Degree Name
MS (Master of Science)
Program
Technology
Date of Award
12-2010
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
W. Andrew Clark
Committee Members
Keith V. Johnson, J. Paul Sims, Hugh W. Broome
Abstract
The power distribution infrastructure in the United States is deteriorating at a rapid rate exposing infrastructure wiring and creating potential shock hazards. Periodic road and sidewalk maintenance projects can also expose wiring and create energized objects. In urban settings inadvertently energized objects include: lamp posts, bus shelters, metal street curbs, sign posts, transformer vaults, and manhole covers as well as concrete and asphalt pavement. Every year electric shocks occur when people and domestic animals (such as dogs and cats) make incidental contact with these energized objects. In very rare cases the shocks from these contacts are lethal. Through current personal research, a new handheld detector was developed. It uses the emissions of an energized object to pinpoint the location and further analyzes the emissions to determine the likely cause of the shock hazard. This thesis focuses on advancing detection technology and creating a more capable, production-ready unit.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Phipps, Kermit O., "New Handheld Emissions Detector for Pinpointing the Location of Inadvertently Energized Objects in Urban Environments." (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1771. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1771
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.