UNDERSTANDING THE NON-CONTACT TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

The ability to accurately measure the temperature of different materials has always been a challenge for the Instrumentation Engineer. The use the classic contact type temperature detector such as thermocouples or RTD’s (Resistance Temperature Detectors) has not always shown to be the best approach to obtain the expected measurement. When not used carefully in closed environments, thermocouples and RTD’s could report the environmental temperature rather than the temperature from the product under examination. They are also temperature limited and when needed for applications above those limits, very expensive and low reliable materials are necessary to do the job. The use of non-contact thermometers has become the preferred choice for such applications. They have also come as a solution for the difficulties involved in the temperature measurements of moving targets. The industry has used portable and spot type infrared thermometers for some time, but the demand for better and more precise measurements has brought an incredible number of new products to the market. By means of advanced electronics and new software developments these products are used to cope with the difficulties of acquiring challenging measurements. Some of the same demands have made necessary the use of non-contact temperature measurement devices on aircraft instrumentation applications. The use of these capabilities has allowed the data acquisition community to get valuable data that was very difficult if not impossible to obtain before. In spite of all these facts, this promising emerging technology demands very careful attention before it is put to good use. The many products and solutions available do not accurately address every problem and the selection of the wrong technology for a specific task can prove to be fatal. The use of non-contact temperature devices is not an easy “off the shelf” pick but rather an option that demands knowledge of the infrared measurement theory as well as a complete understanding of the material under observation. The intention of this paper is to provide a practical understanding on the non-contact temperature measurement methods to the Aircraft Instrumentation Engineer who has not benefited from the use of this exiting technology.