New Course–Thermography Fundamentals

Thermography Fundamentals is a two day introductory class focusing on the fundamentals of condition monitoring/predictive maintenance for the new thermographer. Attendees completing all training course requirements will receive a certificate of completion and are credited with 16 class hours towards their Level I certification. (Certification requires 32 hours of class time).

Infrared Course Benefits

• Introduction to thermal imaging and measurement systems for predictive maintenance applications. No experience in thermography is necessary!
• Collect quality data, accurate temperature readings, and account for measurement effects such as distance and emissivity using infrared cameras.

Tuition
A registration fee of $925 USD includes course instruction, course materials, and lunch each day. Please note that prices may vary for courses conducted outside the continental U.S.; please confirm your price with your local ITC course agent.

Click here for the course home page and schedule.

FLIR Educational Discount Program

Put the Power of Thermal Imaging in Your Students’ Hands!

A FLIR i7 thermal imager is one of the most powerful and flexible diagnostics tools a tradesman can carry today. And there’s a high demand from students eager to learn about this vital technology. That’s why FLIR is offering educators a 60% discount, making it incredibly affordable to add one to your program.

With an i7, you’ll be providing students an opportunity to discover the amazing ways thermal imaging finds problems that are normally invisible so they can readily see where to make repairs to save the day. This is cutting-edge technology that will go a long way to enhance their skills and help them gain a distinct advantage in today’s workplace.

Numerous Applications – Find hidden air leaks, missing insulation, moisture intrusion, electrical overloading, mechanical wear, and other thermal anomalies to help reduce energy waste, downtime, and safety hazards.

Beats IR Thermometers Hands Down – Get thousands of temperature measurements in every thermal image to show you the whole scene instead of working blind with only one spot reading at a time.

Exceeds RESNET Requirements – FLIR i7’s 140 × 140 detector delivers 19,600 pixels of IR resolution to capture the temperature measurements necessary to complete the thermal picture.

Compact Point-and-Shoot Simplicity – Light at 13 ounces (365g) for easy, one-handed operation yet tough enough to take a 2 meter drop and stow with other tools. Plus a focus-free lens and bright LCD to help you see the whole thermal scene clearly and cover more ground efficiently.

Camera & Training Support – Along with the i7, we’ll provide a DVD with downloadable guidebooks and videos plus plenty of help from FLIR and the Infrared Training Center to get you up and running. ITC also offers continuing education opportunities for your students as through online and classroom camera and thermography training courses.

For more information and to register for the program, use the link below: http://www.flir.com/thermography/americas/us/view/?id=57407

* Available to certified educators for classroom teaching at vocational and technical schools only, subject to approval by FLIR.

New Online Course Released - Introduction to Thermography for Home Inspectors

Are you a home inspector interested in adding infrared thermography to your list of services? Do you already own an infrared camera and want to learn where and how it can be used for home inspections? Then this course is for you!
We start out with just enough "science" to get you into the groove, then its on to applications: why they work, how to do it, and case history examples. The course is divided into the following sections:

• Thermography Basics
• Moisture Investigations
• HVAC Investigations
• Insulation Investigations
• Air Leakage Investigations
• Electrical Investigations
• Structural Investigations
• Miscellaneous Investigations

Use this link to go to the course home page for more information.

New ITC Message Board Forum

We have some exciting news for you; we have developed a brand new Message board Forum so you can ask questions, get answers, and offer your expertise to the thermography community.

Try it out today! Click here.

It is an entirely new format with a lot of new capabilities, here are some of them:

Optical Gas Imaging Course now Confers CEUs

This course is intended for users of the FLIR Systems, Inc. Optical Imaging Cameras. Skilled users of the new FLIR GF Series cameras and the legacy GasFindIR camera can inspect over 3,000 connections per day. Current sniffer technology is limited to about 500 connections per day.

Students will learn how to setup and operate the FLIR Optical Imaging Cameras. They will learn how to optimally adjust their cameras for varying environmental conditions to find gas leaks. Students will learn under what environmental conditions gas leaks are most easily found, somewhat easy to find, and difficult to find.

