Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Thesis - SCU Access Only

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2025

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Mahantesh Hiremath

Abstract

In modern data centers, the risk of undetected thermal excursions in high-current busway junctions poses a severe threat to operational continuity and infrastructure safety. The Thermal Heat Excursion Observer (THEO) project addresses this challenge by developing a low-cost, autonomous drone capable of conducting routine thermographic inspections with minimal human intervention. This thesis documents the design, implementation, and testing of THEO, encompassing component selection, flight system integration, and real-world performance validation.

A key focus of the project was characterizing battery performance across throttle settings to assess drone endurance and optimize mission planning. Motors were tested in controlled increments, revealing a nonlinear power draw curve and an unexpected efficiency anomaly at 10% throttle. Empirical results confirmed an operational endurance exceeding 60 minutes at target cruise settings, aligning with design goals and validating the propulsion subsystem.

Throughout the development process, engineering analysis guided iterative improvements in airframe stiffness, motor thermal regulation, and sensor payload stability. The prototype demonstrated compliance with 15 of 18 requirements, including real-time anomaly detection, indoor localization, and safe autonomous docking. With a first-year ROI exceeding 7×, THEO establishes a viable blueprint for scalable, indoor UAV-based infrastructure monitoring.

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