FLIR Ex series User Manual
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FLIR Ex series User Manual

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  • Page 1 User’s manual FLIR Ex series...
  • Page 3 User’s manual FLIR Ex series #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    7.4.2 Explanation..............15 Operation ..................17 Charging the battery ..............17 8.1.1 Charging the battery using the FLIR power supply ....17 8.1.2 Charging the battery using the FLIR stand-alone battery charger................ 17 8.1.3 Charging the battery using a USB cable ......17 Turning on and turning off the camera..........
  • Page 6 Table of contents 8.3.3 Naming convention............18 8.3.4 Procedure ..............18 Recalling an image..............18 8.4.1 General................ 18 8.4.2 Procedure ..............18 Deleting an image ..............19 8.5.1 General................ 19 8.5.2 Procedure ..............19 Deleting all images..............19 8.6.1 General................ 19 8.6.2 Procedure ..............
  • Page 7 Online field-of-view calculator ............31 Note about technical data ............31 Note about authoritative versions..........31 FLIR E4 .................. 32 FLIR E4 (incl. Wi-Fi) ..............35 FLIR E5 .................. 39 FLIR E5 (incl. Wi-Fi) ..............42 FLIR E6 .................. 46 FLIR E6 (incl.
  • Page 8 13.4.1 General................ 68 13.4.2 Figure................68 13.5 Draft ..................69 13.5.1 General................ 69 13.5.2 Figure................69 About FLIR Systems ................71 14.1 More than just an infrared camera ..........72 14.2 Sharing our knowledge .............. 73 14.3 Supporting our customers............73 Definitions and laws ................

  • Page 9: Disclaimers

    FLIR Systems will, at its option, repair or replace any such defective product ZL201130442354.9; ZL201230471744.3; ZL201230620731.8. free of charge if, upon inspection, it proves to be defective in material or work- manship and provided that it is returned to FLIR Systems within the said one- year period. 1.8 EULA Terms FLIR Systems has no other obligation or liability for defects than those set forth •...

  • Page 10: Eula Terms

    WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the Qt4 Core and Qt4 GUI, Copyright ©2013 Nokia Corporation and FLIR Sys- GNU Lesser General Public License, http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.html. tems AB. This Qt library is a free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify...

  • Page 11: Safety Information

    WARNING Applicability: Digital devices subject to 15.21. NOTICE: Changes or modifications made to this equipment not expressly approved by FLIR Systems may void the FCC authorization to operate this equipment. WARNING Applicability: Digital devices subject to 2.1091/2.1093/OET Bulletin 65.
  • Page 12 Applicability: Cameras with one or more batteries. Do not attach the batteries directly to a car’s cigarette lighter socket, unless FLIR Systems supplies a spe- cific adapter to connect the batteries to a cigarette lighter socket. Damage to the batteries can occur.
  • Page 13 Safety information CAUTION Applicability: Cameras with one or more batteries. Do not put the batteries in or near a fire, or into direct sunlight. When the battery becomes hot, the built-in safety equipment becomes energized and can stop the battery charging procedure. If the battery be- comes hot, damage can occur to the safety equipment and this can cause more heat, damage or ignition of the battery.
  • Page 14 Safety information CAUTION Applicability: Cameras with one or more batteries. The temperature range through which you can remove the electrical power from the battery is -15°C to +50°C (+5°F to +122°F), unless other information is specified in the user documentation or technical data. If you operate the battery out of this temperature range, it can decrease the performance or the life cycle of the battery.

  • Page 15: Notice To User

    As with most electronic products, this equipment must be disposed of in an environmen- tally friendly way, and in accordance with existing regulations for electronic waste. Please contact your FLIR Systems representative for more details. 3.5 Training To read about infrared training, visit: •...

  • Page 16: Important Note About This Manual

    Notice to user 3.7 Important note about this manual FLIR Systems issues generic manuals that cover several cameras within a model line. This means that this manual may contain descriptions and explanations that do not apply to your particular camera model.

