Program Overview
A thermal image is easy to capture and easy to misread. Reflections, low emissivity surfaces, IR windows and small targets at distance can all produce temperatures that are wrong by tens of degrees. Level 2 thermographers are expected to recognize these effects, quantify them and produce measurements that can justify an outage or a repair.
Building on Level 1, this program goes deeper into the physics and the instrument. Participants revisit heat transfer and radiation theory, then examine optics, detector technologies and the camera specifications that limit measurement accuracy, including NETD, IFOV and measurement field of view. Dedicated sessions cover IR window transmission corrections and transient thermography techniques, all applied to electrical inspection scenarios.
Learning Outcomes
- Convert temperatures between Kelvin, Celsius and Fahrenheit and apply conduction, convection and radiation theory to thermal patterns
- Apply Planck’s, Stefan–Boltzmann and Wien’s laws to explain how an infrared camera measures temperature
- Determine and correct for emissivity, reflected apparent temperature and atmospheric transmission
- Evaluate camera specifications including NETD, IFOV and MFOV to judge whether a target can be measured accurately
- Calculate corrections for measurements made through IR windows of different materials
- Describe transient thermography NDT methods and select appropriate techniques for a given inspection
Program Modules
- Review of Level 1 Thermography — key concepts, camera operation and qualitative inspection practice
- Temperature Scales — conversion factors between Kelvin, Celsius and Fahrenheit
- Heat Transfer Theory — conduction, convection and radiation and their influence on surface temperature
- Radiation Laws — blackbodies, emissivity, Planck’s, Stefan–Boltzmann, Wien’s and Newton’s laws and optical filters
- Optics and the Atmosphere — optical materials, anti-reflective coatings, atmospheric transmission and attenuation
- Detector Technologies and Calibration — microbolometer and cooled detectors, calibration and measurement techniques
- IR Measurement Systems — thermal camera parameters including NETD, IFOV and MFOV
- IR Windows and Window Materials — window measurement formulae and spectral transmittance of materials
- Transient Thermography NDT — pulsed, lock-in and step heating methods and their analysis
Who Should Attend
- Level 1 certified thermographers seeking quantitative competence
- Electrical maintenance and reliability engineers
- Predictive maintenance technicians in utilities and industry
- Condition monitoring program leaders
- Electrical inspectors and insurance loss-prevention specialists
Standards & Codes Referenced
- ISO 18251-1:2017 (Infrared Thermography: Characteristics of System and Equipment)
- ISO 18434-2 (Condition Monitoring and Diagnostics: Thermography, Image Interpretation and Diagnostics)
- ASTM E1934-99a(2018) (Standard Guide for Examining Electrical and Mechanical Equipment with Infrared Thermography)
Assessment & Certification
Assessment includes a written examination on radiation physics and measurement theory, calculation exercises on emissivity and IR window corrections, and a practical test in which candidates capture, correct and report thermal measurements on energized electrical demonstration equipment. Practical sessions take place at ASEEE-approved training centers.
Successful candidates are awarded the ASEEE competency certificate, issued with a unique certificate ID that employers and clients can verify online through Certificate Check. ASEEE recommends recertification every 3 years to keep competence aligned with current standards, equipment and site practice.
