The many applications of infrared technology are evolving at a tremendous pace. The infrared thermal imager is currently used in everything from home repair to monitoring volcanoes, tracking forest fires to plumbing leaks, HVAC to auto repair. What can you use infrared for? The simple answer is, any situation in which you need to visualize or measure a temperature difference on the surface of something.
Thermal imagers detect infrared energy emitted from an object. Infrared energy is not visible because it’s wavelength is too long to be perceived by the human eye. The human body can detect infrared energy, but we perceive it as heat. But what if we could see it? All objects above absolute zero (-273° C/-460° F) emit infrared energy or heat, and are therefore detectable. Thus even very cold objects can be “seen” by infrared thermal imagers. The energy detected is translated into an image based on the many small temp variations measured by the imager. The detected infrared energy is also used to provide precise temperature measurements of the object.
With thermal imagers at their current low price threshold, new applications are being discovered all the time. The infrared thermal imager is becoming the solution of choice. What do you need to see? Or measure? Give us a call- we would be happy to make imager recommendations for any application. Meanwhile, let us suggest a couple of broad paths to consider:
Building Conditions
Characterized by relatively small temperature differences. Common applications include:
- Detecting air leakage around windows, ducts, walls and ceilings
- Locating energy leaks through poor or missing insulation, thermal bridging, duct leakage
- Finding moisture intrusion through roof leaks or building material failure
- Identifying possible mold conditions
- Locating pest infiltration and damage
Mechanical and Electrical Conditions
Characterized by large range of encountered temperatures. Common applications include:
- Motor systems including condition of bearings and brushes
- Electrical systems – loose connections, overloaded circuits, open circuits, imbalanced loads
- Steam and fluid systems including boilers and furnaces
- Predictive maintenance (PPM)
- Equipment monitoring including proper lubrication and tension
- Quality assurance
- Identifying defects in equipment
We would love to hear about your infrared applications. We can suggest applications for your thermal imager, or an imager for your application. You can contact us at (877) 273-2311.
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