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Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandals NMIMS Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering JVPD Scheme Bhaktivedanta swami Marg, Vile Parle (w), Mumbai- 400 056.

This is to certify that the seminar report entitled

Thermal infrared imaging technology

Submitted by
Snehal Shetty (748) Tanya Srivastava (752) Siddhesh Mulik (762
Has successfully completed the seminar report required for the fulfillment of B.Tech degree as per the norms prescribed by NMIMS during the V Trimester of the academic year 20112012. The seminar report has been assessed and found to be satisfactory

___________

________________

Prof. Tazneem Sheikh

(Internal Guide)

Prof. Vaishali Kulkarni

(Head of extc department)

Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering.

(Affiliated To N.M.I.M.S.University) Juhu, Vile Parle Mumbai-400056. Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

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Acknowledgement
While undergoing this seminar report we were helped by many people. We avail this grateful opportunity to express our profound sense of gratitude to all our friends who rendered their valuable help and time in the completion of this seminar report on Thermal Infrared Imaging Technology. We would like to render our deepest sense of gratitude to our seminar coordinator Prof. TazneemShiekh, for their keen guidance and sustained interest, intuitive ideas and persistent endeavour. We are highly oblidgedfor giving us the opportunity to learn and present the seminar.

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Index
Contents Page no.
Abstract5

Chapter 1.
1.1 1.2 Introduction.6 History.8

Chapter 2.
2.1 General overview9 2.2 2.3 Working..11 Types 2.3.1 Uncooled13 2.3.2Cryogenically cooled14

Chapter 3.
3.1 Applications 3.1.1 In electrical systems..15 3.1.2 Mechanical16 3.1.3 Refractory/Insulation.17 3.1.4 Level Detection..18 3.1.5 Night vision19 3.1.6 A boon for fire services.20 3.1.7 For border patrolling..21
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3.1.8 For night time road security.22 3.1.9 For research in Aeroecology..23 3.1.10 Detecting flaws in aircraft structures25 3.1.11 Dairy plants..26 3.12. Medical applications...28

Chapter 4.
4.1. Advantages and Disadvantages.30 4.2. Future scope.31

Conclusion.32 Reference33

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Abstract
Thermal infrared imaging technology (TIIT) is the technique for producing a visible image of invisible infrared energy emitted by objects. The higher the temperature, the moreenergy emitted. In this work we have explained about the TIIT techniques and working. Discussion is done on the application. We have highlighted the uses of TIIT in various fields and the ways users are benefited by the TIIT are also discussed.

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CHAPTER 1
1.1 Introduction
Things have come a long way since 1800 when Sir William Herschel rst discovered that an invisible form of light existed beyond the visible spectrum what we have now come to know as infrared. It was in fact a purely coincidental discoveryhe was actually trying to measure heat from the visible spectrum. Since then, infrared (IR) technology has move forward in leaps and bounds. Even before this discovery, the ancient Greeks, and before them the Egyptians, knew diseases could be found in the human body by finding areas of excessive heat or cold. Though no means of measurement were available, the concept of temperature measurement was established. One alternative finding increasing favour among engineers is infrared (IR) thermal imaging. Thermal imagers are instruments that create pictures of heat rather than light. They detect radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 900014,000 nanometers or 914 m) and produce corresponding temperatures maps of the IR energy radiated, called thermograms. Since infrared radiation is emitted by all objects above absolute zero according to the black body radiation law, thermography makes it possible to see one's environment with or without visible illumination. This non-contact, line-of-sight measurement technology can measure surface temperatures of virtually any surface. Absolute temperatures can be measured with accuracies better than 3%, while relative temperatures can be measured with accuracies better than 1% The rst true thermal-imaging systems were developed in the 1950s by Honeywell, Texas Instruments, and Hughes aircraft for U.S. military applications in the Korean War. These single element detectors that scanned scenes and produced line images. These basic detectors led to the
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development of modern thermal imaging. By todays standards, these were relatively crude,single-element detector devices but with very complex optics and scanning mechanisms. Early cameras used liquid Nitrogen or complex refrigeration systems to cool the IR detectors to several hundred degrees below freezing to increase their sensitivity to the incoming heat from the target. The lack of portability and prohibitive price of these systems ensured that for many years they remained in the realm of defense, critical applications such as aerospace.

