Measuring Thickness of Marine Ice Using IR Thermography

There are several challenges to operating in a cold climate. Marine icing is one of them, and its mitigation is vital for marine operations. The presented work is a laboratory-scale setup to measure marine ice thickness. The developed methodology can be applied towards de-/anti-icing setups. The method described is based on measuring the average surface temperatures of the marine ice. Infrared thermography (IRT) is used to measure the thermal response of ice when subjected to active heating. These tests are performed at various controlled climatic conditions. The surface temperature profiles of marine icing samples are recorded with a calibrated high definition infrared camera. The results show distinct thermal profiles for different ice thicknesses (5, 10 and 15 mm). The thermal profile revealed three parameters, namely: time to respond (t0), rate of change of temperature (δT/δt), and time to reach ∆T of 5 °C (tf). These parameters can be empirically correlated to initial temperature (T0) and ice thickness (th). It was found that time to respond (t0) had a strong correlation with ice thickness (th); however, the rate of change of temperature (δT/δt) and time to reach ∆T of 5 °C (tf) were both dependent on initial temperature (T0) and ice thickness (th). The study mentioned above is conceptual proof that ice thickness can be measured with the given setup, taking into account environmental parameters and accurate calibration. Graphical abstract: Heat energy is supplied to an ice sample for a certain period inside a cold environment. The surface temperature of the sample is monitored during this period using an infrared camera. Three ice samples' thicknesses are selected for comparison (5 mm, 10 mm and 15 mm). Results show that time to respond (t0), rate of change of temperature (δT/δt), and time to reach ∆T of 5 °C (tf) can be empirically correlated to initial temperature (T0) and ice thickness (th). It was found that time to respond (t0) had a strong correlation with ice thickness (th).