Non-destructive, in-situ evaluation of water presence using thermal contrast and cooled detector

1. A method, comprising:

heating a light source to a predetermined temperature at which the light source emits thermal radiation;

placing a sample between the light source and a detector;

transmitting the thermal radiation from the light source through the sample and onto the detector; and

determining a presence or an absence of water within the sample based on the thermal radiation transmitted onto the detector.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the thermal radiation is substantially uniform thermal radiation.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising cooling the detector and a filter optically coupled to the detector and the sample, wherein the cooling comprises reducing a temperature of each of the detector and the filter to a temperature less than a temperature of the sample.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 , wherein the cooling uses liquid nitrogen.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising filtering the thermal radiation transmitted through the sample prior to arrival of the thermal radiation at the detector.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 , wherein the filtering:

selectively transmits, to the detector, first portions of the thermal radiation, the first portions being characterized by a wavelength at least partially overlapping a predefined water absorption band and/or a predefined water absorption line; and

selectively blocks second portions of the thermal radiation, the second portions being characterized by a wavelength outside the predefined water absorption band and/or the predefined water absorption line.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 , wherein each of the predefined water absorption band and the predefined water absorption line include wavelengths ranging from about 2.5 μm to about 3.3 μm.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising calibrating the detector to exhibit a flat response to thermal radiation having a temperature between a first calibration temperature and a second calibration temperature.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 , wherein the calibrating comprises:

heating the light source to the first calibration temperature;

acquiring a first image of the light source using the detector, wherein the detector comprises an infrared camera having a focal plane array;

heating the light source to the second calibration temperature;

acquiring a second image of the light source using the detector; and

adjusting, based on the first and second images, at least a gain and an offset of pixels in the focal plane array such that any sample exhibiting a temperature in a range from the first calibration temperature to the second calibration temperature yields the flat response by the detector.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein the first calibration temperature is about 25° C. and the second calibration temperature is about 35 C.