case studies in aerial thermography

Applications for Aerial Infrared Thermography

Contact: Dean Nelson, General Manager

Aerial Thermography, Inc. [email protected]

(303) 279-‐8234 www.aerialthermography.net

Aerial Thermography, Inc. OpJmizing Energy Resource Management

Applications for Aerial Thermography: Energy Audits

An ideal applicaJon of aerial thermography is the measurement between surface temperatures of a building (usually aQer sunset when the heaJng effects of the sun are not a factor) and the ambient temperature.

In this image of a warehouse, there are three disJnct temperatures for different parts of the roof. The ambient temperature outside is well below freezing (12 degrees). The ground cools down fairly slowly aQer sunset, reading about 45 degrees on the south side (boUom of the picture). The main part of the warehouse is measuring about 32 degrees and the secJon on the right is measuring in the mid 20s. The area on the right side is newer and has more insulaJon than the middle part, so the outside surface of the roof is cooler. The area at the top leQ is part of an open bay – it has a roof but no sides, so the metal of the roof cools down quickly. The roof didn’t have surface maintenance issues, but it did show that the lower vent in the middle of the roof was le[ng out too much heat (evidenced by the reading in that area of over 60 degrees). On-‐site inspecJon confirmed that the vent system had jammed and that it needed to be repaired.

April, 2010 Copyright Aerial Thermography, Inc. 2

Photo Copyright Aerial Thermography, Inc.

Case Studies


Applications for Aerial Thermography: Detection of Maintenance Problems

Energy audits can be conducted effecJvely when there is the greatest variance between the outside ambient temperature and the temperature inside a building. In order to miJgate the effects of warming due to sunshine, the best Jme to conduct an energy audit is aQer sundown. If the images are captured within a window just aQer sundown, addiJonal informaJon is manifested; like the different cooling off speeds of a dry roof versus a wet roof. In the case of this image, the surface of the roof was dry, but there was an indicaJon that parts of the roof (the red streaks emanaJng from the corners) were water-‐logged and damaged (the damaged area was more than 15 degrees warmer than the dry porJons of the roof). This was confirmed by people inside this government building who said they had a leaky roof in the concourse between the main buildings – which is what this shows.

Of parJcular interest is that oQen the leak inside does not indicate where the problem at the roof level is located – water will travel down any incline, from beams to insulaJon, and in this case it seems that rather than replacing the enJre roof, some work on the flashing is required (unless it has been leQ too long and the roof itself is compromised).

Copyright Aerial Thermography, Inc. 3


Case Studies

April, 2010


Aerial thermography is parJcularly effecJve at detecJng issues with roofs that seem to be in good shape but are showing evidence of leaking inside. In the first image of a fast-‐food restaurant, while the roof seems dry to the naked eye, that parts of the roof over the play area show an area that is 5 degrees warmer than the surrounding roof areas is an indicaJon that there might be a buildup of water between layers of the roof.

In the two images on the boUom we can see that there is significant water and ice buildup on this roof. The water and ice were not visible from a simple visual inspecJon because they were hidden by three inches of loose gravel. On the same roof (far right/boUom) we detected significant heat loss and water leakage into the roof. The leakage wasn’t visible from above, and may not have been visible from below, but the problem only gets worse as the roof contracts and expands with temperature changes.


Photos Copyright Aerial Thermography, Inc.


Case Studies

April, 2010


In this image we see a series of row houses. We can see that the roof temperatures vary by over 20 degrees, indicaJng various levels of insulaJon.

We can also see the sources of heat loss and the difference between a roof in good condiJon indicated by a consistent temperature, and one in need of repair, indicated by a wide range of roof temperatures.




Case Studies

April, 2010


The following image has detected two readings of interest. The image was taken in the early evening aQer sunset and shows the ground cooling off slower than the insulated roof of the buildings. There has been a repair to the roof on the top/leQ side, and it is showing that the temperature is lower – an indicaJon that that part of the roof has beUer insulaJon and that the repair was done properly.

There is a red spot on the roof (just under where you see a pickup truck in the image) and this indicates a higher temperature by over 15 degrees – a clear indicaJon on a visually dry roof that there is a leak and that water has built up under the surface. This part of the roof may not show signs of damage either inside or outside but by the Jme it does, repairs might be much more costly – and whatever is inside the building (merchandise, computers, books, furniture, etc.) may have been damaged as well.



Applications for Aerial Thermography: Evaluation of Construction and Repairs

Case Studies

April, 2010


This is the image of a photovoltaic facility in Colorado. Infrared imaging can detect when the solar panels are operaJng efficiently, since they put off more heat when they are not working properly. In this case, a variance of more than ten degrees between the ambient temperature and the panels indicate a problem, and the problem is more pronounced in specific areas. This image was not taken as part of a contract, but while we were flying between two jobs. If we were contracted, we would conduct a detailed survey with higher resoluJon, that would be perpendicular to the ground and at a fixed alJtude so that the map we provided to the clients would enable them to detect performance on a panel by panel basis.

Mechanical surveys can range from measuring tank levels at oil and gas faciliJes to validaJng HVAC systems versus normal operaJng temperatures, etc.