Certification: Upon successful completion of the required activities listed below, each student will be certified as an Optical Gas Imaging Thermographer.
Earn 2.0 IACET CEUs
Earn 20 ITC Certification Renewal Credits

Required Activities: Here is what is required to successfully pass this course:

• Attend the entire 3 day course
• Perform the lab activities as instructed
• Pass the exam
• Submit a course evaluation
• Submit an acceptable field assignment within 90 days from the completion of this course

Learn More

IR Cost Savings for Seam Welder PM’s

by Steven Noel
Reliability Engineer / Group Leader
Batesville Casket Co.

The Batesville Casket Assembly Plant located in Batesville, Indiana has two Seam Welders in their fabrication department. These Seam Welders are resistance welders that are designed to weld a continuous weld that holds the casket bottoms in place while making an air tight seal. Each Seam Welder runs proximity 27 units each hour and is in use for up to 10 hours each day throughout the week.

When a seam welder starts failing due to insulation failure you start seeing poor welds which in some cases don’t show up until the unit is built and vacuum tested prior to ship out. At this point to make repairs to the casket is costly due to disassembly and removal of the interior to gain access to the bottom.

Furthermore if one of the Seam Welders were to fail during production it would reduce production by 50%. The lead time for making this type of repair is two to three hours causing production losses estimated at eight to ten thousand dollars.

These Seam Welders are 16 volt DC / 20,000 amp resistance welders so being very low voltage and high amperage any insulation breakdown will cause the foot and lower wheel to overheat and eventually fail.

IR InformIR Blog Enhancements

I have added a few enhancements blog readers should appreciate.

A search box has been added so you can easily search the blog for the content you are looking for.

 

The blog can now be easily translated into one of 54 different languages, everything from Afrikaans to Yiddish. Just use the drop down menu on the right and choose your language!

 

An easy “follow by email” tool has been added which makes it easier than ever to get new blog content sent to your email box automatically and right away.

Enjoy!

Infrared Eye for Detecting Leaks

By John P. Monroe, RA
Level III Thermographer, Certification # 49004

Infrared thermography is becoming an increasingly common diagnostic tool for engineers, architects, and building investigators. Used effectively, it can help locate defects in the design and construction of buildings and building systems, saving clients time and money. Below is an example of how I used infrared thermography to help solve a water infiltration problem.

One of my frequent assignments at RAND Engineering & Architecture, PC is conducting leakage evaluations. I was recently assigned a leakage investigation at a college dormitory building in New York City. The building is 15 stories high with a centrally located three-car elevator system. The elevator bulkhead on top of the main roof houses electrical equipment in the front section and mechanical equipment and the elevator cars in the back.

Each dormitory suite has a kitchen and bathroom, and the bathrooms adjoin the rear wall of the elevator shaft, as depicted in the plan to the right.

Infrared Training Center Introduces Mobile Training Unit

The ITC Mobile Training Unit (MTU) is traveling around the US giving thermography professionals an opportunity to learn about thermal imaging from the experts. This customized RV carries a full complement of FLIR's thermal imagers and Extech Test Equipment, and has application examples along the walls for demonstrating and training thermographers on condition monitoring and building applications.

Look for it coming to a location near you.

Updated - Introduction to Indoor Electrical Surveys using IR Thermography Course

Description
This online introductory course is designed to give you a straight forward explanation of how Infrared technology fits in the indoor electrical inspection industry. This course earns 1 ITC Certification Renewal Credit. This course is FREE.






This course has been updated (March 31, 2012) with:

• Improved Graphics
• Improved Audio
• Notes with every screen
• Search function
• Direct access to any slide in the presentation
• FAQ, Glossary, and Player Operation Help

Students' Course Rating: 4.3/5
Objectives

• An overview of a Indoor electrical survey goal and process
• An outline of industry guidelines and standards
• A demonstration of images and analysis
• A summary of reporting capabilities
• A briefing on additional accessory tools

Click to go to the Course Home Page

T6xx Series Basics Online Training Course

Description This course covers basic operation for all FLIR T6xx Series cameras. This includes the T620 and T640 models. This course is FREE for all students.
We will discuss the controls of the camera as well as the user interface, and show you how to operate your camera.
Who should take this course: This course is intended for users of FLIR T6xx Series infrared cameras.
Prerequisites: No prior knowledge of thermography is required.
Availability: This course is an on-demand self paced web based training course available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can begin as soon as you enroll.
Click Here for the Course Home Page
This course teaches you how to use the features of the T6xx Series cameras, but doesn't teach you thermography; when to use the features, how to make measurements, and how to interpret the thermal patterns on the screen.
We highly recommend you take a thermography course after finishing this basics course. We offer the On-Demand Thermography Basics class here, or Level I Certification,  or Building Investigations Certification available at http://www.infraredtraining.com/ .

