• The journey of infrared technology and its impact on temperature control systems.
• Understanding the nuances of single-color and two-color infrared sensors.
• The role of thermal imaging in industrial applications and the importance of resolution.
• Real-world examples and the importance of customer support in finding the right solutions.

Host: Welcome to “In The Loop,” a New England Temperature Solutions podcast. In today’s episode, we’re diving into the world of infrared technology with our founder, Dominick DeLuca. Dominick has been applying infrared sensors to thermal processes since the eighties. So, without further ado, let’s get in the loop with Bob and Dom.

Bob Pierce: Good afternoon, everyone. Today, we’re discussing infrared technology with Dominick DeLuca, president and CEO of NETS, Inc. How are you doing, Dom?
Dom: Good, Bob. Thanks for having me.
Bob: So, Dom, how many years has it been since you’ve been in the infrared technology market?

Dom: Probably around 30 years. I got into it kind of by accident while selling thermocouples. I was introduced to a $4,000 infrared sensor, and as a sales guy, that sounded a lot more fun and profitable than a $60 thermocouple. It added a lot of value to what we did, not just from a monetary perspective but also in terms of the applications and the solutions we could provide to our clients.

Bob: Interesting. Can you explain the difference between single-color and two-color infrared sensors?

Dom: Sure. A two-color, or ratio sensor, has two detectors looking at two different wavelengths. It’s designed to compensate for emissivity errors by canceling them out based on these wavelengths. It’s generally more expensive and has a higher temperature range, starting around 600°F. Single-color sensors, on the other hand, have a broader range of wavelengths and are more suitable for lower temperature applications. They’re the bread and butter for most of our applications.

Bob: How do two-color sensors help in environments with a lot of dust, smoke, or off-gassing?

Dom: Two-color sensors only need a small percentage of the target to get an accurate reading. They can look through contaminants on a window or in the atmosphere longer without any degradation in the reading. They’re also able to detect when a window is getting dirty by monitoring the change in the ratio between the two wavelengths.

Bob: That’s quite useful. Now, thermal imaging is another area of interest. How does the resolution of a thermal imager, like 320×240 or 640×480 pixels, affect its sensing capabilities?

Dom: Higher resolution means you have more ‘thermocouples’ staring at your process, allowing for more detailed temperature measurements across an area. With our cameras, you can analyze thousands of points in the field of view, providing a comprehensive temperature profile. This can be crucial for processes where uniform temperature distribution is essential, such as in web processing for the medical industry.

Bob: Fascinating. Over your 30 years in infrared technology, what’s the most unusual application you’ve encountered?

Dom: The strangest one involved a project in Maine where a client wanted to use drones equipped with infrared cameras to count moose by detecting their heat signatures. However, the project took an unexpected turn when the client disappeared, and it was later discovered that the drones were being used for drug trafficking!

Bob: That’s quite a story! Thank you, Dominick, for sharing your insights and experiences with us. It’s been enlightening.

Dom: Thank you, Bob. It’s been a pleasure.

Host: Thank you for joining us on “In The Loop.” If you need assistance with anything in the thermal process industry, please feel free to reach out to us at 808-486-NETS or visit our website at www.netsinc.com. If there are any topics regarding thermal processes that you’d like to hear in a future podcast, please send us a comment. Have an awesome day, every day!

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