  • Page 17: Customer Help

    Customer help 4.1 General For customer help, visit: http://support.flir.com 4.2 Submitting a question To submit a question to the customer help team, you must be a registered user. It only takes a few minutes to register online. If you only want to search the knowledgebase for existing questions and answers, you do not need to be a registered user.

  • Page 18: Downloads

    • The communication protocol, or method, between the camera and your device (for ex- ample, SD card reader, HDMI, Ethernet, USB, or FireWire) • Device type (PC/Mac/iPhone/iPad/Android device, etc.) • Version of any programs from FLIR Systems • Full name, publication number, and revision number of the manual 4.3 Downloads...

  • Page 19: Quick Start Guide

    • Charge the battery using a USB cable connected to a computer. Note Charging the camera using a USB cable connected to a computer takes considerably longer than using the FLIR power supply or the FLIR stand-alone bat- tery charger.

  • Page 20: List Of Accessories And Services

    Tool belt T911093 USB cable Std A <-> Micro B T198533 Note FLIR Systems reserves the right to discontinue models, parts or accessories, and other items, or to change specifications at any time without prior notice. #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 21: Description

    Description 7.1 Camera parts 7.1.1 Figure 7.1.2 Explanation 1. Digital camera lens. 2. Infrared lens. 3. Lever to open and close the lens cap. 4. Trigger to save images. 5. Battery. #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 22: Keypad

    Description 7.2 Keypad 7.2.1 Figure 7.2.2 Explanation 1. Camera screen. 2. Archive button Function: • Push to open the image archive. 3. Navigation pad. Function: • Push left/right or up/down to navigate in menus, submenus, and dialog boxes. • Push the center to confirm. 4.

  • Page 23: Connectors

    FLIR power supply or the FLIR stand-alone battery charger. • Moving images from the camera to a computer for further analysis in FLIR Tools. Note Install FLIR Tools on your computer before you move the images.
  • Page 24 Description 3. Spotmeter. 4. Result table. 5. Status icons. 6. Temperature scale. #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 25: Operation

    To charge the camera, the computer must be turned on. • Charging the camera using a USB cable connected to a computer takes considerably longer than us- ing the FLIR power supply or the FLIR stand-alone battery charger. #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 26: Turning On And Turning Off The Camera

    Operation 8.2 Turning on and turning off the camera • Push the button to turn on the camera. • Push and hold the button for less than 5 seconds to put the camera in standby mode. The camera then automatically turns off after 48 hours. •...

  • Page 27: Deleting An Image

    Operation 4. To return to live mode, push the Cancel button repeatedly or push the Archive but- 8.5 Deleting an image 8.5.1 General You can delete one or more images from the internal camera memory. 8.5.2 Procedure Follow this procedure: 1.

  • Page 28: Measuring The Hottest Temperature Within An Area

    Operation 8.8 Measuring the hottest temperature within an area 8.8.1 General You can measure the hottest temperature within an area. This displays a moving spot- meter that indicates the hottest temperature. 8.8.2 Procedure Follow this procedure: 1. Push the center of the navigation pad. This displays a toolbar. 2.

  • Page 29: Working With Color Alarms

    Operation 3. On the toolbar, select a new color palette. 8.12 Working with color alarms 8.12.1 General By using color alarms (isotherms), anomalies can easily be discovered in an infrared im- age. The isotherm command applies a contrasting color to all pixels with a temperature above or below the specified temperature level.

  • Page 30: Changing Image Mode

    Operation 8.13 Changing image mode 8.13.1 General The camera can operate in five different image modes: • Thermal MSX (Multi Spectral Dynamic Imaging): The camera displays an infrared im- age where the edges of the objects are enhanced. • Thermal: The camera displays a fully thermal image. •...

  • Page 31: Procedure

    Operation • Digital camera: The camera displays a digital camera image. To display a good fusion image (Thermal MSX, Picture-in-picture, and Thermal blending modes), the camera must make adjustments to compensate for the small difference in po- sition between the digital camera lens and the infrared lens. To adjust the image accu- rately, the camera requires the alignment distance (i.e., the distance to the object).

