ITC InfraMation - = January 2004

If you can't see the graphic version = of this=20 message please change your profile to receive text messages at=20 {{user("unsubaddr")}}
To view this message on the web go to http://www.itcnews= letter.com/2004/2004-01.htm

January=20 2004

Volume 5, Issue=20 1

In This=20 Issue:=20

Welcome

IR in the News

ITC Website Message Board Posts

Inspecting Seals with IR = Thermography

Brainteaser of the Month

Last Month's Brainteaser

Past Issues

Upcoming Classes

About the ITC

Happy New Year=20 {{user("firstname")}},

Welcome to=20 2004 and another year of intIResting news! I hope you had a = pleasant holiday and end of year. The InfraMation newsletter is = starting=20 its fifth year of publication; we have 47 issues under our belt = and=20 available for you to read. We now send out over 11,000 newsletters = per=20 issue. Thanks for your enthusiastic response and comments over the = last=20 several years.

Our bulletin=20 boards continue to be busy. Check out the latest posts.

Our=20 application article this month explores a less used = application for=20 thermography, inspecting seals. See "Inspecting Seals with IR=20 Thermography" by James Gambrell of Hercules, Inc.

And=20 we have another Brainteaser for you at Brainteaser of the Month.

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

Regards,

Gary=20 Orlove,
Editor and = Publisher

IR in the=20 News [top]

FLIR Systems and Indigo Systems = Complete Merger;=20 FLIR to Report ...
Business Wire (press = release) - Jan 6,=20 2004
... is a world leader in the design, manufacture = and=20 marketing of thermal imaging and stabilized camera = systems=20 for a wide variety of thermography and imaging ... =
China killing cats over SARS=20 fears
The Globe = and=20 Mail, Canada - Jan 6, 2004
... = We are=20 ready for that eventuality, though, and could reinstate = screening=20 measures used during last year's outbreak, such as=20 thermal-imaging devices," said ... =
Honda =92 s =91 compact jet =92 takes = its first test=20 drive
Aviation=20 International News, NJ - Jan 5, = 2004
...=20 Besides the data-collection computers plugged into the sensors, = Honda=20 mounted an infrared camera in the T-33 cockpit to = record=20 the laminar-to-turbulent boundary ...
There is a silver lining in=20 clouds
Oakland=20 Tribune, CA - Jan 3, 2004
... = Four Star=20 uses an infrared camera to detect leaks in the = house.=20 Overall the water damage restoration business is extremely = competitive.=20 ...
Bear cubs' sleeping hearts may yield = clues to=20 disease
Seattle = Times, WA - Jan 3, 2004
... = Though the=20 bears won't see the humans for at least a week, the scientists = will=20 watch their sleep daily over an infrared camera = that sends=20 images to computers ...
Infrared = camera=20 aids home inspections
WBBH, FL - Jan 2, = 2004
...=20 normal. But through the lens of an infrared = camera, it is=20 an electrical
panel with overloaded breakers and it's a major = fire=20 hazard. ...
Aerial search to scout for lost=20 towns
Times=20 Picayune, LA - Jan 3, 2004
... = Now, St.=20 Charles Parish history buffs hope an aerial tour, complete with=20 thermal imaging photography, will help them locate = the two=20 lost villages. ...
Superyachts turn tide for=20 industry
Guardian, UK - Dec 30,=20 2003
... Since September 11, yacht owners have been = demanding=20 CCTV cameras, thermal imaging and worldwide = tracking=20 technology. But more basic safety seems an issue. ... =
Healthcast: Back Surgery; Homeless = Vets;=20 McArdle's Disease
INDYchannel.com, IN - Dec = 24,=20 2003
... Using a CT scan, infrared = camera and=20 other instruments, doctors can operate with exact precision for = placing=20 discs or screws in the spine. ...
Beefing up security: Police return to = trains;=20 truck inspections ...
Stamford Advocate, CT - Dec = 23,=20 2003
... Metro-North Railroad trains, and uniformed = troopers=20 will patrol bridges and other major infrastructure on the ground = and=20 from aircraft using thermal imaging ... =
Improved thermal eye sees through=20 smoke
United = States Marines=20 (press release) - Dec 19, 2003
... It = will be=20 the replacement for the current first-generation Forward Looking = Infrared Sight. The ITSS and components provide = thermal=20 imaging and far target ...
Th= ermal=20 imaging camera monitors shoppers
BBC News=20 World Edition - Dec 19, 2003
A thermal imaging = camera=20 monitors the body temperature of shoppers in Taipei, as Taiwan = fears a=20 new outbreak of the flu-like Sars virus (click to picture = 8)...=20
Preventative measures key to lower=20 bills
Craig = Daily=20 Press, CO - Dec 17, 2003
Yampa Valley = Electric=20 Association can help owners of residential properties find cold = air=20 leaks with the help of a thermal imaging camera.=20 ...
Consumer Reports: Electric Grills Put = To The=20 Test
KCRA-TV, CA - Dec 16,=20 2003
... Testers used an infrared camera = to see=20 how evenly the grills heat. After preheating the grills, a = picture is=20 taken. All of them scored very well. ...
Army=92s superdigitized force leads = Hussein=20 capture
GCN.com - Dec 15, = 2003
... of any=20 division, including newer versions of the M-1A2 Abrams tank and = the=20 Apache Longbow attack helicopter, each equipped with=20 thermal-imaging infrared radar ...=20
Nuclear probe to journey to Jupiter's = moons
New=20 Scientist, UK - Dec 10, 2003
... = And how=20 and where and when does the ocean communicate with the surface?" = Radar,
thermal imaging, and seismic sensors = placed on=20 the moons might answer these ...=20

ITC=20 Website Message Board Posts [top]

Below you will find = a selection=20 of new topics started by visitors to the message board last month. = Feel=20 free to click the links, see how people have responded, and post = your own=20 response.