Infrared Training Center (ITC) becomes Authorized Provider of IACET Continuing Education Units

Prestigious Authorization Demonstrates Commitment to High Quality Lifelong Learning

Nashua, NH – The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) has awarded the Infrared Training Center the prestigious Authorized Provider status. IACET Authorized Providers are the only organizations approved to offer IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The recognition period extends for five years and includes all programs offered or created during that time.

“The Infrared Training Center is proud of the educational programs we offer. Thousands of students attend ITC classes and participate in ITC conferences each year, learning about the latest developments in thermography and gaining new skills, “ stated Gary Orlove, ITC Curriculum Manager. “We are pleased that we have now joined a select group of organizations that offer IACET Continuing Education Units, which are nationally and internationally recognized as representing the highest standards of continuing education and continuous learning. This will be a great benefit to our students, who can now receive national recognition for their participation in ITC online and face-to-face learning events.”

“We are pleased to welcome the Infrared Training Center as our newest Authorized Provider organization,” stated Francenia Johnson, President of IACET and Supervisor of Operations and Measurements at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division (MLGW) in Memphis, TN. Johnson added, “ITC joins nearly 650 organizations around the globe that have had their programs vetted by third-party experts in continuing education to ensure the highest possible standards are met.”

In order to achieve Authorized Provider status, the Infrared Training Center completed a rigorous application process, including a review by an IACET site visitor, and successfully demonstrated adherence to the ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard addressing the design, development, administration and evaluation of its programs. The Infrared Training Center has pledged its continued compliance with the Standard and is now authorized to use the IACET name and Authorized Provider logo on promotional course material. In addition, the Infrared Training Center is now linked to the IACET web site and is recognized as offering the highest quality continuing education and training programs.

About ITC: ITC is the world's largest infrared training organization, with more expert instructors than any other and hundreds of thermography courses throughout the year to fit your application, location, and schedule. The Infrared Training Center is also the originator and premier sponsor of InfraMation, the annual conference where infrared camera users, industry leaders, and exhibitors come together to network and share case studies, success stories, techniques, and technology. Learn more at http://www1.infraredtraining.com/ and http://inframation.org/ .

About IACET: The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) is a non-profit association dedicated to quality continuing education and training programs. IACET is the only standard-setting organization approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for continuing education and training. The ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard is the core of thousands of educational programs worldwide. For more information, please visit www.iacet.org  or call 703-506-3275.

FLIR Thermal Vision Research & Science Symposium - Baltimore

WHO SHOULD COME AND WHY:
Whether you're an engineer, a student, a technician, or a Ph.D., this is your opportunity to meet and learn from other scientists and engineers on the cutting edge of research thermography. 

• Learn about advanced uses of thermal imaging in research and scientific applications
• Learn from many of the world’s leading authorities in research thermography
• Get tips and tricks for getting the most out of any research thermography program

DATE: Monday, April 23, 2012

TIME: 7:00am-5:00pm

LOCATION: Hilton Baltimore, Key Ballroom
401 West Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

PRICING: $395.00/attendee
Inclusive of: Free license for FLIR ExaminIR Pro (a $7950 value!), Breakfast, Lunch, and Breaks

All attendees are invited to join the SPIE welcome reception at the Maryland Science Center Monday evening from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.

More Information

InfraMation 2012 – Call for Abstracts

Call for Papers

The InfraMation 2012 Call for Papers is open until April 2, 2012. FLIR Systems and the Infrared Training Center (ITC) are accepting 150-250 word abstracts of presentations to be delivered to an InfraMation audience consisting of more than 500 condition monitoring engineers, maintenance technicians, building inspectors, restoration contractors, and test and measurement buyers. Submit your abstract through this simple online form.

Important Dates

• Presentation Abstracts Due: April 2, 2012
• Authors Learn of Acceptance by: May 18, 2012
• Complete Manuscripts and InfraMation Registration Due: July 20, 2012
• Complete PowerPoint Presentations due: August 17, 2012
• InfraMation 2012 Kicks Off: November 6, 2012

Benefits & Requirements
Why should you present at InfraMation 2012?

