Thermography Applied to Interfacial Phenomena, Potentials and Pitfalls

Abstract

Infrared (IR) thermography is a non-intrusive method for temperature measurement. Its ability to produce two-dimensional temperature images makes it a powerful tool for investigating systems exhibiting spatial variation of temperature. IR temperature measurements are almost always surface measurements; the technique has therefore found use in obtaining interfacial temperatures, primarily in heat and mass transfer investigations. The reasons for the technique’s limited uptake likely stems from the requirement of accurate material emissivity data and the large number of potential sources of error. This chapter provides an overview of the underlying theory of radiative heat transfer. Key considerations and problems in the application of IR thermography are discussed with reference to some examples of recent successful applications.