THERMAL TIME LAPSE FOR CONSTRUCTION AND INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES

The service is intended for investors, construction companies, designers, construction supervisors, infrastructure operators and industrial businesses. Each configuration is designed around the engineering task, from observing concrete placement and subsequent cooling to tracking drying, heating, insulation work and equipment commissioning.

What Thermal Time Lapse Involves

A thermal camera records images at predefined intervals. Arranged chronologically, these can be presented as an accelerated video while also being retained as a measurement archive. Hours, days or longer project stages can be reviewed in a short sequence, with each image still linked to its actual capture time. [1]

With radiometric recording, a compatible original file retains measurement information for subsequent temperature analysis at selected points and regions. A colourised video or an ordinary screenshot alone is not equivalent to the radiometric data. [1, 2]

• Thermal imagery shows the distribution of surface temperatures and how it changes over time.
• RGB imagery records construction activities, visible surface conditions, equipment and the context of each event.
• Comparative analysis links a temperature change to a particular operation, area, stage or change in conditions.

When Additional Sensors Are Required

A core-to-surface temperature difference requires measurements from appropriately positioned internal and surface sensors; a thermal camera cannot see through concrete. If the maturity method is used to estimate strength, it requires a time–temperature history and an established relationship for the particular concrete mixture. Formwork removal, loading and subsequent operations are decisions for the responsible specialists under the approved control programme. [2, 4, 5]

Main Applications

Foundations and Mass Concrete Structures

• Raft foundations, pile caps, foundation beams and foundations for heavy equipment.
• Wind turbine foundations, bridge piers, columns and substantial retaining walls.
• Comparison between separate pours and areas, accounting for differences in mixtures, geometry and weather.

Monitoring is planned around the critical stages identified by the engineering team. Where embedded sensors are installed, their records can be compared with the thermal and RGB sequences without treating the surface image as the temperature of the entire concrete volume.

Roads Bridges and Pavements

During asphalt work, thermal sequences can document cooling and temperature non-uniformity within the observed area. Continuous control along an entire paving route may require dedicated thermal profiling systems. The temperature image alone does not demonstrate achieved density or compaction quality. [7]

For concrete pavements and bridge elements, surface temperature cycles can be tracked. Under suitable thermal contrast, thermographic sequences can help identify suspect areas for delamination or other anomalies, which are then checked using additional methods. [7, 8]

Industrial Processes and Commissioning

• Surface heating and cooling of equipment, pipework, tanks and insulation during trial operating conditions.
• Drying of coatings, screeds and repair materials where temperature behaviour is relevant to the process.
• Polymers and other materials with exothermic curing, following an assessment of suitability and the manufacturer's requirements.
• Comparison of visible temperature behaviour across successive operating cycles and after repair.

The scope is agreed with the process engineer or manufacturer. An observed surface temperature is not automatically treated as the temperature inside a material or machine.

How We Organise Monitoring

• Define the task – the structure, stages, observed surfaces, expected processes and questions the data needs to address.
• Agree the control programme – regions of interest, periods, sensors and review criteria defined with the designer, supervisor or process engineer.
• Inspect and configure – select cameras, lenses and positions; check visibility, access, power and equipment protection.
• Make a trial recording – verify focus, temperature range, time synchronisation, RGB quality and the radiometric archive.
• Capture and maintain traceability – scheduled recordings, an activity log, checks for missing data and retention of original files.
• Process and review – compare streams, produce charts and mark events; assess limitations and provide material for engineering interpretation.
• Deliver the results – the final time lapse, agreed data package, configuration details and a report suited to the project scope.

Measurement Reliability

Sound interpretation requires control of emissivity, reflected radiation, focus, distance, viewing angle and atmospheric effects. Sunlight, shadows, wind, rain, wet surfaces and changing finishes can alter the image independently of the process under investigation. [2, 8]

Formwork, thermal blankets and coverings obscure the concrete: the camera records their outside surface. Visibility and surface changes are documented when comparing stages. Quantitative tasks use appropriate reference measurements, with the camera's accuracy and the limitations of the particular setup stated. [10]

What the Client Receives

• A thermal time lapse with actual date and time, identification of the observed asset and an explanation of the colour scale.
• A synchronised RGB time lapse and/or a combined comparison video.
• Radiometric originals where that recording function was used, together with the agreed measurement archive.
• Temperature curves and exported tables for selected regions, such as minimum, maximum and mean surface temperatures and differences between observed areas.
• An event log identifying missing records, weather effects and limitations of comparison.
• A report describing observed anomalies and areas for further review; engineering conclusions and specialist testing are included only within an explicitly agreed scope involving competent specialists.

Information Needed for a Proposal

Provide the location and description of the asset, dimensions and visible surfaces, material and process, work schedule, required duration, existing sensors, mounting and power arrangements, access requirements and desired deliverables. We also establish whether the objective is visual documentation, quantitative temperature analysis or integrated monitoring with the engineering team.

Sky Pictures Bulgaria develops a configuration for the specific task, from synchronised thermal and RGB sequences to a structured archive and comparative analysis. This allows the asset's development to be followed as both a visible construction process and a surface temperature history.