Imaging Pyrometer for Furnace Temperature Monitoring

Project goal: To develop software for a non-contact imaging pyrometer in the visible spectrum Current imaging pyrometers for furnace temperature monitoring operate in long-, mid-or short-wave infrared spectra. This project could lead to technology that reduces the cost of non-contact pyrometers and allows anyone to find the temperature of an object with a standard digital camera.The team derived a radiometric calibration constant relating temperature to camera response. Software and a proprietary algorithm were developed to calculate black body source temperatures of 1,100–1700 degrees Celsius. Using data acquired from a commercially available visible-light camera, the algorithm developed enables the system to calculate temperature to within 40 degrees Celsius. The graphical user interface allows furnace monitoring for materials, such as molten copper, at comparable temperatures of known emissivities. Thermal analysis and a full-system verification process proved that the system can operate in extreme ambient temperatures of 90 degrees Celsius.