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INTRODUCTION TO THERMOGRAPHY BASICS

What you need to know about IR

Science before going in the field.
And No more.

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CONTENTS

What is thermography?
An infrared image
Thermography vs. visible
Emission & Reflection
Emissivity
Reflection
Measurement rules

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WHAT MAKES THERMOGRAPHY SO USEFUL?

It is non-contact uses remote sensing

Keeps the user out of danger
Does not intrude upon or affect the target
It is two-dimensional
Comparison between areas of the target is possible
The image allows for excellent overview of the target
Thermal patterns significantly enhance problem diagnosis
It is real time, or close to real time
Enables efficient scanning of stationary targets
High end cameras can capture fast moving targets
High end cameras can capture rapidly changing thermal
patterns

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WHAT IS THERMOGRAPHY?

Thermography spans many subject areas

Heat Analysis
Radiative
transfer techniques
transfer

Camera
handling

Applications

Inspection
routes and
reporting

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AN INFRARED IMAGE

Darker means cooler, brighter means warmer.

What does this image tell us?
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WHAT IS THERMOGRAPHY?

Infrared thermography is the process of acquisition and

analysis of thermal information from non-contact
thermal imaging devices.

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WHAT IS THERMOGRAPHY?

THERMO GRAPHY

Heat Image

Temperature

Analysis

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WHAT IS THERMOGRAPHY?

Heat is the energy exchanged between systems

having different temperatures.

When there is no
temperature difference, the
infrared image does not
show any contrast and
there is no possible
analysis!

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THERMOGRAPHY VS. VISIBLE

Visible Infrared

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THERMOGRAPHY VS. VISIBLE

We know what a visible We represent the world we

image is. see with our eyes in colors.

This radiator is grey-white on

a blue background.

COLORS in the visible range

express
REFLECTION OF LIGHT.

The radiator is grey-white

because its surface reflects
these components of white
light, from the projector.
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THERMOGRAPHY VS. VISIBLE

Radiator seen in
Infrared is similar to visible. Infrared.
An infrared camera also
uses colors to represent the
thermal world it sees.

Big difference.
COLORS IN AN INFRARED
IMAGE EXPRESS BOTH
REFLECTION AND
EMISSION.

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EMISSION & REFLECTION?

Emission of heat comes from the material itself.

Reflection comes from what is placed in front ;
that may sometimes include the operator.

T
T
Reflection

Emission

Emission and reflection are complementary (A good

emitter is a poor reflector.
A good reflector is a poor emitter.)
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EMISSIVITY

The ability of a surface to emit heat is

called EMISSIVITY.

It is the efficiency of a surface as an

emitter of heat. Symbol is .
Value between 0 and 1.

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EMISSIVITY

Most non-metals, thermal Metals are poor emitters.

and electrical insulators are Unless heavily oxidized,
excellent emitters. emissivity is rarely greater
than 0.25.
Measurement is not a
problem. Measurement is problematic.
Wood Rubber Copper Steel
Plastic PVC Iron Brass
Soil Porcelain Soil Nickel
Paper Concrete Zinc Lead
Painted surfaces Aluminium
Building materials Chromium

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EMISSIVITY

Emissivity may vary with:

- surface roughness,
- surface shape: cavities increase ,
- viewing angle,
- the degree of oxidation of a metal,
- the temperature itself.

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TREFL

What reflects is called

REFLECTED APPARENT
TEMPERATURE.
It is often noted TRefl technically, but called
the RAT by thermographers!
There is always something reflecting!!!!
That is part of the thermographers life.

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REFLECTION?

Reflection is a source of misdiagnosis.

Some real cases.
The problem is here.

What you see here are reflections off

copper bars. Not a problem.
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REFLECTION?

Reflection is a source of improper interpretation.

Some real cases.
Is there a problem here?
Actually NO. It is just that the
emissivity is higher.

What you see here are reflections on

the stainless steel plate. Not a
problem.
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REFLECTION?

Reflection is a source of improper interpretation.

Some real cases.

What you see here are reflections from the operator. Should it be a
problem, the cable would also be warm.
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REFLECTION?

Reflection is a source of improper interpretation.

Some real cases.

What you see here are reflections from the surroundings.

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CONCLUSION

Emissivity and TRefl are not

automatically calculated.

It is the role of the operator to

determine them and to enter the
values manually in the camera.

(Later, we will give you the procedure.)

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MEASUREMENT RULES

1) Get a good image FIRST. When it is out of focus, the measurement

is wrong. How much? Depends on conditions, could be a little, could
be a lot.

Error in this
case is
almost 3C.

Focused Unfocused

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MEASUREMENT RULES

2) By default, most cameras thermally tune automatically. Use this

mode first, but do not hesitate to adjust manually. Thermal tuning is
critical for proper interpretation. You must get the best level and span
before you save the image. Choose the right palette.

Manual mode Auto mode

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MEASUREMENT RULES

3) Desired target must cover the spot.

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MEASUREMENT RULES

3) Desired target must cover the spot. Get closer if necessary.

About 12 feet About 9 feet About 4 feet

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MEASUREMENT RULES

4) Do not aim with an angle greater than 45/50. Be also careful that
at perpendicular, you may yourself be a major source of reflection.

OK OK

The viewing angle is close NO NO

to 70 or 75 for the roof.

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MEASUREMENT RULES

5) Choose an area of high emissivity to do the measurement.

Clean shiny
copper.
Emissivity is low.

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MEASUREMENT RULES

6) Enter the correct emissivity and TRefl

7) Save the infrared image. Also save a visible image.

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Questions?

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