Applications for Aerial Thermography: Electrical and Mechanical Surveys

Case Studies

April, 2010


Aerial thermography has a lot of promise in the prospecJng for geothermal resources. In the image at right we see a bright area in the top right. This is a surface manifestaJon of a geothermal area. The orange areas indicate blind geothermal potenJal where there are no surface manifestaJons detectable on a regular aerial photograph (other than lighter color sediment/sand). It is obvious that any further geothermal tesJng should be conducted southwest of the surface manifestaJon.

In the images below, we can see an aerial photograph of a swamp near a road from Google Earth™, but when imaged with an infrared camera (from very close) we see that there is a heat source in the middle of the swamp that was not known even to people who travel the road every day.


Photos Copyright Aerial Thermography, Inc.

Applications for Aerial Thermography: Geothermal Prospecting

Case Studies

April, 2010


Profile: Aerial Thermography, Inc. Applica'ons

• Building Envelope Energy Audits • Roof InspecJons for PredicJve-‐PreventaJve Maintenance • ConstrucJon/Repair Signoff Support • Electrical/Mechanical Infrared Surveys • DistribuJon and SubstaJon InspecJons • Power Line and UJlity InspecJons • Geothermal ProspecJve Surveys and GSIS Mapping

Our Services

• Development, IntegraJon, Management • Project Design and Planning • PiloJng and Flight LogisJcs • Image Capture and Storage • Digital Asset Management • Mapping/SoQware IntegraJon

Overview

Aerial Thermography Inc. (ATI) was founded in 2009 in Colorado by three businessmen who recognized that infrared thermography had a number of applicaJons that could opJmize energy resource management. Each partner brings to the table a wealth of applicable experience – from selling products and services into government agencies, to owning and operaJng helicopters, to using thermography for search and rescue, public safety and building maintenance.

Technology

The technology has advanced to a point where we can make over 300,000 measurements with a single scan, which are accurate to a tenth of a degree. We can capture data with an aerial survey that has a resoluJon pixel size of a square inch – and this has opened the door to new applicaJons that save Jme and money over both surface-‐based thermography and satellite-‐based remote sensing.

We can pinpoint where there are issues like a leaky roof. In fact, our surveys are capable of resoluJons that are over 10,000 Jmes higher than NASA’s ASTER commercial thermography system. We can also cover larger areas more efficiently than ground-‐based systems, and do not require physical access to conduct surveys.


Company

April, 2010


Key Personnel Dean Nelson, President/General Manager

Mr. Nelson has more than 20 years experience in technology markeJng, sales and business development and has generated more than $2B in revenue for companies like Comcast, AT&T Broadband, Sun Microsystems and American Mobile Satellite CorporaJon. His industry experience ranges from public safety and mobile satellite services to commercializing new media and managing global enterprise accounts. He produced over 120 television programs for a satellite-‐based distance-‐educaJon project in the Canadian ArcJc, his landscape photographs are in collecJons in over 20 States and he has lectured on EducaJonal Technology at McGill University. He has a graduate business degree from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.

Will Sanders, Director of Opera'ons/Pilot

Mr. Sanders owns and operates Colorado VerJcal, a helicopter services company offering Eco Tours, mountain flight training, aerial photography and private scenic tours. Colorado VerJcal has helicopters operaJng out of both the Colorado Springs and Montrose airports. Mr. Sanders was born and raised in Colorado and has been flying in Colorado for his enJre career. He has over 2,200 hours of high alJtude experience, with over 800 hours of mountain aerial photography and infrared surveys.

Mark Young, Chief Pilot and Thermographer

Mr. Young has been a pilot since 1982 and has accumulated over 3,400 hours in helicopters and fixed wing, mostly in the mountains of Colorado. He is one of fewer than 500 pilots in the US with both helicopter and airplane Air Transport Pilot (ATP) raJngs. He recently completed the construcJon of 50 public safety communicaJon towers for the Colorado State Governor’s Office of InformaJon Technology (CWIN). He is a board member of CCNC and the CommunicaJons Engineer for Montrose County. Mr. Young has been acJve in Search and Rescue with local sheriff’s offices and the Civil Air Patrol for 15 years and has raJngs including senior mission pilot and ARCHER hyperspectral imaging system operator.


Company

April, 2010


Cost and Timing of a Project Cost of a project is dependent on a number of factors;

1)  A normal roof survey to detect leaks, energy issues, etc. costs $0.10 per square foot with a $2,500 minimum.

2)  Discounts may apply for very large projects, mulJple projects, whether we have a window of more than 30 days to complete the imaging (so we can Jme projects in the same area on the same day or evening), etc.

3)  Ground-‐based services (like electrical and mechanical audits are bid on a per-‐hour basis).

4)  Projects in remote areas do not require addiJonal fees (hey we’re flying helicopters), but we charge addiJonal for services provided more than 150 miles from one of our operaJonal centers (Colorado Springs and Montrose).

5)  We oQen act as subcontractors to general contractors like roofing companies, architects, engineering firms, HVAC system manufacturers, facility management consultants, etc.)

Contact: Dean Nelson at (303) 279-‐8234 for more informa'on or to get a quote on your project.


Pricing

April, 2010

case studies in aerial thermography

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