  • Page 32: When To Use Lock Mode

    Operation 8.14.2 When to use Lock mode A typical situation where you would want to use Lock mode is when looking for tempera- ture anomalies in two items with a similar design or construction. For example, if you are looking at two cables, where you suspect one is overheated, work- ing in Lock mode will clearly show that one is overheated.

  • Page 33: Setting The Emissivity As A Surface Property

    Operation 2. On the toolbar, select Temperature scale . This displays a toolbar. 3. On the toolbar, select one of the following: • Auto • Lock • Manual 4. To change the temperature span and the temperature level in Manual mode, do the following: •...

  • Page 34: Procedure

    Operation 8.16.2 Procedure Follow this procedure: 1. Push the center of the navigation pad. This displays a toolbar. 2. On the toolbar, select Settings . This displays a dialog box. 3. In the dialog box, select Measurement parameters. This displays a dialog box. 4.

  • Page 35: Procedure

    Operation 8.18.2 Procedure Follow this procedure: 1. Push the center of the navigation pad. This displays a toolbar. 2. On the toolbar, select Settings . This displays a dialog box. 3. In the dialog box, select Measurement parameters. This displays a dialog box. 4.

  • Page 36: Configuring Wi-Fi

    Operation 8.21 Configuring Wi-Fi Depending on your camera configuration, you can connect the camera to a wireless local area network (WLAN) using Wi-Fi, or let the camera provide Wi-Fi access to another device. You can connect the camera in two different ways: •...

  • Page 37: Procedure

    Operation The Settings menu includes the following: • Measurement parameters. • Save options. • Device settings. 8.22.1.1 Measurement parameters • Emissivity. • Reflected temperature. • Distance. 8.22.1.2 Save options • Photo as separate JPEG: When this menu command is selected, the digital photo from the visual camera is saved at its full field of view as a separate JPEG image.

  • Page 38: Updating The Camera

    1. Start FLIR Tools. 2. Start the camera. 3. Connect the camera to the computer using the USB cable. 4. On the Help menu in FLIR Tools, click Check for updates. 5. Follow the on-screen instructions. #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 39: Technical Data

    9.2 Note about technical data FLIR Systems reserves the right to change specifications at any time without prior notice. Please check http://support.flir.com for latest changes.

  • Page 40: Flir E4

    Benefits: • Easy to use: The FLIR Ex series cameras are fully automatic and focus-free with an intuitive interface for simple measurements in thermal, visual, or MSX mode. •...
  • Page 41 Technical data Measurement analysis Spotmeter Center spot Emissivity correction Variable from 0.1 to 1.0 Emissivity table Emissivity table of predefined materials Reflected apparent temperature correction Automatic, based on input of reflected temperature Set-up Color palettes Black and white, iron and rainbow Set-up commands Local adaptation of units, language, date and time formats...
  • Page 42 • T198533; USB cable Std A <-> Micro B • T199362ACC; Battery Li-ion 3.6 V, 2.6 Ah, 9.4 Wh • T198583; FLIR Tools+ (download card incl. license key) • T199233; FLIR Atlas SDK for .NET • T199234; FLIR Atlas SDK for MATLAB...

  • Page 43: Flir E4 (Incl. Wi-Fi)

    Benefits: • Easy to use: The FLIR Ex series cameras are fully automatic and focus-free with an intuitive interface for simple measurements in thermal, visual, or MSX mode. •...
  • Page 44 Technical data Measurement analysis Spotmeter Center spot Area Box with max./min. Isotherm Above/below/interval Emissivity correction Variable from 0.1 to 1.0 Emissivity table Emissivity table of predefined materials Reflected apparent temperature correction Automatic, based on input of reflected temperature Set-up Color palettes Black and white, iron and rainbow Set-up commands Local adaptation of units, language, date and time...
  • Page 45 • T198529; Pouch FLIR Ex and ix series • T198533; USB cable Std A <-> Micro B • T199362ACC; Battery Li-ion 3.6 V, 2.6 Ah, 9.4 Wh • T198583; FLIR Tools+ (download card incl. license key) • T199233; FLIR Atlas SDK for .NET #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...
  • Page 46 Technical data • T199234; FLIR Atlas SDK for MATLAB #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 47: Flir E5