However now the industry is at a point at which the only limiting factors to further reducing the camera size and complexity are the physical size of the most fundamental elements of any thermal imagerthe IR detector and the mechanical components. Technology has developed, so has their performance advanced from a singleelement detector to a multi-element focal-plane array (FPA)which resembles the charge-coupled-device (CCD) chip in a conventional digital camerahas enabled camera designers thermal imaging. Today, instruments provide temperature data at each image pixel and, typically, cursors can be positioned to each point with the corresponding temperature read out on the screen or display. Images may be digitized, stored, manipulated, processed and printed out.

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1.2 History
In the late 1950s and 1960s, Texas Instruments, Hughes Aircraft, and Honeywell developed single element detectors that scanned scenes and produced line images. The military had a lock on the technology because it was expensive and had sensitive military applications. These basic detectors led to the development of modern thermal imaging.

In 1978, Raytheon R&D group, then part of Texas Instruments, patented ferroelectric infrared detectors, using barium strontium titanate (BST) the material that coats thermal image sensors. Raytheon first demonstrated the technology to the military in 1979. In the late 1980s, the federal government awarded HIDAD (HIgh-Density Array Development) contracts to both Raytheon and Honeywell for the development of thermal imaging technology for practical military applications. Raytheon went on to commercialize BST technology, while Honeywell developed vanadium oxide (VOx) microbolometer technology. After the 1991 Gulf War, production volumes increased and costs decreased, and so introduction of thermal imaging to the fire service ensued. Thermal imagers based on both BST and microbolometer technologies are available now for non-military applications. In fact, thermal imaging has now expanded to be used in firefighting, law enforcement, industrial applications, security, transportation and many other industries.

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CHAPTER 2
2.1. General overview
Light Basics
In order to understand thermal imaging, it is important to understand something about infrared spectrum of light. When the sun goes down and the other sources of illumination are removed, there is no light to be reflected and most mammals, especially humans, cannot see anything. The unaided human eye cannot see infrared radiation, but the radiation is always present. It is heat or thermal radiation in a portion of the Electromagnetic (EM) spectrum to which our eyes do not respond. Our bodies respond to infrared, if it is intense enough, by feeling warmed, or sometimes, cooled.

The figure above depicts the EM spectrum ordered in terms of wavelength given in centimeters. The IR or infrared portion occupies roughly the region between 10 to the minus 4 to 10 to the minus 3 centimenters, or, from about 1 micron to about 100 microns.

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Infrared light can be split into three categories:

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Near-infrared (near-IR) - Closest to visible light, near-IR has wavelengths

that range from 0.7 to 1.3 microns, or 700 billionths to 1,300 billionths of a meter.

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) - Mid-IR has wavelengths ranging from 1.3 to 3

microns.

Thermal-infrared (thermal-IR) - Occupying the largest part of the infrared

spectrum, thermal-IR has wavelengths ranging from 3 microns to over 30 microns.

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2.2. Working

A special lens focuses the infrared light emitted by all of the objects in view. The focused light is scanned by a phased array of infrared-detector elements. The detector elements create a very detailed temperature pattern called a thermogram. It only takes about one-thirtieth of a second for the detector array to obtain the temperature information to make the thermogram. This information is obtained from several thousand points in the field of view of the detector array.Thethermogram created by the detector elements is translated into electric impulses. The impulses are sent to a signal-processing unit, a circuit board with a dedicated chip that translates the information from the elements into data for the display. The signal-processing unit sends the information to the display, where it appears as various colors depending on the intensity of the infrared emission. The combination of all the impulses from all of the elements creates the image.

