Kristen Olson, Mike Russell, EIT, and Patrick Capruso completed Level I Thermography Certification Training through the Infrared Training Center in Nashua, NH. Bolstering our team’s already existing infrared thermography skills, the course will help Kristen, Mike, and Patrick better collect quality data about differences in emitted infrared energy and account for measurement effects such as distance and emissivity using infrared cameras. This technology helps with our investigation of moisture infiltration and evaluation of subsurface conditions. Infrared thermography measures emitted and reflective heat coming from an object. This closely corresponds with the temperature of that object; the hotter it is, the more heat it will emit to its surroundings.
It is useful in building inspections to be able to “visualize” differential levels of heat emanating from a building. Water, for example, will heat up and cool down at a slower rate than the rest of a building façade. This makes it possible to view where there may be water infiltration using a thermal imager because wet areas exhibit different heat signatures, whereas a visible light image will not show the temperature differences. Steel rebar and relieving angles in a facade will similarly change temperature at a different rate than the surrounding material and therefore be distinguishable in a thermal image.
The certification and training included:
- Comprehensive, hands-on introduction to thermal imaging and measurement systems for predictive maintenance applications.
- Hands-on instruction on how to interpret thermograms and make informed decisions using heat transfer concepts to analyze thermal images
- Learning about the latest in infrared inspection report generation and database software.
- Training to distinguish between hot spots and reflections, direct vs. indirect readings and qualitative vs. quantitative thermography.