South Jersey Ghost Research Training

Non Contact IR Thermometers


 

What is infrared? 

Infrared is an invisible portion of the light spectrum extending from 0.75 to1000 microns. Any object warmer than absolute zero (0 degrees Kelvin) emits energy somewhere within that range.



How do infrared (IR) thermometers work?
IR thermometers capture the invisible infrared energy naturally emitted from all objects. Infrared radiation is part of the electromagnetic spectrum which includes radio waves, microwaves, visible light, ultraviolet, gamma, and X-rays.  . Any object warmer than absolute zero emits energy somewhere within that range. 


 

Can the object or product being measured be moving?

Yes. Measuring moving targets is one of the benefits of using noncontact infrared thermometers.


 

How close do I have to be to an object to take its temperature?

Distance does not affect the measurement. However, infrared sensors measure the energy from a circular spot on the target, and the size of that spot is a function of the distance between the sensor and target. The farther away from the target the sensor is, the larger the spot. Consequently, distance is only limited by the size of the object you want to measure.Most IR thermometers have a maximum measuring distance of approximately 100 feet (30 meters), depending on atmospheric conditions.High humidity can reduce the effectiveness and accuracy of IR Thermometers.

 
About Emissivity
This infrared "invisible heat" of an object is transferred in three ways: Reflected, Transmitted, and Emitted. Reflected energy is not particularly related to the temperature of the target object, and transmitted heat is related to the both the internal temperature of the target object and the temperature of the "transmitted to" object.   The only type of energy that can be used to tell that actual surface temperature of the object is Emitted energy.  When IR thermometers are used to measure surface temperature they can potentially sense all three kinds of energy, therefore all thermometers have to be adjusted to read Emitted energy only.

 
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