• Conference registration fee discount
• Qualify for full refund on already discounted conference registration fee
• Identify yourself as an infrared expert in your field
• Future validation for clients and customers
• Expand your professional and business referral network
• Represent your organization on a big stage
• Publish your paper on a searchable CD that every InfraMation attendee receives

InfraMation is the largest infrared camera user conference in the world. As thermal imaging becomes more mainstream, early adopters such as yourself will be sought out for your expertise, and InfraMation is the place to get recognized!

The only “hard” requirements are that your paper be non-commercial in nature (for sponsorship or exhibition opportunities, click here) and submitted in English. Abstract approval is based on clarity, appropriateness and technical merit of work.

About Emissivity Tables

Emissivity tables may or may not contain real useful information concerning the actual emissivities of the objects you wish to measure.

There can be many variations within and among different emissivity tables. Here are some factors of concern:

• Total Normal (broadband, perpendicular) emissivity - This is the emissivity over a very wide waveband. It may or may not be close to the actual emissivity with respect to your infrared camera.
• Midwave emissivity - Some tables are listed as shortwave (now called midwave) or at a specific narrow short waveband. Even if the emissivity is specified to be within the same spectral waveband as your infrared camera, it still may not be as accurate as you suspect. This is due to differences in camera detector responses.
• Longwave emissivity - Longwave tables can also be somewhat unreliable for the same reasons described for the shortwave. Older cameras used different detectors that had different responses within the long wave band.
• Narrow waveband - A narrow band can be just as unreliable as a wide band. Some materials can have significant changes in emissivity over small wavebands.
• Temperature - Some tables take into account the temperature of the object when the emissivity was measured. If you consider the previously mentioned variables, this does not necessarily make the tables any more reliable.
• Conditional (rough, smooth, corroded, rusty) - Conditional parameters seem to offer useful information concerning emissivities, but it is sometimes quite difficult to ascertain the condition of a metal surface by looking at it. If you use an emissivity table to determine the emissivity of copper, you may find values ranging from 0.05 to 0.86, depending on the surface. Copper that appears to be very tarnished can still have an extremely low emissivity.

So, what is one to do regarding emissivity tables? First, realize their limitations. They can offer a ball park estimate. If you really would like to use emissivity tables, the best thing to do is to create your own based on measurements taken with your camera.

Click this link for instructions on how to measure emissivity.

Accuracy Specification of FLIR Cameras

How accurately can the camera measure an absolute temperature?

Most FLIR Thermography cameras have a specified accuracy of  ±2 ºC (±3.6 ºF) or ±2% (whichever is greater) of reading for a blackbody target (emissivity ~ 1).

For example, for objects that are 100 °C or lower, the temperature reading off a blackbody can be 98°C to 102°C and be within specification. Similarly for objects above 100°C, say 200 °C, the reading could vary between 196°C and 204°C.

Some science cameras such as the SC660 are specified ±1°C or ±1% of reading.

This means that any camera, at any environment condition (within specification), at any time will give a reading within the accuracy specification.

However, a particular camera, at the same environment condition, will have a statistical repeatability of measurement that is much better than this. Typically close to the NETD value. This is also applicable when you compare adjacent pixels, provided your target(s) are optically resolved. This means that much higher accuracies can be achieved by comparing values with a known reference source in the image scene.

Errors & Omissions Liability Insurance

Error and Omissions Liability Insurance is a topic that has come up repeatedly in our message boards through the years. I have consolidated the most relevant information from all or our posts here for convenience. Hope this is useful.

---

We found a reasonable policy through this agent:
Elsa Escobar
Commercial Lines Underwriter
Costanza Insurance Agency, Inc.
e.escobar@cia-ca.com  
800.300.9775 x12
It took her some time but she says it would be much easier now that she's researched it once. Send her an email and add "Thermography insurance referral" on the subject line.

---

We ended up purchasing a General Liability Policy with 3M coverage, and added a Marine Policy to cover the camera. (The Marine Policy) is also used for contractor's Tools, and anything movable. Your best bet appears to be with and Independent Insurance company who has access to a wide variety of companies to draw from.

Infrared Thermography for Buildings

Learn how a Thermal Imaging Camera can benefit you for building work.

