Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
individual
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Chase Nilsson, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
Chase Nilsson
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Engineering
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Marc Compere
Abstract
This study evaluates controlled heat addition in a confined space to estimate enclosed volumes for irregularly shaped spaces. The intent is to detect hidden voids in cave environments. Conventional methods for identifying such voids are often costly, logistically difficult, and limited in accuracy. Preliminary experiments were conducted with a controlled heat source, a temporary thermal barrier to isolate the test chamber, and simple temperature sensors. Temperatures were recorded for the pre-test baseline, the heating interval, followed by a cooling period. The thermal response showed clear engineering trends that warrant further exploration and modeling. Preliminary results indicate that transient temperature changes can reveal the presence of voids, but yielded inaccurate volume estimates. Field testing in known volumes demonstrated the transient temperature changes reveal the presence of voids and a poor volume estimate. No other methods like this have been discovered in preliminary literature review and market study. This method represents a novel, low-cost, low-risk, and environmentally friendly alternative for volume estimation in caves or other subsurface volumes. Commercial applications include Compressed-Air Energy Storage (CAES) site assessment to identify unexpected voids before major investment.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Included in
Environmental Monitoring Commons, Geological Engineering Commons, Geophysics and Seismology Commons
System and Method for Detecting Subsurface Voids Using Controlled Heat Addition
This study evaluates controlled heat addition in a confined space to estimate enclosed volumes for irregularly shaped spaces. The intent is to detect hidden voids in cave environments. Conventional methods for identifying such voids are often costly, logistically difficult, and limited in accuracy. Preliminary experiments were conducted with a controlled heat source, a temporary thermal barrier to isolate the test chamber, and simple temperature sensors. Temperatures were recorded for the pre-test baseline, the heating interval, followed by a cooling period. The thermal response showed clear engineering trends that warrant further exploration and modeling. Preliminary results indicate that transient temperature changes can reveal the presence of voids, but yielded inaccurate volume estimates. Field testing in known volumes demonstrated the transient temperature changes reveal the presence of voids and a poor volume estimate. No other methods like this have been discovered in preliminary literature review and market study. This method represents a novel, low-cost, low-risk, and environmentally friendly alternative for volume estimation in caves or other subsurface volumes. Commercial applications include Compressed-Air Energy Storage (CAES) site assessment to identify unexpected voids before major investment.