Methods of Heat/Energy Transfer – Electromagnetic Radiation, Conduction, Convection
Energy is transferred by electromagnetic radiation, convection, and/or conduction. These methods of transference have individual attributes and are utilized depending upon the application.
Conduction is the transfer of energy from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature when molecules within a medium or between mediums touch each other. The medium for conduction can be a liquid or a solid.
Convection is a combination of conduction and the transfer of energy into a fluid or within a fluid. Again energy is transferred from an area of high temperature to an area of low temperature. Unlike conduction, this form of heat transfer only takes place in liquids – it does not occur in a solid.
Unlike conduction and convection, electromagnetic radiation (radiant heat) does not need a medium for transmission. Radiant heat is simply a form of energy that heats objects directly through a process called conversion, without having to heat the air space in between.
An example of electromagnetic radiation is the energy from the sun. The sun’s rays can travel through the atmosphere to warm the earth but it does not heat up the air in between. When you feel the heat of the sun on a cool day, what you are feeling is radiant heat.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic spectrum of an object is determined by the distribution of electromagnetic radiation from that object. There are many different types of electromagnetic radiation including radio waves, microwaves, terahertz, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays.
Far Infrared Rays and Infrared Radiation
Infrared Radiation ("IR") is the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves in the portion of the spectrum just beyond the limit of the red in the visible light. The infrared radiation segment of the electromagnetic spectrum is divided into 3 segments by wave length (Near infrared radiation, Middle infrared radiation and Far Infrared Radiation) and is measured in microns or micrometers (one micron = 1/1,000,000 of a meter). The 3 segments include:
- Near infrared rays are approximately 0.76 to 1.5 microns;
- Middle infrared rays are approximately 1.5 to 5.6 microns;
- Far infrared rays are approximately 5.6 to 1000 microns.
Far Infrared Rays (FIR) and the Human Body
The human body radiates and absorbs infrared energy through the skin at 3 to 50 microns with a concentration of energy output and absorption between 9 and 9.4 microns.
Because the wavelength of far infrared light is vibrating at the same frequency as your cells, infrared rays can penetrate the body over 2 inches. As Far Infrared Rays penetrate the body, it helps improve your health from the inside out by:
- vibrating water molecules and releasing toxins into the blood, urine and perspiration to remove them from the body
- improving cellular metabolism
- rejuvenating enzyme production
- replacing old damaged cells with new ones
- increasing body surface temperature and improving blood circulation
- maintaining blood pH
- reducing inflammation and joint pain
Far Infrared Radiation is widely used as a natural alternative and complimentary treatment for many injuries and chronic ailments. Far Infrared Rays are not only extremely beneficial but critical for the sustenance of all life on this planet.
