a toaster heating up:

 

     Hearing about all of this is nice, but many people ask, "Why would I use a Fluke infrared camera?" Well simply put, Fluke is a proven brand that you can trust. Since 1948, Fluke has manufactured the most rugged, durable, and accurate test and measurement equipment on the market. Ask anyone who has ever used any type of handheld test equipment and they'll tell you, Fluke is top of the line. That's no different with their infrared cameras. There are more practical uses for an infared camera than you might think. If you need to monitor peak operating temperature, find cold spots in roofing or HVAC for repair, abnormal hot spots in pipelines, leaks of any kind that could be detrimental, current overload, liquid/gas/air backup, or anything similar, you might want to consider looking into getting an infrared camera.

 

     In addition to the name, they also come with many other features. You already know they capture pictures and video with thermal color schemes overlaying the image. I will say that there are way too many specs to cover in the space that I have so I'll touch on the best ones. First, like a regular camera, there are interchangeable lenses to add magnification or widen the field of view. You can select picture-in-picture, none, minimal, moderate, or maximum thermal overlay, depending on what you want to see. They have manual and auto focus on top of an already high resolution image. The newer imagers come standard with Bluetooth and other wireless capabilities. That means if you use a CNX 3000 wireless multimeter, they'll connect with it! Sure, you can connect to your computer via USB, and now via WiFi as well. But what if there's no WiFi network available? No problem. The infrared camera also acts as a WiFi hotspot! Fluke didn't just add in this hardware for no reason; they made their SmartViewRegistered software mobile so you can upload them to your Apple device while you're still in the field! To see more specs and info on Fluke's thermography tools, check out the link below:

 

http://www.newark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?catalogId=15003&mf=100225&showResults=true&categoryId=800000005903&langId=-1&storeId=10194&COM=Expertsn

 

Also, if you're sold on infrared cameras but not the price, check out the VT02 and VT04, both recently marked down over 40%!:

 

http://www.newark.com/MarketingProductList?storeId=10194&catalogId=15003&langId=-1&orderCode=99W5465,43W5367&ICID=HP-NPI-Fluke&COM=Experts

 

     Learning how to use an infrared camera and the principles of thermography is easy. Fluke offers a wide range of educational sources to learn about thermography. You can check them out at http://www.fluke.com. Click on the Training/Education tab at the top of the page and find the source of training that's right for you. Fluke also has a YouTube page, http://www.youtube.com/user/FlukeCorporation, with many helpful videos covering all of Fluke's fantastic products including their infared cameras.

 

I will be checking this thread at least twice a day, at 9:30am EDT and 5:00pm EDT. Please feel free to add comments, ask questions, or even contact me directly with your question(s) or for a quote. My email is jrapp@newark.com. Also note that anything with infrared technology is non-exportable. In the near future I will be posting discussions about emissivity and how it effects thermal imaging, Fluke's fantastic and free SmartViewRegistered software, and the differences in meter calibration. Thanks for reading!

 

-Jake W. Rapp

  • in reply to Former Member

    Hi Jake,

     

    You can read about my research in my new book "I Killed Schrodinger's Cat!".  You might want to suggest it to your research folks.  The effects I predict have already been verified in other experiments and open up a new window of possible measurement areas for instrumentation.

     

    With my view of atomic structure, I believe that every material will have the effect at some level.

     

    The 8 to 14 micron wavelength is usually the basic emissive IR band used, though I know that some use the 3 to 5 micron area.

     

    DAB

  • in reply to DAB

    DAB, you are quickly becoming my favorite commenter! Unfortunately, being in an office environment I have limited resources to conduct many experiments, let alone controlled ones. My role with Fluke and Newark element14 is more so to provide information and solutions rather than conduct experiments too far beyond product training for both myself and the account representatives. I would really enjoy seeing your research though because it is really interesting that some convert to non-thermal bands. What materials have you found that do that? I definitely want to attempt to see the effect with my Ti400!

     

    As far as thermal bands, Fluke's infrared cameras are manufactured to pick up the long wavelength spectral band (7.5 µm to 14 µm listed on the spec sheet). The Ti5X series goes from 8µm to 14 µm and the VT0X series goes from 6.5 µm to 14 µm, but those are the only ones that differ.

  • Which IR thermal bands are you sensing for your IR imagers?

     

    I have discovered some very interesting effects in my research where some of the thermal energy is converted to non-thermal bands in certain materials.

    How tightly have you controlled the experiments to assess your thermodynamic efficiencies?

     

    DAB