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If viewed in a gray scale in a thermal imager, hotter things appear whiter, cooler things appear blacker, although that can be reversed in many devices. The imaging devices often have adjustments that enable the user to set the level of sensitivity so that light grays and white occur at higher or lower temperatures, according to the temperature and optical properties of the objects of interest. Some thermal cameras show images in colours. This false colour is an excellent way of better distinguishing between objects at different temperatures. Thus, a thermal imager collects the infrared radiation from objects in the scene and creates an electronic image. In addition, they also are able to penetrate obscurants such as smoke, fog and haze.

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2.3. Types
2.3.1. Un-cooled
This is the most common type of thermal-imaging device. The infrareddetector elements are contained in a unit that operates at room temperature. This type of system is completely quiet, activates immediately and has the battery built right in. When infrared radiation from night-time scenes are focused onto uncooled detectors, the heat absorbed causes changes to the electrical properties of the detector material. These changes are then compared to baseline values and a thermal image is created. Despite lower image quality than cooled detectors, uncooled detector technology makes infrared cameras smaller and less costly and opens many viable commercial applications. They are mostly based on materials that change their electrical properties due to pyroelectric (capacitive) effects or microbolometer (resistive) effects.
Uncooled-detector Thermal Imaging Cameras
Advantages Disadvantages

Relatively inexpensive

Less sensitive than

compared to other thermal imaging technologies.

cooled detector thermal imagers.

High contrast in most Easily detects people and Not affected by bright Higher reliability than

Cannot be used for

night-time scenarios. vehicles. light sources. cooled detector thermal imagers.

multispectral or high-speed infrared applications.

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2.3.2 Cryogenically cooled

Cooled infrared devices are typically housed in a vacuum-sealed case and cryogenically cooled. Their designs are similar to other more common imaging detectors and use semiconductor materials. However, it is the effect of absorbed infrared energy that causes changes to detector carrier concentrations which in turn affect the detector's electrical properties. These devices are cooled typically to temperatures below 110K, a value much lower than the temperature of objects being detected which greatly increases their sensitivity. Without cooling, they would be flooded by their own self-radiation. Materials used for cryogenically cooled infared devices include a wide range of narrow gap semiconductor devices, where mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) and indium antimonide (InSb) are the most common. Cooled-detector Thermal Imaging Cameras Advantages

Disadvantages

The highest possible thermal sensitivity. Able to detect people and vehicles at great distances. Not affected by bright light sources. Able to perform high speed infrared imaging. Able to perform multi-spectral infrared imaging.

Expensive to purchase and to operate. Limited cooler operating lifetime. May require several minutes to cool down upon initiation. Bulky

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CHAPTER 3
3.1. Applications
3.1.1. In electrical systems
A typical electrical distribution system consists of a number of isolators, circuit breakers, Current Transformers, Potential Transformers, Distribution Transformers, bus bars etc. Most faults are encountered in the form of hotspots at contact terminals which may be due to loose contact, corrosive nuts &bolts, broken conductor strands etc. These hot spots are indicated by high surfacetemperature. Higher is the current flow, more severe is the fault. Online thermal scanning of these contact terminals will identify the hot-spots and severity of the fault (See Table below). Attending these fault points will, of course, reduce the breakdown of the system and reliability can be improved. Criticality criteria of Thermography survey of electrical joints: Sr.no Criteria(Differential temperature above ambient) 1. 2. Up to 100 C Between 10 0C to 20 0C Criticality Condition Non critical Less critical Recommended Action No action is needed Regular monitoring is needed Close monitoring needed .Should be attended in next opportunity Should be attended immediately as per the severity

3.

Between 20 0C to 40 0C

Semi critical

4.

