Imaging White Papers, Case Studies, Articles, and Application Notes

  1. Noise Equivalent Concentration Length: The New Standard For Optical Gas Imaging 6/29/2018

    There's no official standard for rating how good an IR camera is at detecting gas leaks. Noise Equivalent Concentration Length is a useful method to measure the quality of a camera.

  2. FLIR OGI Cameras Paired With UAVs To Detect Gas Leaks From The Air 4/18/2018

    Natural gas processing plants purify raw natural gas by removing certain contaminants. Since these contaminant gases are often dangerous for human exposure, a combination of UAV and optical gas imaging technology was tested for monitoring vast gas fields. This case study examines how the Al Hosn Shah Plant in Abu Dhabi uses the FLIR G300a optical gas camera for detecting gas leaks from the air.

  3. Czech Utility Company Uses FLIR GF306 Optical Gas Imaging To Check For SF6 Leaks 4/18/2018

    Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), an insulating gas in the distribution of high voltage electrical power, is a very potent greenhouse gas that can possibly leak from power equipment and cause many problems. Utility companies generally use optical gas imaging cameras to detect SF6 leaks in order to ensure the continuity of power distribution and limit the impact on the environment. This case study explains how a utility company in the Czech Republic uses the FLIR GF306 optical gas imaging camera in their inspections.

  4. FLIR ThermaCAM™ GasFindIR™ Camera Spots Methane Leaks, Prevents Gas Venting, Keeps Air Clean 4/17/2018

    Waste treatment companies are increasingly turning to energy suppliers to create more streamlined waste disposal, treatment, neutralization, and recycling processes. The FLIR GasFindIR gas detection infrared camera is used to support these processes by providing immediate and tangible results. This application note describes how these gas detection infrared cameras are utilized to capture methane leaks, prevent gas venting, and keep air clean in a Norwegian landfill.

  5. Bayernoil Refinery Uses FLIR Gas Detection Cameras To Detect Leaks 4/16/2018

    This case study follows Bayernoil, the biggest refinery in southern Germany, as they integrate a gas detection camera into their leak detection and repair programs.

  6. FLIR Optical Gas Imaging Camera Helps Improve Environment And Safety At Borealis Stenungsund 4/13/2018

    Petrochemical plants usually handle invisible gaseous hydrocarbons that could pose safety issues. Leak detection is of vital importance, especially when these gases are toxic, highly flammable, or have a negative impact on the environment. One petrochemical plant, the Borealis high-pressure, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, produces LDPE products for the cable and wire sector, and delivers ethylene, which is converted into polyethylene in a high-pressure polymerization process. This case study tells about how this company uses FLIR optical gas imaging cameras for gas leak detection at a distance and in hard-to-access locations.

  7. Through-Flame Thermal Cameras Can Take the Heat 4/13/2018

    Many types of heating operations require a fast, non-contact method for gathering qualitative and quantitative information to prevent or minimize downtime. A through-flame thermal camera offers thermal and visual imaging capabilities for seeing conditions invisible to the naked eye while in context to a visible world. This application note discusses how through-flame imaging works and how to use these cameras to detect most equipment problems during heating operation — and at an early stage — so that failures can be prevented.

  8. The Science Behind Optical Gas Imaging 11/8/2017

    This article covers the different methods and scientific techniques behind optical gas imaging including how the detectors operate, cooling methods, and image normalization. Additional topics include spectral adaptation, gas infrared absorption spectra, gas stream visualization, and key concepts for making gas clouds visible.

  9. Inspectahire Relies On Optical Gas Imaging For Leak Detection In The Offshore Oil And Gas Industry 6/7/2017

    Inspectahire is a company that helps customers manage the safety, profitability, and environmental impacts of their assets through remote visual inspection technologies and solutions. The FLIR’s GFx320 Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) camera is their preferred technology to use when tasked with the detection of fugitive hydrocarbon emissions.

  10. Avoiding Outages With Hydrogen Leak Detection Technology 6/7/2017

    A power plant must keep up maintenance of the hydrogen-cooled generators for the safety of its workers and the environment, as well as for efficient operation of the plant. Traditional methods for hydrogen leak detection in a cooling system may be able to find the general area where hydrogen is present, but can be unreliable at finding the source of the leak. The introduction of optical gas imaging cameras has greatly improved the efficiency and performance of leak detection. With the addition of a dedicated thermal imaging camera for CO2 leak detection, utilities now have a way to efficiently find hydrogen leaks while using CO2 as a tracer gas.