Dust Accumulation Research Articles

Optimized topology for a photovoltaic array using switches control

The photovoltaic (PV) industry is experiencing rapid growth driven primarily by rising global energy demand and the inevitable transition to sustainable energy sources. Nevertheless, various factors impede the performance of PV panels, prompting researchers to consider novel PV systems. Mismatch loss is a significant concern induced by dust accumulation, nearby objects, or bird droppings, which restrict the power output of the PV array, particularly when interconnected in the standard mode. In this context, the present investigation aimed to identify the optimal topology for different partial-shading models. The proposed approach automatically manipulates switches to ensure an appropriate interconnection scheme by utilizing a novel process based on the perturb and observe (P&O) concept. Furthermore, this study applies advanced global maximum power point tracking (GMPPT) techniques based on PV curve scanning and the enhanced P&O method to effectively manage the PV system’s maximum power output during dynamic partial shading conditions (PSC). The power–voltage (P–V) curves and power production associated with each shading model are analyzed using MATLAB Simulink to assess the validity and effectiveness of the approach. Ultimately, the methodology achieves a special power rate exceeding 20 W for a small-scale PV plant with a capacity of 240 W under certain shading patterns, notably random shading distribution.

Exploration of Solar Panel Damage and Service Life Reduction Using Condition Assessment, Dust Accumulation, and Material Testing

This paper presents a comprehensive inspection of a 10.044 MWp solar power plant that had operational problems. The condition assessment was necessary because the power plant was constantly producing electricity significantly below the expected peak power. The research confirmed that the cause of the decrease in performance is the pollution from the industrial park and the conventional power plant located next to the solar system. The accuracy of the results is confirmed using on-site thermal imaging at the solar power plant and laboratory tests. During the laboratory tests, the electrical performance of 1063 solar panels was examined as well as their damaging and life-reducing effect with further thermography tests. Surface dirt deposition cause several significant problems during energy generation. Power outages are a minor problem, and sustainable production is the main goal in the long term. If the failure and destruction of the solar modules cause more serious damage, the lifetime of the photovoltaic power plants can be shortened.

Daily prediction method of dust accumulation on photovoltaic (PV) panels using echo state network with delay output

Dust accumulation over time can be one of the main causes of uncertainty in the output of photovoltaic (PV) systems. In order to better understand these losses, this paper established a daily dust accumulation prediction model for PV panels based on the delay output echo state network (DESN). A pigeon-inspired optimization (PIO) algorithm with adaptive Cauchy (AC) mutation strategy was proposed, which can optimize the reservoir parameters (such as leakage rate, spectral radius, and input scaling) of DESN, shorten the solution time, and improve search speed. Based on typical meteorological and air quality data, as well as daily accumulated dust weight recorded from the experimental platform, model training and testing were carried out. According to the Pearson correlation coefficient, the relationship between the environment parameters (humidity, wind speed, wind direction, PM2.5, PM10, and rainfall) and the dust accumulation was obtained. The results show that the prediction accuracy of AC-PIO-DESN is better than other methods for meteorological and air quality data. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for humidity, irradiance, PM2.5 and PM10 were 4.0743%, 4.4958%, 10.6231% and 12.8402%, respectively. In addition, the proposed daily dust prediction model has good robustness for 10-day samples, with an average relative error ranging from 0.65% to 54%. This method can provide data support for grid scheduling and PV panel cleaning strategy of PV power plants.

A virtual bus parallel differential power processing configuration for photovoltaic applications

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are often exposed to mismatch caused by partial shading, different mounting angles, dust accumulation, cell degradation, and so on. This paper proposes a novel parallel differential power processing (P-DPP) configuration to minimize mismatch-related losses among PV strings. The proposed configuration, called PV to Virtual Bus P-DPP, uses a virtual bus as an input for all P-DPP converters. Since the virtual bus voltage can be selected lower than the DC Bus voltage, components’ voltage rating can be reduced. An essential feature of the proposed configuration is the ability of the converters to generate both positive and negative output voltage. Therefore, a bidirectional flyback converter connected to a bridgeless converter is proposed as the P-DPP converter. To find the MPP of each PV string, the Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm is implemented. Moreover, a proportional–integral feedback controller controls the virtual bus voltage through the central converter. The benefits of the proposed configuration are discussed, and the operation of the proposed structure is further verified through simulations with the software PLECS.

