Date of Award

Spring 2023

Project Type

Thesis

Program or Major

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

Kent KC Chamberlin

Second Advisor

John JL LaCourse

Third Advisor

Richard RM Messner

Abstract

To aid in the design and development of an electrical induction thermoplastic pipe-fusion product, Ansys HFSS, an electromagnetics simulation package, and Ansys Mechanical, a thermal dynamics simulation package, were used to simulate a model of the pipe-fusion product. HFSS estimated the currents induced in conductive susceptors embedded in the pipe fitting. Then, Mechanical estimated temperature dynamics on the susceptors as a function of the induced currents. The heat generated by induced currents on the susceptors increases temperatures in the vicinity of the region to be fused. The increased temperature of the thermoplastic facilitates a pipe fuse. The simulation results were compared to thermal measurements of the physical system. Thermocouples and infrared cameras were used to acquire thermal measurements of the pipe fusing process, while a micro computed tomography (μCT) scanner was used for internal imaging of fitting components’ movement before and after the fusing process. Adjustments to the HFSS solution parameters were needed to achieve reasonable agreement with the physical measurements. In the final analysis, comparison against measured data resulted in a simulation that is sufficient to serve as a meaningful tool in the development of new pipe fusion products. This thesis provides details on how the model of the pipe fusion system was created and how the results of the model’s simulation were validated against thermal measurements of a physical electrical induction pipe-fusion system.

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