    Benefits: • Easy to use: The FLIR Ex series cameras are fully automatic and focus-free with an intuitive interface for simple measurements in thermal, visual, or MSX mode. •...
  • Page 48 Technical data Measurement analysis Spotmeter Center spot Area Box with max./min. Emissivity correction Variable from 0.1 to 1.0 Emissivity table Emissivity table of predefined materials Reflected apparent temperature correction Automatic, based on input of reflected temperature Set-up Black and white, iron and rainbow Color palettes Set-up commands Local adaptation of units, language, date and time...
  • Page 49 • T198533; USB cable Std A <-> Micro B • T199362ACC; Battery Li-ion 3.6 V, 2.6 Ah, 9.4 Wh • T198583; FLIR Tools+ (download card incl. license key) • T199233; FLIR Atlas SDK for .NET • T199234; FLIR Atlas SDK for MATLAB...

  • Page 50: Flir E5 (Incl. Wi-Fi)

    Benefits: • Easy to use: The FLIR Ex series cameras are fully automatic and focus-free with an intuitive interface for simple measurements in thermal, visual, or MSX mode. •...
  • Page 51 Technical data Measurement analysis Spotmeter Center spot Area Box with max./min. Isotherm Above/below/interval Emissivity correction Variable from 0.1 to 1.0 Emissivity table Emissivity table of predefined materials Reflected apparent temperature correction Automatic, based on input of reflected temperature Set-up Color palettes Black and white, iron and rainbow Set-up commands Local adaptation of units, language, date and time...
  • Page 52 • T198530; Battery • T198531; Battery charger incl power supply • T198532; Car charger • T198534; Power supply USB-micro • T198529; Pouch FLIR Ex and ix series • T198533; USB cable Std A <-> Micro B #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...
  • Page 53 Technical data • T199362ACC; Battery Li-ion 3.6 V, 2.6 Ah, 9.4 Wh • T198583; FLIR Tools+ (download card incl. license key) • T199233; FLIR Atlas SDK for .NET • T199234; FLIR Atlas SDK for MATLAB #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 54: Flir E6

    Benefits: • Easy to use: The FLIR Ex series cameras are fully automatic and focus-free with an intuitive interface for simple measurements in thermal, visual, or MSX mode. •...
  • Page 55 Technical data Measurement analysis Spotmeter Center spot Area Box with max./min. Emissivity correction Variable from 0.1 to 1.0 Emissivity table Emissivity table of predefined materials Reflected apparent temperature correction Automatic, based on input of reflected temperature Set-up Black and white, iron and rainbow Color palettes Set-up commands Local adaptation of units, language, date and time...
  • Page 56 • T198533; USB cable Std A <-> Micro B • T199362ACC; Battery Li-ion 3.6 V, 2.6 Ah, 9.4 Wh • T198583; FLIR Tools+ (download card incl. license key) • T199233; FLIR Atlas SDK for .NET • T199234; FLIR Atlas SDK for MATLAB...

  • Page 57: Flir E6 (Incl. Wi-Fi)

    Benefits: • Easy to use: The FLIR Ex series cameras are fully automatic and focus-free with an intuitive interface for simple measurements in thermal, visual, or MSX mode. •...
  • Page 58 Technical data Measurement analysis Spotmeter Center spot Area Box with max./min. Isotherm Above/below/interval Emissivity correction Variable from 0.1 to 1.0 Emissivity table Emissivity table of predefined materials Reflected apparent temperature correction Automatic, based on input of reflected temperature Set-up Color palettes Black and white, iron and rainbow Set-up commands Local adaptation of units, language, date and time...
  • Page 59 • T198529; Pouch FLIR Ex and ix series • T198533; USB cable Std A <-> Micro B • T199362ACC; Battery Li-ion 3.6 V, 2.6 Ah, 9.4 Wh • T198583; FLIR Tools+ (download card incl. license key) • T199233; FLIR Atlas SDK for .NET #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...
  • Page 60 Technical data • T199234; FLIR Atlas SDK for MATLAB #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 61: Flir E8

