[It’s a press release, of course, but it only makes me lust for a FLIR thermal imaging camera of my own! —Tim]
Portland, OR – FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced that recent tests to determine how well its thermal imaging cameras could see oil on water had outstanding results, and that FLIR maritime thermal imagers are providing valuable assistance to oil recovery crews working in the Gulf Oil Spill.
In early April of 2010, FLIR conducted a series of experiments at the OHMSETT oil recovery test facility in coastal New Jersey to determine if FLIR maritime thermal imagers see petrochemicals floating on seawater, and if so, which cameras do it the best.
In the experiment, FLIR tested a variety of thermal imagers, observing five different kinds of oil and diesel in a variety of sea states and from three different viewing angles, and under a variety of lighting conditions.
The Result: FLIR maritime thermal longwave imaging cameras succeed at providing crisp, clear real-time video and photos of any temperature oil in all types of seas, in glaring sunlight, with no light at all, and from just about any angle.
FLIR thermal imagers can see oil on water extremely well—day or night, in all types of lighting conditions—because oil emits infrared energy quite differently from water, giving floating films a distinct appearance. In addition, infrared imaging requires no visible light to make a clear image and is not affected by reflections caused by wave action or solar interference.
Just a few weeks after this initial test, FLIR’s M-Series and First Mate maritime imagers are currently proving their worth to oil containment and recovery crews in the recent Gulf oil spill, providing valuable aid and assistance in this time of national emergency. You can see footage of our cameras at work at http://www.youtube.com/user/FLIRNightVision.
{ 1 trackback }