ITC InfraMation - = August 2007

If you can't see the graphic version of this = message please=20 change your profile to receive text messages at=20 {{user("unsubaddr")}}
and view this message on the web at = http://www.itcnews= letter.com/2007/2007-08.htm

August=20 2007

Your intelligence = brief on infrared=20 thermography =

Volume 8, Issue = 8

In This=20 Issue:=20

Welcome

Application Brief: Results of a PDM Program In = its=20 Infancy

IR News you can Use

ITC Message Board Posts

Brainteaser of the Month

Last Month's Brainteaser

Course Calendars

About the ITC

Visit our Web = Store

See the schedule = of=20 events

Fall = Special=20 Registration

Прочитай&= #1090;е этот=20 = информацио= 085;ный = бюллетень = на русском = языке.

Lesen = Sie dieses=20 Rundschreiben auf Deutsch.

Lea = este bolet=EDn de=20 noticias en espa=F1ol.

Lisez = cette circulaire=20 dans le fran=E7ais.

Leia = este boletim em=20 portugu=EAs.

Click=20 Here!

Hello {{user("firstname")}},

Our article this month reminds us that = safety can be=20 the major reason we inspect equipment. Also note the large = temperature=20 differential measured between leaving the covers on and removing = them;=20 serious conditions can be overlooked if covers are not = removed.

As usual we have our Message board posts, = News items, and our = monthly Brainteaser for you to=20 solve.

As with all images in this = newsletter,=20 click an image to see a larger version.

If you want to save this newsletter for viewing off line = in your=20 computer, just go to the web page = using your=20 browser and select File....Save As or save this email = page as html in=20 your email software.

Have a great August,

Gary Orlove,
Editor and=20 Publisher

Application=20 Brief: Results of a PDM Program In its=20 Infancy

by Gary=20 Burditt

We recently had a = rather=20 unnerving experience at our facility (an automotive assembly = plant)=20 located in Ontario Canada. One of the main buss plugs in our Paint = dept.=20 caught fire and caused an evacuation of the plant, resulting in = well over=20 $150,000.00 in costs to the company.

Fortunately there = were no=20 personal injuries as a result of this accident, and although the = situation=20 could have been much worse, there was some serious concerns raised = due to=20 the fact that there are numerous highly explosive materials used=20 throughout the department. The potential existed for a deadly = explosion.=20

Our PreDictive = Maintenance=20 Team, (just in its initial start-up stages) was asked if we had = previously=20 performed any plant buss inspections. Our =93Five Year=94 = implementation plan=20 included the set-up of semi-annual buss inspection, but as it was = not=20 scheduled for another year, we had not done anything yet.

Due to the = serious =93Safety=94=20 concerns raised by the situation in Paint, we were requested to = pull this=20 scheduling ahead, and perform a plant-wide inspection as soon as = possible.=20 As the Maintenance Associates on the PDM Team responsible for = collecting=20 shop floor data had already completed their Level I certification = with=20 ITC, and we had previously established routes to perform buss = inspections,=20 we were able to respond to this request immediately.

Buss Plug AB11 in Assembly Delta =93T=94 on outside of box = of 8=B0C from=20 top to bottom.	Buss Plug PB92 in Paint Delta =93T=94 on outside of box = of 8=B0C from=20 top to bottom.
Delta =93T=94 on inside of box = of 33=B0C=20 between phase =93A=94 and =93C=94.	Delta =93T=94 on inside of box = of 97=B0C=20 between phase =93A=94 and = =93C=94.

As a result, the = PDM Team=20 identified another buss plug in Paint as well as one in the = Assembly=20 department that were in close to the same condition as the plug = that had=20 caught fire.

In fact, the buss = plug in=20 assembly was deteriorated so badly that if the disconnect switch = had been=20 thrown to shut off the power, it would have appeared to be off, = but in=20 actuality the knife switches were welded together (which explained = why the=20 Delta =93T=94 was not as high as the other anomaly) and the power = would have=20 still been on. This posed not only a fire hazard, but a = potentially=20 hazardous safety condition for any plant maintenance personnel who = had to=20 work on this equipment.

Bottom-line = Plant &=20 Program Benefits
The cost avoidance realized from these = two finds,=20 was in the neighborhood of ~$300,000.00, but more importantly, it = provided=20 the PDM Team with an excellent opportunity to highlight the = benefits of=20 Predictive Maintenance. Unfortunately, unless publicized, the = value-added=20 activities of the PDM Team often go unnoticed, in comparison to = normal=20 maintenance fire fighting activity during equipment=20 breakdowns.