    Benefits: • Easy to use: The FLIR Ex series cameras are fully automatic and focus-free with an intuitive interface for simple measurements in thermal, visual, or MSX mode. •...
  • Page 62 Technical data Measurement analysis Spotmeter Center spot Area Box with max./min. Emissivity correction Variable from 0.1 to 1.0 Emissivity table Emissivity table of predefined materials Reflected apparent temperature correction Automatic, based on input of reflected temperature Set-up Black and white, iron and rainbow Color palettes Set-up commands Local adaptation of units, language, date and time...
  • Page 63 • T198533; USB cable Std A <-> Micro B • T199362ACC; Battery Li-ion 3.6 V, 2.6 Ah, 9.4 Wh • T198583; FLIR Tools+ (download card incl. license key) • T199233; FLIR Atlas SDK for .NET • T199234; FLIR Atlas SDK for MATLAB...

  • Page 64: Flir E8 (Incl. Wi-Fi)

    Benefits: • Easy to use: The FLIR Ex series cameras are fully automatic and focus-free with an intuitive interface for simple measurements in thermal, visual, or MSX mode. •...
  • Page 65 Technical data Measurement analysis Spotmeter Center spot Area Box with max./min. Isotherm Above/below/interval Emissivity correction Variable from 0.1 to 1.0 Emissivity table Emissivity table of predefined materials Reflected apparent temperature correction Automatic, based on input of reflected temperature Set-up Color palettes Black and white, iron and rainbow Set-up commands Local adaptation of units, language, date and time...
  • Page 66 • T198529; Pouch FLIR Ex and ix series • T198533; USB cable Std A <-> Micro B • T199362ACC; Battery Li-ion 3.6 V, 2.6 Ah, 9.4 Wh • T198583; FLIR Tools+ (download card incl. license key) #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...
  • Page 67 Technical data • T199233; FLIR Atlas SDK for .NET • T199234; FLIR Atlas SDK for MATLAB #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 68: Mechanical Drawings

    Mechanical drawings [See next page] #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 71: Ce Declaration Of Conformity

    CE Declaration of conformity [See next page] #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 73: Cleaning The Camera

    Cleaning the camera 12.1 Camera housing, cables, and other items 12.1.1 Liquids Use one of these liquids: • Warm water • A weak detergent solution 12.1.2 Equipment A soft cloth 12.1.3 Procedure Follow this procedure: 1. Soak the cloth in the liquid. 2.

  • Page 74: Application Examples

    Application examples 13.1 Moisture & water damage 13.1.1 General It is often possible to detect moisture and water damage in a house by using an infrared camera. This is partly because the damaged area has a different heat conduction property and partly because it has a different thermal capacity to store heat than the surrounding material.

  • Page 75: Figure

    Application examples 13.2.2 Figure The image below shows a connection of a cable to a socket where improper contact in the connection has resulted in local temperature increase. 13.3 Oxidized socket 13.3.1 General Depending on the type of socket and the environment in which the socket is installed, ox- ides may occur on the socket's contact surfaces.

  • Page 76: Insulation Deficiencies

    Application examples 13.4 Insulation deficiencies 13.4.1 General Insulation deficiencies may result from insulation losing volume over the course of time and thereby not entirely filling the cavity in a frame wall. An infrared camera allows you to see these insulation deficiencies because they either have a different heat conduction property than sections with correctly installed insulation, and/or show the area where air is penetrating the frame of the building.

