Infrared thermography involves sophisticated instruments designed to detect, measure, and visualize the thermal radiation emitted from objects. These instruments play a vital role in predictive maintenance, condition monitoring, and various diagnostic applications across multiple industries.

The available instrumentation for Infrared Thermography can be divided into two types of measurement systems:

Non-imaging Infrared Thermography

These systems are simpler and known as radiometers, infrared thermometers, or pyrometers. They record the radiation emitted by the body and convert the output voltage of the instrument's detector into a calibrated temperature value displayed as the reading on the screen.

Imaging Infrared Thermography

These systems use two-dimensional detectors that measure the radiation emitted by an object and then process the information electronically, generating an image that represents the thermal pattern of the object's surface under study. A thermal camera produces a live image that allows visualizing the information as a thermal radiation photograph. An image produced by an infrared camera is called a thermogram.

Based on this classification, two fundamental evaluations can be performed using Infrared Thermography:

Qualitative Infrared Thermography

The focus is on obtaining high-quality images that allow for the recognition of object boundaries and the correct identification of the sources generating temperature variations.

Quantitative Infrared Thermography

The focus is on calculating temperatures to identify their trends and assess the suitability of each component.

Devices used in Infrared Thermography detect and capture infrared radiation emitted by objects, converting it into visible thermal images.