Above 40 0C

Critical

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Jaw contact of an isolator

Terminal joints of a CT

Hot spots of various critical electrical joints as observed in Thermography Survey

3.1.2. Mechanical
Mechanical equipment can face an inherent problem with excessive friction, if not lubricated properly. As one example, a motor is spinning at nearly 3,600 rpm and its rotor is in near contact with a bearing surface, of which there is but a thin film of lubricant separating the two surfaces. But if the lubrication breaks down, or misalignment takes place, or excessive loads are applied, there will be elevations in the amount of heat generated. Infrared thermography can be used to help detect these conditions. Of course thermography is not limited to just motor bearings. It can also detect problems in gears, couplings, pulleys, conveyors and chain drive systems.

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3.1.3. Refractory/Insulation
This application that is considered as a cost savings. It addresses a problem that is often hidden from the daily view of predictive and preventive maintenance, although it can result in an expensive drain on plant performance. The refractory and/or insulation of boilers, heat treat ovens, refrigerated spaces, driers, ovens and buildings all represent places where the slow and undetected loss of a desired control to the atmosphere can increase operational costs.
Thermal image of a boiler

Those areas that have less insulation will allow greater amounts of heat to escape than those areas that have the thicker insulation. If a hot-spot is detected in a wall or ceiling, some owners might think that additional insulation is needed. Not so in all cases. The problem may be that the insulation is not where it is supposed to be, and it creates a chimney effect that actually draws in cold air from the outside. Moisture entrapment in flat roofs or vertical walls has been the target of thermography for several decades. In principle, it is quite easy to detect moisture that has found its way into these surfaces. For example, when water penetrates a flat roof it will often travel along a path created by the layers of roofing material. But knowing where the water comes out of the roof does not tell anyone where the water came in, or how much of the roofing material may now be waterlogged.

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The area affected by the leak can usually, under proper conditions, be found with the use of thermography. Because the water will absorb heat during the day, the damp areas will cool slower than the dry material of the roof after the sun goes down. A thermographer located on the roof can help detect these wet areas as being warmer than the dry ones several hours after sunset. While further testing using other methods is often used to confirm the damaged area, thermography can greatly assist in defining the problem area

3.1.4. Level Detection

Fluid levels of some containers at inaccessible locations can be easily seen by thermography survey by observing the thermal profile along the depth of the container/tank. This occurs because of thermal capacitance/resistance difference between separate locations. Figure below indicates the fluidlevel of two tanks (left & middle) along with theeffect of solar radiation. It indicates that the fluidlevel is about 60% inthe middle tank.

Level comparison of two tanks

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3.1.5. Night vision

Night vision is the ability to see in a dark environment. Humans have poor ni g ht v i s i o n c o mp a r e d t o m a n y a ni m a l s , i n p a r t b e ca us e t h e hu m a n ey e do es no t have a tapetumlucidum.

Two American Soldiers pictured during the 2003 Iraq War seen through an image Intensifier. Enhanced spectral range allows the viewer to take advantage of non-visible sources of electromagnetic radiation (such as near-infrared or ultraviolet radiation).Some animals can see well into the infrared and/or ultraviolet compared to humans,enough to help them see in conditions humans cannot.Thermal imaging cameras are excellent tools for night vision. Contrary to other technologies they do not need any light at all to produce a clear image. They produce an image in the darkest of nights and can see through light fog, rain and smoke. Thermal imaging cameras make small temperature differences visible. They detect what can not be detected by the human eye. Thermal imaging cameras are widely used to complement new or existing security networks.