Infrared Thermography for Buildings

Measuring Body Temperature with an Infrared Camera

by Mikael Cronholm and Gary Orlove

From a biological standpoint, human beings are so called warm blooded animals. That means that we maintain a fairly constant body temperature, regardless of the surrounding temperature. The term body temperature (that we compare with when we decide whether a person has a fever or not) refers to the inside temperature, or core temperature of the body. The outside of the body is nearly always colder. It must be, because as we convert the energy from our food when we do work, we also produce heat. That heat has to go somewhere and if the outside and inside temperatures were the same, no heat transfer would be occurring.

None of us have a constant metabolism, or energy conversion, over time. It varies with our activity level. That means that the amount of heat we need to lose also changes with time. Our surrounding temperature also changes up and down, which means that sometimes we need to conserve heat and sometimes we need to increase the cooling by increased evaporation of liquid, we start to sweat more. Sweating is something we always do, just more or less depending on the situation.

To be able to use non-contact measurement for fever screening purposes, we need to find a point on the outside of the body that is close to the inside temperature – our “body temperature”. Because the outside is colder, and varies from place to place on the body, it is obviously the highest temperature on the outside of the body that is also the closest to the inside temperature. So we want to look for a warm spot on the outside.

Measuring Thin Film Plastics

A common application that is well suited to IR filters is that of measuring thin film plastics. Since the process of making thin plastic film itself is highly temperature critical, it is imperative to evaluate both the temperature and the uniformity of the plastic as it exits the extruder or web process. The product is typically moving at high speeds which precludes the use of contact temperature methods.

Most plastic films have spectral characteristics similar to polyethylene (depicted in the figure below) which is transmissive in both the short wave and long wave IR regions. Measuring thin film plastics can be challenging since without using a filter, you see “through” the plastic and measure the objects behind the plastic, rather than the plastic itself.

Spectral transmission of Polyethylene film with spectral response of plastics filter

Black Ice Thermal Images

Please see thermal images and associated visual images of black ice below:

Infrared Wildlife and Black Ice Detector - Looking for Feedback

by Rosaele Tremblay

Hello, I am a high school student writing a paper for my science project and I would like any feedback from the InfraMation readers (scientists or thermographers to see if I am on track with this idea or if anyone has suggestions as to how we can make this work. Thank you for any input.

You can provide comments and suggestions for Rosaele by leaving a comment on this post - Editor

Introduction
The electromagnetic spectrum includes gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwaves, and radio waves and each of them has a different wavelength and frequency. Infrared radiation is between visible light and the microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum and it is not visible to the human eye. Some animals do exist which see in infrared such as a few different snakes. Three categories exist in infrared: near, mid and far-infrared. Near-infrared is the closest to visible light and far-infrared is closer to the microwave portions. Infrared radiations are all around us every day coming from sunlight, a fire, radiator, a warm sidewalk and the TV remote. Everything on earth gives off heat when molecules begin to move and the higher the temperature of an object, the more the atoms and molecules will be moving which will produce a greater amount of infrared radiation. Objects with a temperature above absolute 0 radiate in infrared including the objects we perceive to be cold or freezing such as ice cubes or objects which are hot but do not visibly appear to be hot emit heat.

These shots of a coffee mug are in three different palettes to show that we assign the colors to gray steps. Human eyes see ten gray steps so to see the colors in definition we can assign 10 colors to them like in these shots. In these, white is hot and black is cool, but we can also invert these so that white is cool and black is hot, this is up to the thermographer.

Analyzing Building Images Acquired at Different Times

A camera user writes:

"I find that images taken of the same structure, not much separated in time, sometimes look very different.  This poses a problem for me as I’m trying to compare the heat images of different houses (to detect homes that need weatherization).  Presently I’m not confident that images of two homes reflect actual differences in the structures, or are caused by minor environmental changes or even by artifacts in the photography.  Here is an example.

Attached are two nighttime images of the front of my house, which faces east.  IR0310 was taken at 10:40 PM, IR0408 at 11:11 PM. (The clock on the camera is two hours fast.)  It was a cold night with little temperature change over the half hour between pictures.  The house thermostat was constant. 

I've set the palette and temperature range to give me good differentiation of houses along the street.  I took the first image of my house as I began imaging houses on my street, and I took the second image when I finished the street scan. 

I am surprised, first, that my house looks so different in the two images. And second, that the outside looks warmer in the later image.  If anything, I'd have expected the outside to have cooled.

Glad for any interpretation of this.  Needless to say, with this kind of variation on a single house, it is hard to get good images for comparing houses. "