Thermal Imaging helping advance electrocaloric research.

At Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), researchers used FLIR’s A8583 cooled mid-wave infrared (MWIR) camera and 5x microscope bayonet lens, and FLIR Research Studio software to investigate the electrocaloric effect—temperature changes in dielectric materials under an electric field.

This combination of high-speed thermal imaging and advanced analysis tools enabled real-time observation of thermal fluctuations, providing deeper insights into material behavior. The ability to visualise and quantify these temperature changes with precision supports the development of solid-state cooling solutions for electronics and sustainable refrigeration.

Challenge.
QUB sought to investigate the electrocaloric effect, a phenomenon where dielectric materials experience temperature fluctuations under an applied electric field. Understanding this effect is crucial for developing energy-efficient, solid-state cooling systems that could revolutionise electronics cooling and sustainable refrigeration. However, capturing these rapid thermal changes required a high-speed, highly sensitive thermal imaging solution capable of detecting minute temperature variations in real time.

Solution.
To address this challenge, Butler Technologies provided QUB with a FLIR A8583 MWIR cooled camera and 5x microscopic optic—a high-speed thermal imaging system designed for scientific applications—along with FLIR Research Studio software for advanced data analysis. The researchers used this combination of cutting-edge hardware and software to:

• Apply a square wave voltage to various samples, including thin wires and multilayer plates
• Observe real-time thermal fluctuations in dielectric materials
• Detect and analyze thermal responses
• Capture transient thermal changes

Results.

FLIR A8583 thermal camera, paired with FLIR Research Studio, capturing real-time electrocaloric temperature changes in dielectric materials at Queen’s University Belfast, supporting research in energy-efficient solid-state cooling systems.

Using the FLIR A8583 thermal camera and FLIR 5X microscopic optic, researchers at the university successfully identified thermal fluctuations at the same frequency as the electrical stimulus, confirming the electrocaloric effect in real-time. This precise ability to capture transient thermal changes enabled a more detailed examination of how electrocaloric materials respond under different conditions, offering insights into their feasibility for solid-state cooling technologies.

The integration of a high-speed cooled thermal camera significantly improved measurement accuracy. With the Stirling engine cooling the detector to approximately 77 Kelvin, the system achieved greater sensitivity and a higher frame rate, allowing for precise thermal photon detection. This capability is particularly valuable for scientific applications requiring the measurement of subtle temperature variations with extreme precision.

These findings contribute to the ongoing exploration of electrocaloric materials for next-generation cooling solutions, with potential applications in electronics thermal management, sustainable refrigeration, and materials science. 

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See also FLIR's R&D page.

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Advanced manufacturing technology facility open for business.

Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has opened a new £7.5 million (€8.6 millian) state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing technology facility, supporting its mission to enable more competitive supply chains with increased productivity.

L2R: Claire McAlinden, Director of Operations for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences; Professor Adrian Murphy; Professor Seán McLoone; Colm Higgins, Head of the Northern Ireland Technology Centre.

Details on the facility were announced at the university’s ‘Manufacturing Beyond the Horizon’ conference. The collaborative investment is one of the biggest in manufacturing by Queen’s, the British Government and Northern Ireland industry partners. It has been supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Innovate UK and the Aerospace Technology Institute.
The new facility will have an open door to industry partners, currently including RLC Global Point, Moyola Precision Engineering, JW Kane Precision Engineering Ltd., Travan Precision Engineering and Retec Engineering Solutions.

Based at the distinguished Northern Ireland Technology Centre at Queen’s, the facility is part of the Centre for Intelligent Autonomous Manufacturing Systems (i-AMS), a pioneer research programme at Queen’s which is leading innovation in new technologies for advanced manufacturing. This was also officially launched at the conference.

Through i-AMS, interdisciplinary researchers, spanning the disciplines of Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics and Psychology, are working together to
tackle challenges within industry and helping to make Industry 4.0, the new industrial revolution, a reality.

Professor Mark Price, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Queen’s, comments: “I am delighted to announce the opening of our £7.5million advanced manufacturing technology facility, based at the Northern Ireland Technology Centre (NITC) at Queen’s.

“The facility will provide key support to our new pioneer research programme i-AMS. Both i-AMS and the new facility are open for business and are already making a difference to the advanced manufacturing community in Northern Ireland and the UK. This is a great example of industry, government and academia working in partnership to move Northern Ireland forward.”

Professor Seán McLoone, Director of i-AMS at Queen’s, says: “Addressing the challenges of Industry 4.0, the centre and facility are spearheading the computerisation of manufacturing. This includes the use of advanced data analytics, machine learning, intelligent system and autonomous robotics concepts, digital manufacturing and human-robot interaction.

“Through this exciting initiative, we are able to translate advanced research and new ideas in i-AMS quickly through to application in industry through the NITC. This streamlined innovation chain is key to enabling competitiveness in Northern Ireland manufacturing.

“With rapid developments in the Internet of Things (IoT) and it coming together with manufacturing Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), we are very aware of the potential impact of embedding this technology in factories of the future. It is game-changing work.”

Explaining the benefits of the new facility, Head of the NITC Colm Higgins said: “For the last 50 years we have worked closely with industry partners through the NITC to provide support and tackle challenges head on. The demands for industry are ever-changing and as a key partner to Northern Ireland companies, we are delighted to open this new state-of-the-art facility at Queen’s, which will drive forward advanced manufacturing and meet short term and future requirements."

The facility also provides Northern Ireland with an important regional link to the well-established British High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Research Technology Organisations, as well as the emerging Irish Manufacturing Research Centre. All of these help to bridge the gap in technology concept and commercialisation.

Professor Mark Price adds: “The advanced manufacturing technology facility at Queen’s will enable the local industry to be more competitive through the optimisation and digitisation of manufacturing processes, including automation. It also paves the way for more productive, flexible, resilient, responsive and energy efficient manufacturing systems and associated supply chains. This means we can drive down costs, improve product quality, minimise waste and ultimately increase productivity and competitiveness.

“Ultimately, the facility allows us to address the challenges that the industry is currently facing and plan ahead to meet future needs. It also provides an opportunity to train up the next generation of experts in manufacturing. From a very early stage, our students at Queen’s will have had the chance to use state-of-the-art industrial machines, which will be beneficial when they begin their careers in industry.

“We are delighted to be open for business and look forward to the journey ahead.”

#PAuto #Manufacturing @ManufacturingNI @QUBelfast