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3.1.6.A boon for FIRE SERVICES

The use of thermal infrared imaging equipment has indeed been one of the most important advances in the fire service since the advent of the breathing apparatus and hydraulic extrication equipment. The application of thermal imaging on the fire ground helps fire departments accomplish their primary mission, saving lives. First and foremost, in near zero visibility conditions, primary searches can be completed quickly and with an added degree of safety. It is also invaluable when fire departments are confronted with larger floor areas or unusual floor plans. Although searching for trapped civilians is our primary mission, at times the search is for a member who has become separated. Thermal imaging cameras can provide invaluable assistance in locating a missing member of the firefighting team. Instead of crawling through burning buildings, looking, listening, and feeling for the seat of the fire, thermal imaging units help to locate fire quickly and with greater accuracy. Thermal imaging units, in the hands of trained users, are of invaluable assistance. In the hands of untrained users, thermal imaging units can have disastrous results. Firefighters deserve and should demand that as technology advances they are given the training that will keep them safe as they carry out their mission.

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3.1.7.For Border Patrolling

Border patrol agents need to cover vastly large areas with a limited number of officers. Protecting borders with thermal imaging increases apprehensions while decreasing strain on officers.

Security Magazine reported that with a jurisdiction of 10,000 square miles, the Pima County Sheriff's Department acquired thermal imaging technology. The first four nights, officers returned with suspects and their drug-filled backpacks every night. The thermal imagers allow surveillance officers to overcome one of their greatest obstacles, total darkness. Man sized targets can be spotted over a half a mile away and are also visible in the glare of bright day light.

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3.1.8.For Night Time Road Safety

Improving vision at night and in adverse weather conditions is critical for improving safety. By more easily identifying roadside hazards, thermal imaging technology provides an important solution. Thermal imaging technology can be used to create images from the heat that is naturally radiated by objects such as pedestrians, cyclists, animals and other roadside objects. Since these objects may not otherwise be visible because of darkness, weather or ineffective illumination, a thermal imaging system offers the driver incomparable vision enhancement enabling the detection of potential dangers on the road ahead.As a result, the use of thermal imaging can dramatically reduce potential fatal collisions day or night, in foggy or rainy conditions, without any additional illumination. Compared to other technologies such as radar, lidar or nearinfrared, thermal imaging has been proved to be the preferred solution delivering reliable information to the driver with a minimum of false warnings.

Normal view

View through thermal infrared camera

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3.1.9. For Research In Aeroecology

The night sky remains a largely unexplored frontier for biologists studying the behavior and physiology of free ranging, nocturnal organisms. Conventional imaging tools and techniques such as night-vision scopes, infrared reflectance cameras, flash cameras, and radar provide insufficient detail for the scale and resolution demanded by field researchers. A new tool is needed that is capable of imaging no invasively in the dark at high-temporal and spatial resolution. Thermal infrared imaging represents the most promising such technology that is poised to revolutionize theability to observe and document the behaviour of free-ranging organisms in the dark.From research on free-ranging bats that highlight the power and potential of thermal infrared imaging for the study of animal behaviour, energetics and censusing of large colonies, among others. For example thermal-IR imaging has been used successfully to study the behaviour of large colonies ofBrazilian free-tailed bats (Tadaridabrasiliensis) in south-central United States where this species aggregates in enormous colonies in caves during the warm months of the year. Human access to the interior of the caves may be difficult, often hazardous, and potentially disturbing to the bats. Thus, traditional observational methods are likely to be ineffective and are discouraged. Brazilian free-tailed bats typically roost in extremely dense conditions and, to emerge on the surface, individuals must navigate the interior of caves in dense formations with thousands of other individuals near them. Using thermal-IR imaging, we have been able to demonstrate that the behaviour of bats in the roost is highly dynamic from one night to the next as individuals change the location of the roost within the cave, as well as the shape of the colony and levels of activity throughout the day. In some parts of the roost, bats cluster densely together while in others they are spaced further apart, presumably as part of their thermoregulatory behaviour . Such arrangements reflect different thermal environments within the roost that bats seem to actively seek and ultimately influence. In addition, our observations indicate that there is no individual-specific order of emergence
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from the roost. Bats emerging from thedense areas within the roost often drop from thecave ceiling in large cluster. Bats from the less dense roosting areas emerge individually, apparently by monitoring the density of flying individuals below them and taking to the wing when conditions permit.

