INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY Cx
&
BUILDING COMMISSIONING SPECIALIST Cx RCx

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STATE-OF-THE-ART
THERMAL IMAGING & TESTING WE PERFORM:


BUILDING DIAGNOSTICS

• Building Envelope Surveys
• Energy Audits
• Building Commissioning Cx/RCx Specialist(supporting commissioning process & testing)
• Air Leakage Detection
• Moisture Intrusion Surveys
• Roof Moisture Surveys
• Window-Door-Fenestration Surveys
• Insulation Surveys 
• Construction defect inspection
• Building elements & frame location
• Moisture metering and testing

   ELECTRO-MECH/MECHANICAL APPLICATIONS

• Locate Radiant floor piping or wires
• Detect insulation leaks in refrigeration equipment
• Locate leaks,blocked or frozen location in piping
• Heat transfer issues with mechanical systems
• Motor and control operations
• Site underground piping anomalies - leaks
• Quality Control - from construction project material installations to grocery cooler food placement
• Construction defect inspection
• Moisture Metering, Testing &Inspection
• Computer Room Airflow Surveys and Temperature Monitoring
• Mechanical Equipment & Ductwork Surveys
• Airflow pressure and data logging
• CO₂ and Gas Leak Testing 
• Electrical-Mechanical Thermal Scans
• Steam Trap & Boiler Refractory Scans
• Hydronic Radiant Floor Detection

                  ELECTRICAL APPLICATIONS

• Light level surveys and testing
• Solar panel inspections
• Panel Inspections
• Gear Inspections
• Low Voltage Inspections
• Equipment Checks

                      PROCESS APPLICATIONS 

• Predictive Maintenance & Process Applications
• Steam Trap & Boiler Refractory Scans
• Fluid Flow checks
• Material Sampling checks

                        SITE APPLICATIONS

• Tank liquid level check
• Site underground piping anomalies - leaks, where applies to surface temps. 
• Locate leaks,blocked or frozen location in piping  

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  OUR CLIENTS 

INSTITUTIONS - UNIVERSITIES - COLLEGES

K-12 SCHOOLS

MILITARY BASES - NATIONAL GUARD

ARCHITECTURAL & ENGINEERING FIRMS

COMMISSIONING AGENTS Cx RCx

COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS 

TENANTS AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES

MEDICAL BUILDINGS - LABS

COMPUTER ROOMS - CLEAN ROOMS

MANUFACTURING - INDUSTRIAL

GENERAL CONTRACTORS

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS

MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS

FACILITIES MANAGERS & ENGINEERS

ROOFING CONTRACTORS & CONSULTANTS

FORENSIC ENGINEERS
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             INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY STANDARDS

ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials

    ASTM C1060 - 11a: Standard Practice for Thermographic Inspection of Insulation Installations in Envelope Cavities of Frame Buildings

    ASTM C1153 - 10: Standard Practice for Location of Wet Insulation in Roofing Systems Using Infrared Imaging

    ASTM D7053/D7053M - 11: Standard Guide for Determining and Evaluating Causes of Water Leakage of Low Sloped Roofs

    ASTM 779 Standard Practice for Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization

ASHRAE - American Society of Heating, Refrigeration   and  Air Conditioning Engineers
ANSI - American National Standards Institute

    ASHRAE/ANSI:101-1981: Application of infrared sensing devices to the assessment of building heat loss characteristics

ASNT - American Society for Nondestructive Testing
ISO -  International Organization for Standardization
NETA - International Electrical Testing Association

Training for Thermographers:
    ASNT - SNT - TC - 1A: Recommended practice for  Training (Infrared Thermographers)
    ISO 9001 Certification for Training
    NETA Accredited Training for Thermographers

We perform to the above standards and also use as a guide to perform other applications for thermal imaging and tests.

$$  INSTANT PAYBACK  $$ -  We were performing an infrared scan on a school and turned  camera toward this modular building just to see how it looked.  Come to find out the heating ductwork below the floor was inadvertently disconnected.  The decrease in energy cost and increase in comfort for the kids and teachers was instant.  Saving energy began the day the ductwork was repaired. Infrared scanning picked this up without crawling under the floor!

 
ROOF LEAK DETECTION - Dark spot     FLUID FLOW - pump operating properly 
 higher level of moisture under roof deck

  
    Moisture meter        Anemometer - wind speed                  Infrared camera

  
DUCT LEAK DETECTION - Bright spots indicating air leaks.  Ductwork evaluation - bore scope scanning interior of duct for debris and leaks, plan denotes scope and locations of testing

 
MOISTURE DETECTION: Infrared scanning a school for moisture intrusion and leaks.  Darker areas are moisture, confirmed with meter linked (to Infrared camera) moisture meter

 
 TANK LEVELS:Bright color indicates fluid  LIGHT LEVELS testing at helicopter hanger
level of this tank              
 
  
HIGH TECH moisture metering, linked         Cool Looking Helicopter        Light Meter
to iinfrared camera and Ipad, field confirm       Proud to work with
and data collection all at once.                         members of our military

 
                                                    PREDICTIVE Maintenance
Infrared Scanning for leaks on a parts clcleaner,            Motor may be overloaded - heat      
seals are failing - see vertical bright spots.                  moving from windings               
Simple repairs -replace the seal.  Quick detection.
low cost Infrared Scan.

