Infrared thermometers (IR thermometers) features, types, cons and pros

Infrared thermometer

It consists of a lens to focus the infrared (IR) energy on to the detector that converts the energy to an electrical signal which can be displayed in units of temperature after being compensated for the ambient temperature variation .

Infrared thermometer facilitates temperature measurement from a distance without contact with the object to be measured , It is useful for measuring the temperature under circumstances where thermocouples or the other probe type sensors cannot be used or do not produce accurate data for a variety of reasons .

The infrared sensors offer the same technology and features as the infrared thermometers except they output different signals , They can output thermocouple , voltage , or analog signals to displays or controllers , They are excellent for measuring multiple points in the process and they are economical

Infrared thermometers ( IR thermometers ) are handy for use in measuring the drafts and the insulation breakdown , They can pick up hot spots in the electrical systems and bearings , They help monitor cooling systems , They are used to measure food storage temperatures and they can do this with no cross-contamination .

Advantages of Infrared thermometers

The measurements can be taken from a distance for hot surfaces and the objects or for the food service purposes where the items should not be touched or contaminated and they are excellent for the surface measurements .

The measurements can be taken of moving parts , The infrared thermometers operate well for a variety of applications , The memory and the advanced measurement functionality is available , They are compact , lightweight and easy to use .

The infrared thermometers are a great way to detect the temperature with a variety of household and work objects , Its energy sufficient light beam qualities allow the users to point at any object and quickly detect the temperature .

Infrared thermometer is a good way to detect cooking progress such as food samples including meat , chicken and fish , without puncturing the meat and allowing liquid and steam to escape .

The infrared thermometer is useful in the situations where it may not be possible to measure the temperature using conduction techniques , such as in manufacturing the applications with very high temperatures or in intricate mechanical with no direct ease of access .

Infrared thermometer can be used for the other residential uses , They can detect the room temperature , the soil temperatures and the construction works such as the walls , the pipes and the windows .

Infrared thermometer can be used to inspect the problems according to the mechanical and electrical appliances , It can diagnose the temperatures of heating points and it can be used in photography for developing photo prints .

Infrared thermometer can measure the surface temperature , The stews , puddings , soups and anything that has a high moisture content , require stirring to get an accurate reading and the unit gives you no warning when the battery is low.

Infrared thermometer or non-contact thermometer offers a distinct advantage over contact measurement due to its ability to determine the target object’s temperature accurately without any physical contact , A lot of industrial applications benefit from this technology due to their non-contact nature .

The infrared thermometers give the ability to monitor the temperature in the situations where the object is inaccessible or moving , where the object may be contaminated or damaged by the contact sensor , where contact is not possible due to extremely high temperatures , or where the object is electrically active .

The infrared thermometer can be mounted remotely from the hot target , enabling it to operate for long periods with minimal maintenance , Infrared thermometers offer very fast response time , The temperature measurement can be made within a few thousandths of a second .

Infrared thermometer is installed in a large range of process applications , including metals , minerals , the paper and the plastics , It is a thermometer that infers the temperature from a portion of the thermal radiation called the blackbody radiation emitted by the object being measured .

By knowing the amount of the infrared energy emitted by the object and its emissivity , the object’s temperature can be determined , The infrared thermometers are a subset of devices known as thermal radiation thermometers .

Infrared thermometers disadvantages

The infrared thermometers cannot take the measurements of gas or liquids , The environment needs to be clean , without dust , high humidity or similar , the accuracy may be marginal and specialty meters may be very expensive , They can be very useful when they used in the right way and put to task in the right applications .

Infrared thermometers only measure the surface temperatures and not the internal temperature of food or the other materials , They require adjustments depending on the surface being measured .

Infrared thermometers are not thought to be as highly accurate as the surface probes measurements of the same surface , They can be affected by frost , moisture , dust , fog , smoke or the other particles in the air .

Infrared thermometers can be temporarily affected by rapid changes in the ambient temperature , They can be temporarily affected by proximity to a radio frequency with an electromagnetic field strength of three volts per meter or greater .

You should not see through glass , liquids or the other transparent surfaces – even though visible light ( like a laser ) passes through them ( When you point an IR gun at a window, you will be measuring the temperature of the window pane , not the outside temp ) .

Especially near ambient temperatures , readings may be subject to the error due to the reflection of radiation from a hotter body—even the person holding the instrument—rather than radiated by the object being measured , and to an incorrect assumed emissivity .

Infrared thermometers uses

Infrared thermometers are used in some typical circumstances where the object to be measured is moving , where the object is surrounded by the electromagnetic field , as in the induction heating , where the object is contained in the vacuum or the other controlled atmosphere .

Infrared thermometers are used in the applications where a fast response is required , The accurate surface temperature is desired or the object temperature is above the recommended use point for the contact sensors or contact with the sensor would mar the object or the sensor .

The infrared thermometers can be used to serve a wide variety of temperature monitoring functions , They are used in detecting clouds for remote telescope operation , checking mechanical or electrical equipment for the temperature and hot spots .

The infrared thermometers are used in measuring the temperature of the patients in the hospital without touching them , checking the heater or oven temperature , for the calibration and control , checking for the hot spots in fire-fighting , monitoring the materials in the processes involving heating or cooling , and measuring the temperature of volcanoes .

Infrared thermometers are used to check arriving travellers for fever , Most common infrared thermometers are the spot infrared thermometer or infrared pyrometer that measures the temperature at a spot on a surface .