Research on Dust Effect for MEMS Thermal Wind Sensors

This communication investigated the dust effect on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) thermal wind sensors, with an aim to evaluate performance in practical applications. An equivalent circuit was established to analyze the temperature gradient influenced by dust accumulation on the sensor’s surface. The finite element method (FEM) simulation was carried out to verify the proposed model using COMSOL Multiphysics software. In experiments, dust was accumulated on the sensor’s surface by two different methods. The measured results indicated that the output voltage for the sensor with dust on its surface was a little smaller than that of the sensor without dust at the same wind speed, which can degrade the measurement sensitivity and accuracy. Compared to the sensor without dust, the average voltage was reduced by about 1.91% and 3.75% when the dustiness was 0.04 g/mL and 0.12 g/mL, respectively. The results can provide a reference for the actual application of thermal wind sensors in harsh environments.

Experimental analysis on the impacts of soil deposition and bird droppings on the thermal performance of photovoltaic panels

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are capable of meeting the urgent demand for power production for both domestic and commercial purposes. PV systems possess serious drawbacks as their performance is heavily influenced by environmental variables like wind, radiation, shadow, dust, and soil accumulation. The current work examines the performance of solar PV panels in the presence of soil and dust at various tilt angles. A solar PV simulator was used, and experiments were conducted for a hot-dry climate location (Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India, 12.91° N, 79.1325° E), to evaluate the performance of solar PV panels under varying dust deposition. A total of seven different samples, such as black soil, desert soil, red soil, alluvial soil, laterite soil, coal dust, and bird droppings, were selected and dispersed over the surface of the PV panel at various weights of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 g. The physical characteristics of the dust samples have been emphasized as being essential in determining how effectively the PV panel functioned. Bird droppings were shown to have the greatest influence on PV panel efficiency because of their tendency to stick to the panel surface due to moisture content, but coal dust, independent of tilt angle, was found to have the least effect. Coal dust was determined to have the least impact of all soil types since it is quickly blown away and does not stick to the surface. Bird droppings accounted for about 46.42 %–89.18% of the efficiency loss, which was determined to be high, whereas coal dust accounted for less than 13% of the efficiency loss. Furthermore, it was revealed that considered tilt angles (0O and 12.91O) have a minor influence on the PV's overall performance.

Stone Slurry in Cement Concrete for Sustainable Use in Civil Engineering Work

The stone industry’s waste is to blame for a slew of environmental issues. The stone waste is rarely degradable and contribute to environmental hazards. The flowing of stone slurry with rainwater also pollutes the water bodies. This contaminated water has an impact on irrigation and drinking water supplies. Fine particles of by inhaling the stone slurry that flew with the air blasts, a major health concern was created. Fine particles of stone slime buildup on the leaves of plants, trees, and other vegetation, causing aesthetic issues. As 70 percent of wastes and only 30% of major product recovery contribute to the highest amount of indestructible wastes, plants and trees perish as a result of stone dust accumulation over leaf vegetation. The most effective method of reducing stone slurry pollution is to use it in bulk. The building sector is the only industry that can consume substantial amounts of stone slurry. The fineness modulus is 0.91, and the specific gravity is 2.61. Stone slurry replaces 30% of the sand in Cement Concrete, resulting in more strength than the Control, which is 1:1.5:3 Cement Concrete with 0% Stone slurry. In the building business, stone slurry may be easily used to make cement concrete.

