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Figure 1
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Figure 2
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Mechanical Engineering
Team 63

Team Members

Faculty Advisor

Jade Presley Lewis
Saumya Parikh
Hafsa Zahhal

Wilson K. S. Chiu

Sponsor

Zachry Nuclear Engineering

sponsored by
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Zachry Nuclear Engineering provides software, engineering, design, and project management services to commercial nuclear power plants throughout the United States and overseas. This sometimes involves modeling large portions of the plant for computer-based analyses and the design of plant upgrades and modifications. Zachry uses a 3D laser scanner (FARO Focus X330) to aide in this task. The X330 is only rated for a maximum ambient temperature of 104F, significantly lower than the average ambient temperatures in some areas of the plant during operating. The goal of this project was to design and build a cooling system that would lower the surrounding ambient temperature of the scanner within the acceptable range of operation to avoid failure due to overheating. This system was designed to lower ambient temperatures of 120F till within the acceptable ambient temperature range of the scanner (41-104F). Additionally, this project required the construction of a heat transfer mockup able to mimic the heat transfer properties of the scanner in order to test the efficacy of the prototype. Ultimately, the team produced a thermoelectric air cooling system that incorporates cooling fans, heat sinks, and Peltier Devices, reducing ambient temperatures by 25F and a 3D printed ABS plastic heat transfer mockup of the scanner equipped with a tripod motor to replicate the rotation of the scanner.