Applications of Thermography
Infrared radiation is emitted by all beings and objects near room temperature. As temperature increases, the amount of radiation emitted by them also increases. Thermography, an integral part of infrared imaging science, allows one to see these variations in temperature.
Thermal imaging cameras convert the energy in the infrared wavelength into a visible light display. These infrared cameras can detect radiation in the infrared range and produce images of that radiation, called thermograms using infrared software. When viewed through these cameras, warm objects stand out distinctly against cooler backgrounds.
This simple but miraculous visibility has important applications in various fields. Historically, thermography was largely used for by the military and research facilities. However, over the last fifty years, it has been used in several commercial and industrial set-ups as well. Some of its applications have been mentioned below.
Science:
Thermography’s utility in the medical field ranges from mammography to volcanology and veterinary medicine to research and development. Digital infrared thermal imaging is used in medical science for the adjunctive or supportive evaluation of thyroid, peripheral vascular, cerebral vascular, musculoskeletal, inflammatory and neoplastic conditions. In 2009, during the swine flu pandemic, the Government used thermography to detect suspected cases.
Safety and Security:
Since infrared cameras allow users to easily view warm-blooded beings, they are used by the military and security services. Firefighters use thermography to find people and pinpoint the source of fire through the smoky haze.
Maintenance and Improvement:
Maintenance technicians trying to fix power failure use thermography to locate overheated sections of power lines. Building construction technicians can improve the efficiency of heating and cooling units by using thermography to locate leaks in thermal insulation. Line blockages, tank levels and pipe temperatures can be measured in fluid systems as also gas can be detected by using a handheld thermal imager
Facilities:
Residential, commercial, institutional and industrial buildings benefit from surveys done using thermography. Thermal technology helps in the inspection of thermal loss, testing energy efficiency, building a thermal envelope around a building, controlling quality and conducting roof surveys.
Non-Destructive Testing:
Thermography helps in evaluating the properties of a material, component or system without altering it permanently. This technique saves both money and time in product evaluation, troubleshooting, and research.
Thermography tools used to be expensive and difficult to use. Today, users can easily purchase thermal imagers at affordable rates, quickly train their staff and effectively use them to enhance their services and distinguish themselves in a highly competitive arena.
Fluke is the leading market leader in cutting edge technology of thermal imaging and Infrared Cameras
.
Article from articlesbase.com
Save the boobs! Kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month! Detect breast cancer sooner. How does breast thermography work? Breast thermography measures differences in infrared heat emission from normal breast tissue and benign breast abnormalities (such as fibrocystic disease, cysts, infections and benign tumors) thus differentiating them from breast cancers. This procedure is performed with a high degree of sensitivity and accuracy, providing a non-invasive measurement of the physiology of breast tissue. Pink Image uses a high resolution, highly-sensitive infrared camera to measure minute differences in infrared heat emission from tumors and the vascular structure they require. Because tumor tissue does not have an intact sympathetic nervous system, it cannot regulate heat loss. When the breast is cooled with small fans in a temperature controlled room, blood vessels of normal tissue respond by constricting to conserve heat while tumor tissue and its blood vessels remains hot. Thus, tumors emit more heat than their surrounding tissues allowing them to be detected by Pink Images heat sensing infrared camera. Breast thermograms show highly specific thermal patterns in each individual woman. They provide a unique “thermal signature” that remains constant over years unless there is a change in an underlying condition. Thus, over time, it is possible to differentiate between cancers and benign conditions. Since the technology has the ability to accurately detect cancers over …
Video Rating: 4 / 5