Brandon grew up on the island of Maui and graduated from SeaburyĀ Hall in 2015. He attends San Diego State University and is pursuing aĀ Bachelorās of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Brandon isĀ interested in thermal energy and mechanical design. After undergraduateĀ school Brandon will look towards furthering his education in graduate school. Brandon enjoys surfing or snowboarding in his free time.Ā
Home Island:Ā Maui
InstitutionĀ when accepted: San Diego State University
Akamai Project: Plate Coil Verification Testing
ProjectĀ Site:Ā Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope ā Pukalani, Maui
Mentors: Brialyn Onodera, Chriselle Galapon
Project Abstract:
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope will be operational during daytime hours introducing increased solar radiation to the enclosure. The temperature gradient between ambient air and the enclosure surface will cause convective airflow which disrupts telescope seeing. The Carousel Cooling system consists of plate coils for the DKIST enclosure which will help maintain the enclosure at ambient temperature and reduce seeing effects caused by surface temperature differences. A single plate coil was tested to ensure heat deposition requirements were satisfied based on the manufacturer’s specifications. The test setup includes a test rig which allows the plate coil to be secured. Dynalene HC-20 is delivered to the plate coil using interconnected piping which circulates the Dynalene through a pump, chiller, and two flow control valves. The measurement equipment was verified before testing and includes thermal imaging, temperature sensors, ultrasonic flow meters, and pressure gauges. The test plate sample has been subject to previous thermal analysis by the manufacturer using fabricated environmental conditions to match those onsite. The calculation of heat dissipation for the sample will be compared to the results derived by the plate coil manufacturers to prove that they meet the necessary thermal functional requirements. Additional testing should be done to confirm the results obtained for the plate coil sample.