Heat flux estimation in an infrared experimental furnace using an inverse method

Infrared emitters are widely used in industrial furnaces for thermal treatment. In these processes, the knowledge of the incident heat flux on the surface of the product is a primary step to optimise the command emitters and for maintenance shift. For these reasons, it is necessary to develop autonomous flux meters that could provide an answer to these requirements. These sensors must give an in-line distribution of infrared irradiation in the tunnel furnace and must be able to measure high heat flux in severe thermal environments. In this paper we present a method for in-line assessments solving an inverse heat conduction problem. A metallic mass is instrumented by thermocouples and an inverse method allows the incident heat flux to be estimated. In the first part, attention is focused on a new design tool, which is a numerical code, for the evaluation of potential options during captor conception. In the second part we present the realization and the test of this “indirect” flux meter and its associated inverse problem. “Direct” detectors based on thermoelectric devices are compared with this new flux meter in the same conditions in the same furnace. Results prove that this technique is a reliable method, appropriate for high temperature ambiances. This technique can be applied to furnaces where the heat flux is inaccessible to “direct” measurements.