  • Page 77: Draft

    Application examples 13.5 Draft 13.5.1 General Draft can be found under baseboards, around door and window casings, and above ceil- ing trim. This type of draft is often possible to see with an infrared camera, as a cooler air- stream cools down the surrounding surface. When you are investigating draft in a house, there should be sub-atmospheric pressure in the house.
  • Page 78 Application examples #T559828; r. AK/40423/40448; en-US...

  • Page 79: About Flir Systems

    • Prox Dynamics (2016) Figure 14.1 Patent documents from the early 1960s FLIR Systems has three manufacturing plants in the United States (Portland, OR, Boston, MA, Santa Barbara, CA) and one in Sweden (Stockholm). Since 2007 there is also a...

  • Page 80: More Than Just An Infrared Camera

    14.1 More than just an infrared camera At FLIR Systems we recognize that our job is to go beyond just producing the best infrared camera systems. We are committed to enabling all users of our infrared camera systems to work more productively by providing them with the most powerful camera–software...

  • Page 81: Sharing Our Knowledge

    Although our cameras are designed to be very user-friendly, there is a lot more to thermog- raphy than just knowing how to handle a camera. Therefore, FLIR Systems has founded the Infrared Training Center (ITC), a separate business unit, that provides certified training courses.

  • Page 82: Definitions And Laws

    Definitions and laws Term Definition Absorption and emission The capacity or ability of an object to absorb incident radiated energy is always the same as the capacity to emit its own en- ergy as radiation Apparent temperature uncompensated reading from an infrared instrument, contain- ing all radiation incident on the instrument, regardless of its sources Color palette...
  • Page 83 Definitions and laws Term Definition Qualitative thermography thermography that relies on the analysis of thermal patterns to reveal the existence of and to locate the position of anomalies Quantitative thermography thermography that uses temperature measurement to deter- mine the seriousness of an anomaly, in order to establish re- pair priorities Radiative heat transfer Heat transfer by the emission and absorption of thermal...

  • Page 84: Thermographic Measurement Techniques

    Thermographic measurement techniques 16.1 Introduction An infrared camera measures and images the emitted infrared radiation from an object. The fact that radiation is a function of object surface temperature makes it possible for the camera to calculate and display this temperature. However, the radiation measured by the camera does not only depend on the temperature of the object but is also a function of the emissivity.
  • Page 85 Thermographic measurement techniques 16.2.1.1.1 Method 1: Direct method Follow this procedure: 1. Look for possible reflection sources, considering that the incident angle = reflection an- gle (a = b). Figure 16.1 1 = Reflection source 2. If the reflection source is a spot source, modify the source by obstructing it using a piece if cardboard.
  • Page 86 Thermographic measurement techniques 3. Measure the radiation intensity (= apparent temperature) from the reflection source us- ing the following settings: • Emissivity: 1.0 • D You can measure the radiation intensity using one of the following two methods: Figure 16.3 1 = Reflection source Figure 16.4 1 = Reflection source You can not use a thermocouple to measure reflected apparent temperature, because a thermocouple measures temperature, but apparent temperatrure is radiation intensity.
  • Page 87 Thermographic measurement techniques 5. Measure the apparent temperature of the aluminum foil and write it down. The foil is considered a perfect reflector, so its apparent temperature equals the reflected appa- rent temperature from the surroundings. Figure 16.5 Measuring the apparent temperature of the aluminum foil. 16.2.1.2 Step 2: Determining the emissivity Follow this procedure: 1.

  • Page 88: Reflected Apparent Temperature

    50%. 16.6 Other parameters In addition, some cameras and analysis programs from FLIR Systems allow you to com- pensate for the following parameters: • Atmospheric temperature – i.e. the temperature of the atmosphere between the camera and the target •...

