Emissivity

Electromagnetic radiation is either absorbed (emitted), reflected, or transmitted through the surface.

Emissivity is ratio of absorbed vs.reflected/transmitted energy.

An emissivity of 0.9 indicates that the surface will absorb (emit) 90% of the energy and reflect (transmit) 10%

Emissivity is a spectral parameter and as such the same material will transmit heavily at one wavelength and absorb heavily at another wavelength.

General Emissivity Values

Polished brass Polished copper Polished iron Aluminum oxide Sawdust Sand Black oxidized copper Oxidized iron Rubber Nat Soft Wood Oak Roofing paper Plastics Rubber Nat Hard Paper Porcelain, glazed Plaster Paper Quarts glass Water Glass Rubber, hard glossy plate Lampblack Water Paint Tile Plaster Laboratory blackbody 0.03 0.15 0.2 0.75 0.75 0.76 0.78 0.8 0.86 0.9 0.91 0.91 0.91 0.92 0.92 0.92 0.93 0.93 0.94 0.94 0.94 0.95 0.95 0.96 0.97 0.98 0.99

Aluminum Commercial sheet Aluminum Heavily Oxidized Aluminum Anodized Aluminum Rough Polished aluminum, 300 deg K Polished aluminum, 1000 deg K Steel Oxidized Steel Polished Stainless Steel, weathered Stainless Steel, polished Steel Galvanized Old Steel Galvanized New Tungsten 500K Tungsten 1000K Tungsten 2000K Tungsten 3000K Tungsten 3500K

0.09 0.25 0.77 0.07 0.03 0.07 0.79 0.07 0.85 0.075 0.88 0.23 0.05 0.11 0.26 0.33 0.35

*emissivity is wavelength dependent

Explain the hot spot? This can of brew is ice cold straight out of the fridge. When scanned with an infrared camera you would expect the entire image to be relatively even in temperature and to appear "cold" in relation to the background. Can you explain the apparent "hot" spot in the center of the can. Hint: it's not a fingerprint!

Live image reveals truth! The paint on the outside of the can has been scratched off in a small area. The bare aluminum has a different emissivity than the painted aluminum. The camera can only allow for one emissivity setting at one time so to the detector the bare aluminum "images" hotter than the rest of the can.

Two cars sitting in the sun

1. Chrome plated steel bumper (e=0.04)

2. Black painted steel bumper (e=0.95)

Which bumper is hotter? (assuming identical bumper design in identical conditions)

This question is not so easy to answer and involves time dependency, surface/bulk temperature effects as well as convection and conduction!
1. The painted bumper will heat up more quickly, but 95% of the absorbed heat is free to re-radiate. 2. The chrome bumper will heat up more slowly, but only 4% of the absorbed heat is free to re-radiate, hence the internal steel structure under the chrome bumper will eventually exceed that under the painted bumper and ultimately the entire chrome bumper will be hotter than the painted bumper.
How many times have you been burned by the chrome seat belt buckle inside your car on a very hot day

Heat Transfer Effects

Carbon tape

The high E coating allows the heat generated internally to be dissipated more effectively via radiation

Painted surface increases emissivity, thus improving heat transfer and keeping the motor cooler and more uniform, while allowing more precise temperature mapping

Emitted energy is concentrated thus increasing emissivity Emitted energy is dispersed thus lowering emissivity

A cylindrical black-body cavity is described, which will operate up to 1100 C, made of stainless steel 15 cm long and 6 cm in diameter and with a working aperture 3 cm in diameter. Internal baffles and grooved surfaces are used to attain an emissivity of 0.997 while keeping the dimensions of the cavity small. The mounting of the cavity in a horizontal Nichrome-wound furnace is also described along with experiments which confirm that the emissivity is as high as 0.997 (internal emission and re-absorption by the
walls nullifies surface affects)

How to Overcome Emissivity

Paint the object with a carbon paint so that the surface mimics a black body Bore a deep narrow hole in the object and image directly in the black body cavity

How to Determine Emissivity

Emission spectrometer - $$$$ process typically done in a laboratory Put a black body object in the proximity of the unknown material. Obtain a temp. value for the material with a known emissivity (black body). Focus the pyrometer on the unknown object and adjust emissivity value until correct temperature is measured