Medical Research
I have = been asked by=20 a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Queen's University = Belfast; is=20 it possible to perform thermal imaging of the human brain? Any=20 thoughts???
Reflected apparent temperature measurement = (RAT)
How is aluminum foil used to measure the reflected = apparent=20 temperature. Why are we setting e=3D1, why not some other value = like 0.88?=20 What will be the ambient temperature during the above = measurement? If we=20 are taking measurement in furnace tubes, how will aluminum foil = will be=20 kept in line with our target? What should be the thickness of = aluminum=20 foil?
Chemical and Petroleum Applications
For those of you doing thermography in refineries = what are=20 the qualifications to do this type of work.
Petrol tank
Does somebody = have=20 experience in finding mud in the bottom of a petrol tank? Can = the=20 difference in viscosity of the materials show me different = temperatures=20 in the tank's surface?
I R Inspection of Steam Heat Exchangers
Does anyone have any experience using IR to inspect = steam=20 tube and shell heat exchangers for condensate buildup in the = shell? Do=20 you have any thermograms of the shell showing the cooler area of = the=20 high condensate level?

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

Inspecting Seals=20 with IR Thermography [top]

by James = Gambrell
Predictive=20 Maintenance Technician
Hercules Inc. Pinova div.

In today's = industry, practices=20 that were once acceptable are no longer even tolerated. = Environmental=20 concerns and EPA mandates are applying more and more pressure on=20 businesses like the chemical industry to improve the manufacturing = processes being used, to the point that not only is a slight drip = from a=20 pump seal not acceptable, but in 2004 the MACT will be enacted and = only=20 500 - 1,000 parts per million vapor will be allowed and, = eventually, no=20 vapor at all.

Thus=20 mechanical seals and packing for pumps that were once acceptable = at a cost=20 of $50.00 to $1,500.00 will have to be replaced with seals costing = $3,500.00 to $7,000.00. For a plant with at least 100 or more = pumps with=20 seals, that's a cost difference of up to $700,000 a year IF you = can get=20 your MTBF on seals to go a year.

Hence the=20 condition monitoring technologies in use today include INFRARED, = VIBRATION=20 ANALYSIS, ultrasound, and vapor detecting equipment. My particular = expertise is in the thermography and vibration analysis condition=20 monitoring techniques. My company has already started = implementation of=20 advanced mechanical sealing, where a great deal of the seals being = used=20 are the double mechanical kind with some type of barrier fluid = being used=20 between them, i.e. (water, process fluid, or synthetic oil). =

Thermograms before and after seal correction and a = visible photo,=20 note the dramatic temperature drop.

The infrared=20 technology can be a great tool if used in a route circuit, check = your=20 seals for temperature increases and you will be surprised to find = out just=20 how many seals either do not have proper flow of barrier fluid or = none at=20 all! Not only will you save and/or increase the life of the seal, = but the=20 savings in maintenance and seal replacement can be tracked and = documented.=20 The possible bonus at the end of the year isn't bad either. =

In = closing;=20 check, track, and document your seals with your infrared = equipment, if you=20 do not have thermal equipment it's time to invest; it'll be worth = the=20 cost. For some strange reason, for the officials in charge, a = picture is=20 worth a thousand words, and the IR camera is the only device that = can=20 provide it.

barrier=20 fluid, Any time you use dual seals (two seals) in an=20 application, you should have a fluid circulating between them to = prevent=20 the generation of unwanted heat.

MAXIMUM ACHIEVABLE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY = (MACT)=20 standards are technology-based air emission standards authorized = by the=20 Clean Air Act of 1990 and monitored by the Environmental = Protection Agency=20 (EPA). The nearly 100 MACT = standards are found=20 in 40 CFR Part 63. Each standard regulates a specific source = category such=20 as dry cleaners, petroleum refineries, or vegetable oil=20 production.

Mean Time = Between=20 Failure (MTBF), a measure of reliability. The longer = the time=20 span between failures, the more reliable the device.

Editor's=20 note: James receives an InfraMation Executive Attach=E9 for his = article=20 = contribution.

Brainteaser of the Month =20 [top]

Here is this month's = brainteaser.=20 First reader to email me with the correct explanation of the = thermogram=20 receives a gift from ITC. Please put "Brainteaser" as the = subject=20 of the message.

Click=20 here to email your guess

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

Last Month's = Brainteaser=20 [top]

A lot of you guessed this was a = sled, and many=20 of you guessed it might be a luge, but only a handful of you got = it right!=20 It's an athlete at the Utah Olympic Park (site of the 2002 Winter = Olympics=20 Games Bobsled, Skeleton and Luge competitions) holding a Skeleton = sled=20 just prior to a competition run.

Our = winner for=20 last month's Brainteaser is Michael Jordan from Inovant. Thanks to = Kurt=20 Vicker for supplying the image taken by Steve=20 Oberstein.=20 Michael and Kurt both receive a special low emissivity traveling = coffee=20 mug.

Past Issues =20 [top]

Click the links = below to view=20 past issues of this newsletter:

All past issues from February 2000 through = December=20 2002

December=20 2003

November=20 2003

October=20 2003

September=20 2003

August=20 2003

July=20 2003

June=20 2003

May=20 2003

April=20 2003

March=20 2003

February 2003

January=20 2003

Upcoming Classes =20 [top]

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

Americas - Level I

Americas - Level II

Americas - Application, Level III, = R&D

Eurasia

Deutschland

France

Italia

United = Kingdom

About=20 the Infrared Training Center =20 [top]

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

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 = recertification.

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

Visit our website:

ITC Americas, BOSTON

16 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

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