  • Page 89: History Of Infrared Technology

    History of infrared technology Before the year 1800, the existence of the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum wasn't even suspected. The original significance of the infrared spectrum, or simply ‘the in- frared’ as it is often called, as a form of heat radiation is perhaps less obvious today than it was at the time of its discovery by Herschel in 1800.
  • Page 90 History of infrared technology Moving the thermometer into the dark region beyond the red end of the spectrum, Her- schel confirmed that the heating continued to increase. The maximum point, when he found it, lay well beyond the red end – in what is known today as the ‘infrared wavelengths’. When Herschel revealed his discovery, he referred to this new portion of the electromag- netic spectrum as the ‘thermometrical spectrum’.
  • Page 91 History of infrared technology Figure 17.4 Samuel P. Langley (1834–1906) The improvement of infrared-detector sensitivity progressed slowly. Another major break- through, made by Langley in 1880, was the invention of the bolometer. This consisted of a thin blackened strip of platinum connected in one arm of a Wheatstone bridge circuit upon which the infrared radiation was focused and to which a sensitive galvanometer re- sponded.

  • Page 92: Theory Of Thermography

    Theory of thermography 18.1 Introduction The subjects of infrared radiation and the related technique of thermography are still new to many who will use an infrared camera. In this section the theory behind thermography will be given. 18.2 The electromagnetic spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum is divided arbitrarily into a number of wavelength regions, called bands, distinguished by the methods used to produce and detect the radiation.

  • Page 93: Blackbody Radiation

    Such cavity radiators are commonly used as sources of radiation in temperature refer- ence standards in the laboratory for calibrating thermographic instruments, such as a FLIR Systems camera for example. If the temperature of blackbody radiation increases to more than 525°C (977°F), the source begins to be visible so that it appears to the eye no longer black.

  • Page 94: Planck's Law

    Theory of thermography 18.3.1 Planck’s law Figure 18.3 Max Planck (1858–1947) Max Planck (1858–1947) was able to describe the spectral distribution of the radiation from a blackbody by means of the following formula: where: Blackbody spectral radiant emittance at wavelength λ. λb Velocity of light = 3 ×...

  • Page 95: Wien's Displacement Law

    Theory of thermography Figure 18.4 Blackbody spectral radiant emittance according to Planck’s law, plotted for various absolute temperatures. 1: Spectral radiant emittance (W/cm × 10 (μm)); 2: Wavelength (μm) 18.3.2 Wien’s displacement law By differentiating Planck’s formula with respect to λ, and finding the maximum, we have: This is Wien’s formula (after Wilhelm Wien, 1864–1928), which expresses mathematically the common observation that colors vary from red to orange or yellow as the temperature of a thermal radiator increases.

  • Page 96: Stefan-Boltzmann's Law

    Theory of thermography At room temperature (300 K) the peak of radiant emittance lies at 9.7 μm, in the far infra- red, while at the temperature of liquid nitrogen (77 K) the maximum of the almost insignifi- cant amount of radiant emittance occurs at 38 μm, in the extreme infrared wavelengths. Figure 18.6 Planckian curves plotted on semi-log scales from 100 K to 1000 K.

  • Page 97: Non-Blackbody Emitters

    Theory of thermography Using the Stefan-Boltzmann formula to calculate the power radiated by the human body, at a temperature of 300 K and an external surface area of approx. 2 m , we obtain 1 kW. This power loss could not be sustained if it were not for the compensating absorption of ra- diation from surrounding surfaces, at room temperatures which do not vary too drastically from the temperature of the body –...
  • Page 98 Theory of thermography For highly polished materials ε approaches zero, so that for a perfectly reflecting material λ (i.e. a perfect mirror) we have: For a graybody radiator, the Stefan-Boltzmann formula becomes: This states that the total emissive power of a graybody is the same as a blackbody at the same temperature reduced in proportion to the value of ε...

  • Page 99: Infrared Semi-Transparent Materials

    Theory of thermography 18.4 Infrared semi-transparent materials Consider now a non-metallic, semi-transparent body – let us say, in the form of a thick flat plate of plastic material. When the plate is heated, radiation generated within its volume must work its way toward the surfaces through the material in which it is partially absorbed. Moreover, when it arrives at the surface, some of it is reflected back into the interior.