IR News you can=20 Use

Straight from the = World Wide Web,=20 here is what's going on in the world of infrared = thermography.

Medicine/veterinary

Advanced = User Veterinary Thermal Imaging Seminar
Join us in San = Luis=20 Obispo, CA on October 25-28, 2007 for = an Advanced User=20 Veterinary Thermal Imaging Seminar. This seminar will = be a=20 great way to brush up on your thermal imaging knowledge as well = as learn=20 more about the discipline's specific issues...
Circumcision doesn't reduce = sensation:=20 study
Canada.com, Canada - Jul = 31,=20 2007
Thermal imaging was used to measure sexual = arousal. The effect of circumcision on sexual sensitivity has = long been=20 debated and the team hopes its finding ...
Healthy Horses Workshop: Joint Disease and=20 Lameness
TheHorse.com, KY - Jul = 23,=20 2007
"Digital radiographs, infrared = thermography, and=20 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can all help diagnose causes of = a joint=20 problem," he went on. ...

Buildings and=20 energy

Greenpeace wants Mysore Palace to be = climate=20 friendly
OneWorld.net, UK - Jul = 31,=20 2007
Taken with an infrared camera, the images=20 highlight how light bulbs dissipate most of the energy as heat, = in=20 comparison to efficient Compact Fluroscent ...
Controlling Summertime = Mold
WSIL = TV, IL - Jul=20 22, 2007
Mueller uses an infrared camera to = detect heat=20 and moisture. And once he's located mold, he says it has to be=20 completely removed. ...
Infrared flyover reveals Metro heat = island
KRQE, NM - Jul 16,=20 2007
Reporter-pilot Bob Martin took Skyranger up this=20 afternoon and used its infrared camera to look for the = coolest=20 places and found one. ...

Condition=20 monitoring

Flir=20 high-resolution camera picks out the hot spots
Optics.org, UK - Jul 23,=20 2007
Engineers from Corus are using the new Flir=20 ThermaCAM SC640 thermal imaging camera to monitor = the=20 temperature of rolled steel at any point from its ...
Equistar commits $125 million to reduce pollution at = 7=20 plants
Clinton = Herald, IA -=20 Jul 20, 2007
=93Equistar is now among the = industry leaders=20 in using this infrared camera technology, although it is = not=20 currently required under state or federal=20 = ...

ITC Message Board = Posts=20

Here = is a selection=20 of recent new threads by IR Community members. Feel free to click = the=20 links, see the responses, and post your own response if you=20 like.

Optical resolution of E45
As per the=20 Flir ThermaCAM E45 brochure Optical resolution, for 36 mm lens, = as=20 300:1. Now as per my understanding : The Optical resolution is=20 (IFOV/Spot Size) : (Distance)

Taking into consideration = the lens=20 data sheet and taking IFOV as Spot size, the above value become = 1000:1.=20 I have made the Calculation as below:
Distance: 1.2 M (1200 = mm).=20
IFOV: 1.17 mm.
IFOV @ 1000 mm =3D (1.17 / 1200) x 1000 = =3D .975 mm=20 (i.e approx: 1).

So as per above calculation Optical = resolution=20 for 17 mm becomes: 1000:1 which is no where near 300:1 There may = be two=20 things either my way of correlating the same may be wrong or = there is=20 different way of calculating so all are requested to put in = their=20 comments ASAP.
IR Window for High Temperature?
What=20 is the highest temperature that can be sustained by commercially = available glass windows? 1000 C? 2000 C? 3000 C?
If= =20 we point IR camera towards the sun what we will = measure?
1) Will=20 it show the temperature it is viewing is beyond 2000 Deg C? With = a error=20 in reading (Accepting the fact, that the camera used is = calibrated to=20 measure up to 2000 Deg C).

2) Or it depends on the = embedded=20 program of IR camera done by various manufacturers.

3) = Why there=20 is no IR camera available in the market which can measure beyond = 2000=20 Deg C.

4) What are the limitations in fabrication of = such=20 camera?

5) What are the rules that govern the = measurement=20 temperature criteria both upper limit and lower limit in design = of IR=20 camera?
Gh= osting=20 between trusses
I have a great room with a vaulted = ceiling, and=20 during the last couple years large grey sections have appeared = between=20 the trusses. there is a large area between the insulation and = the roof=20 and i have an enclosed soffit that is vented. the house is only = 3 years=20 old. I have been told that the insulation is not on the = sheetrock and it=20 creates cold areas and airborne dust particles cling to these = spots. i=20 had it re painted and the installer of the insulation said = everything is=20 fine. can you help me?

