Evaluation of Wall Paint Emissivity during Infrared Thermography Temperature Measurement

In cases that the temperature of large surfaces needs to be measured, because measuring by conventional temperature equipment is time consuming, thermography is a fast and simple alternative solution. The most important feature that affects the amount of energy radiating from a surface, under stationary thermal conditions (fixed temperature), is its emissivity. In the present study emissivity of certain commercial wall paints was determined experimentally by adjusting its value in an infrared thermal imager, until its readings coincided with a known temperature measured by PT-100 sensors. It was shown that the emissivity is dependent on the color, current temperature and type/texture of the material.