  • Page 100: The Measurement Formula

    The measurement formula As already mentioned, when viewing an object, the camera receives radiation not only from the object itself. It also collects radiation from the surroundings reflected via the ob- ject surface. Both these radiation contributions become attenuated to some extent by the atmosphere in the measurement path.
  • Page 101 U according to the same equation, and get (Equation 3): Solve Equation 3 for U (Equation 4): This is the general measurement formula used in all the FLIR Systems thermographic equipment. The voltages of the formula are: Table 19.1 Voltages Calculated camera output voltage for a blackbody of temperature T i.e.
  • Page 102 5 volts, the resulting curve would have been very much the same as our real curve extrapolated beyond 4.1 volts, provided the calibration algorithm is based on ra- diation physics, like the FLIR Systems algorithm. Of course there must be a limit to such extrapolations.
  • Page 103 The measurement formula Figure 19.2 Relative magnitudes of radiation sources under varying measurement conditions (SW camera). 1: Object temperature; 2: Emittance; Obj: Object radiation; Refl: Reflected radiation; Atm: atmosphere radia- tion. Fixed parameters: τ = 0.88; T = 20°C (+68°F); T = 20°C (+68°F).

  • Page 104: Emissivity Tables

    Emissivity tables This section presents a compilation of emissivity data from the infrared literature and measurements made by FLIR Systems. 20.1 References 1. Mikaél A. Bramson: Infrared Radiation, A Handbook for Applications, Plenum press, N. 2. William L. Wolfe, George J. Zissis: The Infrared Handbook, Office of Naval Research, Department of Navy, Washington, D.C.
  • Page 105 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Aluminum anodized, black, 0.67 dull Aluminum anodized, black, 0.95 dull Aluminum anodized, light 0.61...
  • Page 106 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Asbestos powder 0.40–0.60 Asbestos slate 0.96 Asphalt paving 0.967 Brass dull, tarnished 20–350 0.22...
  • Page 107 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Brick waterproof 0.87 Bronze phosphor bronze 0.08 Bronze phosphor bronze 0.06 Bronze polished...
  • Page 108 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) powder 0.84 Copper dioxide Copper oxide red, powder 0.70 Ebonite 0.89 Emery coarse...
  • Page 109 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Iron and steel oxidized 0.74 Iron and steel oxidized 1227 0.89 Iron and steel oxidized...
  • Page 110 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Iron, cast unworked 900–1100 0.87–0.95 Krylon Ultra-flat Flat black Room tempera- ≈...
  • Page 111 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Nichrome rolled 0.25 Nichrome sandblasted 0.70 Nichrome wire, clean 0.65 Nichrome wire, clean 500–1000...
  • Page 112 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Paint chrome green 0.65–0.70 Paint cobalt blue 0.7–0.8 Paint 0.87 Paint oil based, average 0.94...
  • Page 113 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Plastic polyurethane iso- 0.29 lation board Plastic PVC, plastic floor, 0.94 dull, structured Plastic...
  • Page 114 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) sheet, polished 0.14 Stainless steel Stainless steel sheet, untreated, 0.30 somewhat scratched Stainless steel...
  • Page 115 Emissivity tables Table 20.1 T: Total spectrum; SW: 2–5 µm; LW: 8–14 µm, LLW: 6.5–20 µm; 1: Material; 2: Specification; 3: Temperature in °C; 4: Spectrum; 5: Emissivity: 6:Reference (continued) Water snow snow –10 0.85 Water Wood 0.98 Wood 0.962 Wood ground 0.5–0.7...
  • Page 116 A note on the technical production of this publication This publication was produced using XML — the eXtensible Markup Language. For more information about XML, please visit http://www.w3.org/XML/ A note on the typeface used in this publication This publication was typeset using Linotype Helvetica™ World. Helvetica™ was designed by Max Miedinger (1910–1980) LOEF (List Of Effective Files) T501027.xml;...
  • Page 118 Disclaimer Specifications subject to change without further notice. Models and accessories subject to regional market considerations. License procedures may apply. Products described herein may be subject to US Export Regulations. Please refer to exportquestions@flir.com with any questions. Publ. No.: T559828...

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