• Spotted owl hatches two more
  Bend Bulletin, OR - Mar 27, 2004
  ... Nork capitalized on the excitement of the birth of last year's owls to secure a grant to buy an infrared camera and a $1,000 supply of dead mice to document ...

• NASA Space Shuttle Processing Status
  Space Ref - Mar 26, 2004
  ... Once the panels are removed, they undergo thermography and other non-destructive evaluation techniques to verify they have no internal flaws.

• Sleep labs help knock the lights out of apnea
  Fremont Tribune, NE - Mar 26, 2004
  ... cardiopulmonary services at FAMC. "We watch (the patient) live with an infrared camera to see if the patient stops breathing.". Jane Brown, a ...

• Another way to detect cancer
  Oakland Tribune, CA - Mar 26, 2004
  ... The Woodside Thermal Imaging Center in Redwood City helped with the diagnosis for Cook, a natural healer who specializes in teaching Reiki, which is similar to ...

• Singapore wages high-tech war against rats
  Borneo Bulletin, Brunei Darussalam - Mar 25, 2004
  SINGAPORE (AP) - Armed with thermal-imaging devices, closed-circuit television cameras and ultraviolet urine detectors, Singapore authorities are preparing for ...

• Awoken spirits in their sights
  Shepparton News, Australia - Mar 22, 2004
  ... Mr Done and Mr Oataway set up thermal imaging equipment, video and sound recorders, and electromagnetic field detectors to try to determine whether Ms De Boer ...

• France in Space #259
  Space Ref - Mar 19, 2004
  ... It provides the payload and the launch as well. One of the 3 instruments within the payload is a 3-channel thermal imager developed by CNES. ...

• Sounding out danger in aircraft
  E4engineering.com, UK - Mar 18, 2004
  ... each other, generating heat. This heat can then be detected using a thermal imaging camera. Conventional tests involve disassembly ...

• Icy 'planetoid' is found orbiting beyond Pluto
  Arizona Daily Star, AZ - Mar 16, 2004
  ... in visible light can have a hard time doing, said Stansberry, a member of a UA team led by researcher George Rieke that built an infrared camera on Spitzer. ...

• Augmented Reality Explained
  3dgraphics.about.com, United States - Mar 15, 2004
  ... By using an infrared camera and an image processing hardware, the system can successfully identify user's fingertips quickly even in a complicated background. ...

We have added image uploading capability to our message boards and your posts. So now it is easier than ever to ask a question and show others your problem or solution.

We are looking forward to seeing all your images and hope you find this addition to the message boards very useful. Click here for more details.

Here is a selection of recent new threads by IR Community members. Feel free to click the links, see how people have responded, and post your own response if you like.

• Insurance for chiropractic or other Medical applications? Needs a response
  My chiropractor has expressed an interest in learning more about thermal imaging, and I can see where with a little more training this could easily become a lucrative field to take my business into.

  It seems that insurance companies that cover chiropractic treatment have no problem with X-rays and other diagnostic procedures, but they're not on board yet with thermal imaging. Does anybody have any information about this? Are there companies that do cover it, and if so, what are their criteria? What kinds of certification might be required to perform such analysis and who provides it? Has anybody done freelance work for chiropractors or other well-body type practitioners (acupuncture, massage, etc.) on an informal basis?

• Thermography on Plastic molding Machine
  There are several mold plastic Factories around the place where I live.. some surveys are just for the electrical and distribution systems. Where I can read more about infrared and plastic molding?

• What is best emissivity to use for electrical bus inspection?
  My company is renting an IR camera for a month and I have been asked to do several electrical bus inspections. I used an emissivity of 1.0 and then 0.67 for oxidized copper. But in some places the copper is still shiny. I saw that this emissivity may be as low as 0.07. This will make a big difference in my readings. If I am only concerned about good connected on the busses, could someone tell me what they usually use for emissivity for these inspections?

• IR from a Helicopter
  I have been asked to do IR scans on distribution lines in remote areas from a helicopter. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions on doing this. The helicopter has requirements that it can only get so close to the lines, so the prop wash on the target should not be a problem. I also have a seven degree lens so I should be inside my spot size ratio. My concern is with the prop wash between me and my target-Any suggestions?

• Grocery Store
  Can someone offer advice regarding grocery store refrigeration equipment. I have been asked to shoot a local grocery store and don’t know what to look for or what might be out of the ordinary when looking at refrigerant compressors and their associated plumbing. Are there other components, other than electrical panels, that I need to look for?

• Contract / legal language
  My new IR consulting business is rapidly ramping up, with several of the largest target clients in my area contacting me and soliciting proposals well ahead of the timetable I had planned for. I am working with an attorney to prepare contract language before I take on my first major facility, but was wondering if anybody can point me to a source of boilerplate language relevant to our field. My hope is to not only keep legal expenses down but to make sure I'm hitting all the bases, since obviously my attorney is not a thermographer. Anything at all would be very helpful, but I'm most interested in material specifically addressing power generation, utilities, and the timber and paper/pulp industries.

• Thermography and Natural Gas
  Some gas natural piping runs over the city in underground routes. Generally the main pipes at my city are 4" diameter and are 3 feet into ground, above the piping area is the asphalt due the most pipes runs under pavement roads. if there are a leak, this gas should cold the leaking area?.. If this is true, then I should I need to inspect at end of day when the asphalt was heavy sun loaded?

• Severity Criteria
  I am trying to establish a severity criteria for our IR program. I am hoping that someone can point me to some literature on the subject. Is the same criteria applicable to high voltage as it is to "low" voltage (up to 480V).

