What are the advantages and disadvantages of LWIR thermal imager?

A long-wave infrared thermal imager is an imaging instrument that uses the principle of thermal radiation to detect the temperature distribution of an object and generate a corresponding infrared image. It has a wide range of applications in many fields, such as industry, military, medical and so on. The following will introduce the long-wave infrared thermal imager from two aspects of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantage:

High temperature resolution: Long-wave infrared thermal imaging cameras can accurately measure temperature changes of objects through high-sensitivity detectors, and their temperature resolution can usually reach 0.1 degrees or even higher. This is very useful for scenarios that require high-precision temperature measurement, such as industrial quality control, thermal engineering analysis, etc.

No contact: The long-wave infrared thermal imager performs imaging by sensing the thermal radiation emitted by the object, without direct contact with the measured object, so it can avoid damage to the object or affect the measurement results. This is especially important in some special cases, such as measuring high-temperature objects, flammable objects, etc.

Fast image acquisition: The imaging speed of the long-wave infrared thermal imaging camera is very fast, and the temperature distribution image of the object can be obtained in almost real time. This is very helpful for scenarios that require quick analysis and judgment, such as fault diagnosis, search and rescue, etc.

Non-visible light imaging: Long-wave infrared thermal imaging cameras can image infrared light with a wavelength range of 3-15 microns, which cannot be perceived by the human eye. Therefore, it can work in dark, smoky, etc. environments and obtain high-quality images. This is very important in some special application scenarios, such as night vision, smoke detection, etc.

Wide-range measurement: Long-wave infrared thermal imaging cameras can measure a very wide range of temperatures, usually from -40 degrees to 2000 degrees, or even wider. This makes it advantageous for applications in various temperature ranges, such as boiler monitoring, fire detection, solar research, etc.

Powerful data processing functions: Long-wave infrared thermal imagers usually have powerful data processing functions, which can perform various image enhancement, temperature measurement accuracy correction, intersection judgment and other operations on the acquired infrared images, thereby improving image quality and measurement accuracy.

Disadvantage::

Expensive: The manufacturing process of long-wave infrared thermal imaging cameras is relatively complicated, involving the use of high-tech materials and high-precision components, so the price is relatively high. This may limit its promotion and use in some application scenarios.

High environmental requirements: Long-wave infrared thermal imaging cameras have relatively high environmental requirements, especially in harsh environments such as high temperature, high humidity, and high radiation. The imaging quality and stability may be affected, and additional work is required to ensure It's working fine.

Limited resolution: The image resolution of LWIR cameras is limited by technology, usually 160×120, 320×240 or 640×480. Compared with some high-resolution imaging devices, its image clarity may be slightly inferior.

Affected by occlusion: LWIR cameras cannot perceive thermal radiation through some occlusions (such as glass, water vapor, etc.), so accurate images and temperatures may not be acquired in such environments.

Unable to measure reflective surface temperature: LWIR cameras measure temperature based on the thermal radiation emitted by objects, and cannot directly measure the temperature of reflective surfaces. In some applications, additional corrections are required to obtain accurate temperature measurements.

To sum up, LWIR thermal imaging cameras have many advantages, such as high temperature resolution, no contact, fast image acquisition, working in dark environments, etc. But it also has some disadvantages, such as expensive, high environmental requirements, limited resolution and so on. Therefore, it is necessary to weigh its advantages and disadvantages in specific applications and choose a suitable thermal imager.