  
WINDOWS & DOORS in older buildings are a challenge for institutions trying to save energy and get a payback.  In many cases using thermal imaging can detect energy loss and find low cost simple solutions. Sometimes just simply replacing the door or window seals, or sealing joints at the floor.  The dark "wispy effect" is cold airflow putting increased demand on the heating system and introducing unfiltered air into this very large auditorium.  The bright orange at the joints is simply conduction from a heat source below and thermal bridging due to missing insulation at joints and poor seals at floor.  The heat source may be a poor duct connection or other issue that required further investigation. 

 
UNDERGROUND LEAKS!
A frustrated facilities manager contacted us to scan a parking lot.  The problem was they had an underground leak and spent time boring the pavement trying hard to track down the source of the leak without knowing the source of the leak. The water contained chlorine, so we knew it was from a domestic source.  We had ideal weather conditions, but knew it's tough to scan a parking lot, but gave it a try.  "Wham mo" in a half hour we found this dark spot with what appeared to be moisture streaks running downhill away from this dark spot.  Appears to be a unknown buried leaking valve cap - confirmed later with excavation.  Saving time and money.

 
                         ROOF LEAKS                                               DUCT LEAKS
To the untrained eye this just looks like a blotch of color, both red-white areas indicate heat.  On the roof; the light-bright color is higher thermal capacitance of water under the rubber membrane (water is an excellent conductor or heat).  The other is warm air leaking out of a duct at the joint - wow! 99ºF.  Further investigation revealed both the leaks.  We always confirm beyond just the Infrared scanning. 


  
        RADIANT FLOOR                      MISSING INSULATION OR MOISTURE
Radiant Floor loop malfunction     Dark spots indicate missing wall insulation  or moisture
See bright white spot                     intrusion.  Note the framing members                  

                         MORE DETAILED INFORMATION REGARDING THERMAL IMAGING...

THERMAL IMAGES: Are pictures from a thermal imaging device that captures the surface temperature of an object.   All objects emit infrared radiation, and the amount of infrared radiation increases with surface temperatures.  The thermal imager (camera) identifies temperatures of objects using the infrared light spectrum.   The latest technology of infrared devices uses a highly polished germanium coated lens and microprocessor that produces images of radiation called thermograms.  When viewing infrared images, typically warmer objects relative to cooler backgrounds become clearly visible against the environment.   Warmer objects are typically lighter, cooler objects darker, however this can be changed in the post processing of the images using infrared software programs color palette variations and isothermatic imagery.

INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY: Is the highly trained and skilled practice of scanning surfaces, reading temperature differentials, interpretation of thermal images, also known as "thermograms" and trained in the use of thermal imaging cameras, support testing equipment and infrared software programs.  A thermographer applies the sciences of thermodynamics and heat transfer when using a thermal imager to detect and measure radiation, and correlates that information to surface temperature readings.  In order for a thermographer to properly interpret a thermogram, a skilled background in building sciences, systems assemblies as well as electrical - mechanical systems functionality and process of what is being thermally scanned is equally important.

PHYSICS & INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY & PROTOCOLS:  Thermal imaging gathers the surface temperatures of the object being scanned.  Basic physics plays an important part in the application and interpretation of a thermogram.  The application of thermal resistance (R-Value), thermal capacitance, and conductive, convective and radiant energy is utilized in thermography.   There are several factors that can influence a thermogram that can give false readings.   Solar loading or reflective energy can skew a thermogram.  An active system that is transporting energy may show up on a thermogram as an anomaly or influence surrounding materials.  Thermal mass or capacitance of building materials may also influence a thermogram and in some cases be used to detect moisture.  Also, since water is an excellent conductor of heat, latent moisture behind the building element may be detected behind cool surfaces appearing colder or detected behind warm surfaces as warmer.  

There are many other physical and meteorological (wind, rain, ambient temperature, humidity etc.) characteristics that need to be considered while thermally scanning and then interpreting a thermogram.   When we thermally scan an object, building or a system, the conditions, operations of the systems and functionality are all part of our field notes, measurements, scheduling and thermal tuning / post processing of the thermal images taken.  In many cases multiple scans and thermograms are taken to obtain one thermogram.  Ruling in or out anomalies and the items or systems described above is part of our work protocol. 


 

Ben Franklin was a scientist and a naturalist.  He  loved turkeys, called them "majestic" and wanted to make them the national symbol.  What would he think of  infrared technology today?  Infrared Thermography has unlimited potential and uses  is also a very cool way to see things beyond the visible light spectrum!  Give us a call if you have any questions or need further information about our thermal imaging services.