And of course if YOU have a question or want to start a discussion on a topic, we would love to hear from you. Just post a new thread on a message board.

by Mark Droke
System Engineer
Tennessee Valley Authority
Transmission Support Department

Webster's defines "hot potato" as "a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it." This article explores this topic quite literally. - Editor
 

During the heat transfer session of my Level II training at the ITC, I questioned why we wrap our potatoes in foil to cook them.  Seemingly it would reflect any radiated heat.  Since an oven cooks food by convection and radiation, I wanted to determine what the difference (if any) that baking a potato without foil would make.

Preparation

Two very similar potatoes were placed in the refrigerator (to obtain a greater delta T) for 24 hours.  An ordinary house oven was preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  One potato was tightly wrapped in foil and the other with no foil.  Both Potatoes were placed in the center of the rack, no cookware or cookie sheet was used.  The potatoes were cooked for 20 minutes, then quickly removed, cut in half, and IR images were made with the Inframetrics PM 390 Shortwave (cooled) ThermaCAM.  The emissivity of the potato was calculated and found to be 0.95.  However, the potato emissivity is not important in this experiment.  Mainly the difference in temperature is observed.

Results  

The potato that was not wrapped in foil, cooked much faster.

Theory

Heat is transferred in three ways:  Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.

Conduction - Is the transfer of energy from higher energy particles to lower energy particles by intimate contact in a substance.

Convection - Heat transfer by the movement of a fluid or gas

Radiation - Heat transfer by electromagnetic radiation

In this experiment there was very little heat transfer due to conduction.  Upon first placing the potato onto the rack, some of the heat from the metal rack was conducted to the potato.  However, this contribution is negligible.

Most of the time when cooking in an oven, the heat is transferred to the food by convection from the hot air and radiation from the walls.  Many times you are cooking in cookware or on a cookie sheet and this reduces the amount of direct radiant heat that gets to the food.

Radiant heat comes partly from the walls of the oven and whenever either of the oven elements came on, the radiant heat that went to the potatoes increased by huge amounts. The foil that was wrapped around the one potato reflected the radiant heat away from the potato.  As shown in figure 1 (click the image for a larger version), the two potato halves on the left that were without foil and were heated with convection and radiant heat, heated faster than the two on the right that were wrapped in foil and reflected radiant heat.  Figure 2 shows a visual image of the potatoes.

 
Figure 1                                     Figure 2

Conclusion

I have been cooking my potatoes wrong for years!  From a heat transfer perspective, It would be better to cook your potatoes without foil.  Then after taking them out of the oven, wrap them loosely in foil to keep them warm.

Mark receives an InfraMation Executive Attaché Case for his newsletter contribution.

Coming on the heels of the famous Pocket Fisherman that has thrilled generations, FLIR Systems has introduced a breakthrough product even more impressive!

The FLIR ThermaFISH combines an infrared camera and telescopic fishing rod to give you everything you need to perform IR surveys and catch a few fish during your breaks from thermal scanning.

Fishing is a great summer time activity but the fuss of taking a rod and tackle box out to the lake can leave you wanting to stay on dry land. With its compact design, the ThermaFISH fits easily in to a glove compartment and clips on to the belt so you can keep your hands free.

The mini tackle box in the handle eliminates the need for larger, more cumbersome tackle boxes. Carry all your fishing needs in one compact package! The perfect gift for the aspiring or veteran fishing enthusiast!

Features such as Automatic Anti-Reverse prevents the handle from turning backwards. The ThermaFISH is the first fishing system to feature a dual use fishing line and fiber optic link so you can view the fish you have hooked on the integral LCD display.    

And as a special bonus, you will receive our serrated Filet knife, flexible and perfect for the fish you catch. The ever-sharp serrated blade allows you to fillet your fish before you get home.

 An angler's dream: the new ThermaCAM from FLIR Systems allows you to fish wherever you go. It's the best gift you can give to any kid or adult!

Your ThermaFISH Features:

•  Convenient, Compact Design features 5 piece telescoping fishing rod

•  Fits Into Your Glove Compartment .

•  Attaches to Your Belt.

•  Automatic Anti-Reverse prevents the handle from turning backwards.

•  Mini Tackle Box - Contained in the handle are: hook, line, sinker, and
   bobber.

•  Finds thermal problems fast with accurate temperature measurement

•  Download and document your IR findings

•  Flexible JPEG image storage with post processing

•  View sensitive thermal images at standard TV rates

•  Interchangeable optics

•  30 day money back guarantee

You would expect to pay $30,000 for a fine system like this. Well at FLIR Systems you know you aren’t going to pay $30,000, and not 29,000, not $28,000, not even $25,000. All you are going to pay for this outstanding product are three easy payments of just $7,500.

Try the ThermaFISH for a 30 day risk free trial. If you aren’t convinced that it is the most useful combination thermal camera and fishing kit on the market, we don't want you to keep it. Just send it back and we will gladly refund your money. But please keep the filet knife as our gift to you.

Brainteaser of the Month  [top]

Here is this month's brainteaser. First reader to email me with the correct explanation or identification of the object in the thermogram receives a gift from ITC. Please put "Brainteaser" as the subject of the message.

Click here to email your guess

Do you have an interesting image that you think would stump other thermographers? If so please email me your image (preferably in native .img, .jpg, .tif, .tgw, or .tmw format) with an accompanying visible photo and explanation. If your image is used, you receive a gift as well.

Who invited these iguanas to lunch? I don't know, but I think one of our instructors had something to do with it.

Anyway our winner for last month's thermal image is Wayne Depew from Xerox Corporation. Wayne receives a special low emissivity traveling coffee mug. You know your reptilians Wayne!

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