A 3D representation of the thermal intensities of a thermogram showing a group of Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadaridabrasiliensis) in flight, contrasted against the sky. The area closest to the core of the body is warmer than the periphery, thereby producing a characteristic peak in intensity shown here in red.

A composite of four thermal-IR images showing the entire colony of 542,000 Brazilian free-tailed bats roosting in Carlsbad Caverns .Changes in the density of the roosting bats results in different surface temperature of the colony. Also visible is a thermal footprint of the recent dimensions of the colony. The physical size of the colony expands and contracts throughout the day as part of the thermoregulatory behaviour of the bats. The images were recorded from the interior of the cave with a FLIR S65 camera positioned perpendicular to the roosting bats at an average distance of 28 m. The number of bats was estimated as 542,000 individuals during an evening emergence using our computer vision analysis method. The approximate area covered by the colony is 200m2.
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3.1.10. Detecting flaws in Aircraft Structures

Recent advances in thermal-imaging technology have spawned new techniques that provide quantitative information about flaws in aircraft structures. For example Thermal Bond Inspection System (TBIS) technique detects defects in, and determines the thickness of, metal and composite structures by using thermal energy and an infrared imaging system.The technique involves applying a heat to the outer surface of an aircraft. Images of fatigue cracking, bond integrity and material loss due to corrosion are generated from measurements of the surface temperature variations. Below diagram indicates the setup of the TBIS.

During an inspection, heat is applied to the surface of a structure and the surface temperature is measured using an infrared camera and image processor. Temperature differentials indicate regions with differing heat capacities. In disbonded or corroded regions, the heat flow is reduced. This reduction is reflected in a temperature increase over the corroded region due to reduction in thickness relative to the uncorroded regions. The infrared imager converts the thermal response from the surface of the sample to a video signal. A microcomputer synchronizes the data acquisition with the application of heat. The images that result from this synchronization
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technique provide quantitative information.The TBIS can detect defects in bonded aluminum/composite structures and in laminated surfaces.

Benefits
Non-invasive and non-contacting Responds rapidly Can image a variety of different materials

Used to examine large surface areas of varying shapes

3.1.11. Dairy Plant

An infrared scan helped a dairy owner to improve the temperature of the milk that was stored in two tanks on the premises. The milk being discharged from the South tank was one to two degrees warmer than the milk discharged from the North tank. The average temperature of the milk was approximately 32 F. After the infrared scan, the owner was informed that the milk entering the South tank was one or two degrees warmer due to heat loss from the pipeline that fills the tank. In addition, the milk was then heating up an additional 5 to 6 degrees in each tank between filling and discharge times. Many environmental ambient parameters can affect the external skin temperature of the tanks, which in turn will affect the internal temperature of the milk. On a clear sunny day, the surface of the tanks measured in excess of 160 F. These tanks are coated with a dark paint, which tends to absorb infrared radiation from the sun. Changing the color of the tanks reduced the heat absorbed from the sun

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3.1.12. Medical applications

DITI (Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging - also known as Medical Infrared Imaging and Medical Thermography or Medical Thermology) is a valuable adjunct to mammography and ultrasound, especially in women with dense breast parenchyma. Digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) is a non-invasive, non-contact system of recording body temperature by measuring infrared radiation emitted by the body surface. Its use in the eld of medical oncology lies in the fact that tumors generally have an increase in blood supply and angiogenesis, as well as an increased metabolic rate, which in turn translates into increased temperature gradients compared to surrounding normal tissue. Detecting these infrared hotspots and gradients can thereby help to identify and diagnose malignancy. Infrared thermography has been in use in medical diagnostics since the 1960s, and in 1982 was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an adjunctive tool for the diagnosis of breast cancer.Its applicability, however, was limited by the temperature resolution capability of earlier imaging technology, the bulky equipment necessary to perform procedures, and the general lack of computer analytical tools. Since then, major advances have been made in infrared thermal imaging technology, with digitalized highresolution imaging and sophisticated articial intelligence-based neural network image analysis available today make it is possible to use DITI to detect malignancy with up to 100% sensitivity. Patients who could potentially stand to benet from this technology are those whose diagnosis of breast cancer can be difficult, including younger women, men, patients with dense breasts, or patients with surgically altered breasts (implants, breast reduction; provided nipples are intact for orientation and asymmetry analysis). An examination was performed with the patient disrobed from the waist up and positioned in a dedicated equipment suite with a chair equipped with lateral-view side mirrors, an integral air cooler, and a digital infrared camera.

