Proceedings Article | 23 January 2003
KEYWORDS: Thermography, Infrared radiation, Infrared imaging, Infrared detectors, Digital recording, Fourier transforms, Infrared technology, Roads, Radiometry, Imaging systems
In the science of Infrared Thermography, all objects emit electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength dependent on the object's temperature. This radiation is detected and measured with infrared radiometers (IR imagers). The imagers contain an infrared detector that converts the emitting radiation into electrical signals that are displayed on a gray-scale or color display monitor. Each IR radiometer is designed to receive the naturally emitted radiation energy in a specific spectrum band such as 3-5 um (short wave) or 8-12 um (long wave). EnTech Engineering, Inc. has developed a system, based upon both ground and aerial mounted Infrared Thermographic technologies, capable of detecting buried pipelines, detecting leaks in these hidden pipelines, and mapping both the pipelines and their leaks.
EnTech® Engineering, Inc's patented INSITE II, Infrared Thermography based Buried Pipeline Mapping & Leak Detection System uses a custom designed high resolution, wide band, 3-12 um, Infrared detector. This infrared scanning system produces a temperature map (thermogram) consisting of thousands of individual thermal readings repeated 60 times per second. The thermal images, or thermograms, are recorded and stored on digital instrumentation videotape. This thermogram is then modified to work within EnTech® Engineering, Inc.'s patented data collection and analysis hardware and software. After the thermal data is processed, it can be displayed on a monitor in multiple shades of gray-scale or color. The colors displayed on the thermogram are arbitrarily set by the Thermographer to best illustrate the infrared data being analyzed.
The scope of service for this project was to perform an EnTech® INSITE II, Infrared Thermographic Subsurface Pipeline & Pipeline Leak investigation on an approximately 7,500 feet long by 300 feet wide, 2,250,000 square feet, 52 acre, potential railroad yard site located in Texas. The purpose of the investigation was the detection of surface thermal anomalies indicative of, but not limited to