Physico-chemical characterization of indoor settled dust in Children's microenvironments in Ikeja and Ota, Nigeria

Indoor dust is a collection of particles identified as a major reservoir for several emerging indoor chemical pollutants. This study presents indoor dust particles' morphology and elemental composition in eight children's urban and semi-urban microenvironments (A-H) in Nigeria. Samples were collected using a Tesco vacuum cleaner and analyzed with scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). The morphology results confirm the presence of alumino silicates, mineral particles and flakes, fly ash and soot, and soot aggregates deposited on alumino silicate particles in the sampled microenvironments. These particles may trigger serious health concerns that directly or indirectly affect the overall well-being of children. From the EDX analysis, the trend of elements (w/w %) in the dust particles across the sampled sites was silicon (386) > oxygen (174)> aluminium (114) > carbon (34.5) > iron (28.0) > calcium (16.7) > magnesium (14.2) > sodium (7.92) > potassium (7.58) > phosphorus (2.22) > lead (2.04) > manganese (1.17) > titanium (0.21). Lead (Pb), a toxic and carcinogenic heavy metal, was observed in locations A and B. This is a concern without a safe lead level because of the neurotoxicity effect on children. As a result, further research on the concentrations, bioavailability, and health risk assessment of heavy metals in these sampled locations is recommended. Furthermore, frequent vacuum cleaning, wet moping and adequate ventilation systems will significantly reduce the accumulation of indoor dust–bound metals.

Variations of PM2.5-bound elements and their associated effects during long-distance transport of dust storms: Insights from multi-sites observations

Dust storms are a significant concern because of their adverse effects on ambient air quality and human health. To investigate the evolution of dust storms during long-distance transport and its impacts on air quality and human health risks in cities along the transport pathway, we monitored the major fraction of dust (i.e., particle-bound elements) online in four cities in northern China during March 2021. Three dust events originating from the Gobi Desert of North China and Mongolia and the Taklimakan Desert of Northwest China were captured. We investigated the source regions of dust storms using daily multi-sensor absorbing aerosol index products, backward trajectories, and specific element ratios, identified and quantified sources of particle-bound elements using Positive Matrix Factorization model, and calculated the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of elements using a health risk assessment model. Our results indicated that under the influence of dust storms, mass concentrations of crustal elements increased up to dozens of times in cities near the dust source and up to ten times in cities farther from the source. In contrast, anthropogenic elements increased less or even decreased, depending on the relative contributions of the increase caused by accumulation of dust itself and entrainment along the transport path and the decrease caused by dilution of high wind speeds. Si/Fe ratio was found to be a valuable indicator for characterizing the attenuation of the amount of dust along its transport pathways, especially for the case originated from northern source regions. This study highlights the significant role of source regions, intensity and attenuation rates of dust storms, and wind speeds in determining the increased levels of element concentrations during dust storms and its associated impacts on downwind areas. Furthermore, non-carcinogenic risks of particle-bound elements increased at all sites during dust events, emphasizing the importance of personal exposure protection during dust storms.

Economic and environmental solutions for the PV solar energy potential in Spain

Solar photovoltaic plants have become one of the most widely used installations for generating electricity in a sustainable manner. However, their optimization in terms of production and economics depends on various factors, such as meteorological phenomena specific to the selected site. Selecting the right location is fundamental, and therefore in this work we developed a geographical map for choosing the optimal sites on the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands (Spain) where build photovoltaic plants, considering the photovoltaic potential, the orography of the terrain and the losses caused by dust deposition on the modules, which can reach up to 10%. To calculate the losses due to dust deposition, the HSU model was used, which estimates the losses using variables such as accumulated precipitation or the concentration of particles. Consequently, economic profitability maps and amortization times were developed for a sized photovoltaic plant, obtaining figures of 806 M€ and amortizing the installation within 9 years in the worst case scenario. For this economic study, the investment cost (CAPEX) and the maintenance cost (OPEX), as well as the economic losses due to dust accumulation, were taken into account. As a complement, the savings in terms of tonnes of CO2 that would result from the construction of a dimensioned photovoltaic plant have been studied, arriving at a total annual saving figure of 3000M metric tonnes of CO2.