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The digital camera was an uncooled focal plane array type with an image size of 320 x 240 pixels, sensitivity to .08C, and an operating spectral (wavelength) range of 712 m.The software extracted specic thermal parameters, performed asymmetry analysis between each breast, and focused on areas of the breasts that showed the greatest difference in temperature when compared with surrounding tissue. The program then produced a colourcoded, processed image of the breasts showing suspicious foci, as well as results of all measured thermal breast parameters.

Green circles represent areas of clinical suspicion from prior imaging. (A) Patient with inltrating duct in right breast (B) Patient with ductal carcinoma in situ in right breast (C) Patient with brocystic disease.

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CHAPTER 4
4.1. Advantages
It is a non-contact type technique. Fast, reliable & accurate output. A large surface area can be scanned in no time. Presented in visual & digital form. Software back-up for image processing and analysis. Requires very little skill for monitoring.

Disadvantages
Cost of instrument is relatively high. Unable to detect the inside temperature if the medium is separated by Glass/polythenematerial etc. Accurate temperature measurements are very hard to make because of emissivities. Training and staying proficient in IR scanning is timeconsuming.

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4.2. Future scope

The latest trend in imaging systems is the mating of imaging cameras to the power of the personal computer (PC). The electronics are contained on a card which can plug directly into the computer and take advantage of the high resolution display, processing capability and mass storage. The camera connects directly to a port on the computer. The cost overhead associated with separate displays, separate memory and enclosures is thus avoided. New focal plane arrays, based on thermal effects, will result in high resolution cameras which can be fabricated in significantly smaller configurations and at much lower cost. As they don't need cryogenic cooling, they should be considerably more reliable and will first find their way into thermal viewers. Versions capable of making thermo-metric measurements will quickly follow. These trends will further spur the growth in thermal imaging. The broad number of applications utilizing imaging attests to its viability and growth in new applications will be dramatic.

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Conclusion
When compared with other classical non-destructive testing techniques such as ultrasonic testing or radiographic testing, thermographic inspection is safe,no intrusive and no contact, allowing the detection of relatively shallow subsurface defects under large surfaces and in a fast manner.Thermography enables us to see and measure heat. Thermography is a method that utilizes a thermal image to detect, display and record thermal patterns and temperatures across the surface of an object. Thermography is the future in water damage and mold claims adjudication for the insurance industry.IR is going to allow the industry to be more exact in the data that it obtains, and to be able to resolve any claims that may be occurring now, as well as in the future, more quickly and cost-effectively, saving time and money.

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Reference
1. IEEE PAPERS Design of a 3-D infrared imaging system using structured light. By Rongqian Yand and Yazhu Chem 2. Wikipedia.org 3. google.com\images 4. IEEE PAPERS Determining electromagnetic energy loss through a radio frequency transmission line by thermal infrared imaging. By Atel Alnukari, Philippe Guillement, Yves Scudeller and Serge Toutain. 5. IEEE PAPERS Thermal imaging to measure local temperature rises caused by hand held mobile phones. By Christian Kargel. 6. IEEE PAPERS Validation of infrared camera thermal measurements on high voltage power electronic components. By Thomas E.Salem, Senior Member, IEEE, Demeji Ibitayo and Bruce R. Geil 7. scribd.com 8. http\\icb.oxfordjournals.org\

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