And of course if YOU have a question or want = to start=20 a discussion on a topic, we would love to hear from you. Just post = a new=20 thread on a mes= sage=20 board.

= Brainteaser of the = Month =20

Here is = this month's=20 brainteaser. Readers who email us the correct identification are = entered=20 into a drawing to win a prize. Please put "Brainteaser" as = the=20 subject of the message.

Click=20 here to email your guess

Do you have an interesting image = that you think=20 would challenge other thermographers? If so please email me your image = (preferably=20 in native .img, .jpg, .tif, .tgw, or .tmw format) with an = accompanying=20 visible photo and explanation. If your image is used, you receive = a gift=20 as = well.

=20 Last Month's Brainteaser

Last month's brainteaser is an image of the Tower = of the=20 Americas in San Antonio, Texas. Twenty three sharp eyed readers = correctly=20 identified this image out of the 93 responses sent in.

The Tower of the = Americas=20 is a 229 meter (750 feet) high observation tower with a restaurant = in San=20 Antonio, Texas. Tower of the Americas, designed by San Antonio = architect=20 O'Neil Ford, was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World's = Fair,=20 HemisFair '68.

The tower was the = tallest=20 observation tower in the United States from 1968 to 1996, until = the Las=20 Vegas Stratosphere Tower was built (visit us at InfraMation in = October=20 to see the Stratosphere Tower).

The tower is = located in the=20 middle of HemisFair Park. The tower has an observation deck = accessible by=20 elevator for a fee. There is also a lounge and revolving = restaurant at the=20 top of the tower providing panoramic views of the city.
From http://en.wik= ipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_the_Americas=20

Thanks to Stanley = Wood of=20 Wood Inspection Services in Dallas, Texas for the thermogram and=20 congratulations to Kenny Renke, our winner. They both get the = revered ITC=20 low emissivity coffee = mug.

Course = Calendars =20

Click the links=20 below to see our latest course schedules (in local = language).

Americas

Eurasia

Deutschland

France

Italia

United=20 = Kingdom

About = the=20 Infrared Training Center =20

The Infrared Training Center offers training and = certification in=20 all aspects of infrared thermography use. Our world-class training = headquarters are located near Boston, Massachusetts, USA and = Stockholm,=20 Sweden and have the world's most extensive hands on laboratories = for=20 infrared applications. In addition, we have training centers = around the=20 world. Please join us in exploring the fascinating world of the = infrared!=20

Your comments and suggestions about this newsletter are = welcomed=20 and encouraged. If you have an interesting application or case = study to=20 share, we encourage you to submit it for publication. Published = articles earn credit towards IR = recertification.

Please e-mail Gary = Orlove or=20 send regular mail to the Americas office.

Visit our website:

ITC Americas, = BOSTON

25 Esquire Road
N. Billerica, MA 01862, = USA

Tel: +1-978-901-8405
Toll free:=20 = +1-866-TRAINIR
&= nbsp; =20 (866-872-4647)
Fax: +1.978-901-8832
E-mail: mailto:info_us@infraredtraining.com

ITC Eurasia, = SWEDEN

Rinkebyv=E4gen 19
SE-182 11 Danderyd, = Sweden

Tel: +46 (0) 8 753 25 00
Fax: +46 (0) 8 753 26 = 01
E-mail:=20 mailto:itc@flir.se

THIS DOCUMENT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL = PURPOSES ONLY.=20 INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT = WARRANTY=20 OF ANY KIND. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy = and the=20 use of this document. The Infrared Training Center newsletter may = be=20 copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1. All = text=20 and images must be copied without modification and all pages must = be=20 included; 2. All copies must contain the Infrared Training Center=20 copyright notice and any other notices provided therein;
3. = This=20 document may not be distributed for profit

=A92007 Infrared Training Center - All rights=20 reserved

Privacy=20 Statement: We're happy to have you on our list, and since we = want to=20 keep you all to ourselves, we never share your e-mail address with = anyone.=20 Period.

Manage your Subscription
You are receiving this message because you requested = to receive=20 our thermography newsletter, you are an ITC student, or a = FLIR=20 Systems customer. To unsubscribe or update your user profile, = click here.

P.S. Did a friend send you this? Sign up to get your = own=20 here - it's = award-winning,=20 useful, and complimentary.

P.P.S. Got questions, comments, or ideas for us? = Email us -=20 = thanks!

=
	= '); document.write('