Wear Mechanisms in Press Hardening: An Analysis through Comparison of Tribological Tests and Industrial Tools

Press hardened components have become widespread in the automotive industry in structural and crash-resistant applications, thanks to the combination of the complex shapes and high mechanical properties obtained. However, the press hardening of coated boron steel results in severe adhesive-based wear, with tool maintenance being required in as few as 3000 cycles. The current industrial implementation of press hardening is defined to work around this phenomenon. While this aspect has been studied by different authors, most of the literature deals with laboratory-scale tribosimulators, leaving an open question into how this knowledge transfers to macroscopic effects on the industrial process. In this work, wear in press hardening is studied by comparing the results obtained in laboratory conditions with a pilot-scale line, and finally, with wear mechanisms observed on industrial tools. The aim of this study is to consolidate the current knowledge about the micro-mechanisms involved, and to understand to what extent the existing tests reproduce the actual mechanisms observed in the press floor. The results show how material transfer mainly happens as an accumulation of dust compacted into initial defects on the tool surface. Moreover, this mechanism is effectively reproduced in laboratory tribosimulators and pilot environments, showing a similar morphology to wear on industrial tools. The work sheds light on the underlying causes of wear, and its potential mitigation strategies.

Micro-structured polyethylene film as an optically selective and self-cleaning layer for enhancing durability of radiative coolers

Abstract Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) as a zero-energy cooling technology that reflects most of sunlight and emits infrared thermal radiation to outer space, has attracted much attention. However, most PDRC materials suffer dust accumulation problem during long-term use, seriously detrimental to their cooling performance. Here, we demonstrate a micro-structured polyethylene film fabricated through a scalable hot embossing lithography (named HELPE), enables good superhydrophobic property and therefore excellent self-cleaning performance as a universal protective layer for most PDRC materials. Specifically, the precisely designed three-dimensional periodic micron columns on polyethylene film allow for high water droplet contact angle of 151°, and the intrinsic molecular bindings of polyethylene endow low solar absorption (A = 3.3 %) and high mid-infrared transmission (T = 82.3 %) for negligible optical impacts on underlying PDRC materials. Taking polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) radiative cooler as an example, when covered with the HELPE film the net cooling performance maintains unchanged (7.5 °C in daytime and 4.5 °C in nighttime) compared to that without HELPE film. After 12 days continuous outdoor experiment, none of obvious dust accumulation can be observed on the radiative cooler covered with HELPE film. Our work offers a universal pathway for most PDRC materials toward practical applications with minimal maintenance need.

Mitigation of dust on PV panels that operate light posts using a wind shield, mechanical vibrations and AN antistatic coating

The objective of this research is to minimize dust accumulation on PV panels operating street light posts, in order to maximize the time between successive maintenance and reduce the maintenance costs. A novel technique is proposed to mitigate dust on PV panels that operate light posts, and that is adding a windshield to the panel, which obstructs the dust carried by the wind to reach and settle on the PV panel. 1D and 2D shields were implemented, and their influence on the performance of PV panels were tested outdoors in Cairo, Egypt, and the results were compared to those of a PV panel that is not shielded. Also, the influence of using an antistatic coating and vibrating the panel in addition to the dust shield on the performance of the panel have been examined. The 2D shield obstructs the wind in the North-South and East-West directions, while, the 1D shield obstructed the wind just in the North-South direction only. The results show that the 2D shield assisted in the accumulation of dust on the PV surface compared to the non-shield panel, while the 1D shield had a better performance. Using a mechanical vibrator together with a 1D shield has decreased the accumulation of dust to a very good extent, such that the drop in efficiency exceeded the maintenance limit of 10 %, after 5 weeks of operation, while in case of a 1D shield without mechanical vibrations, the limit was exceeded in 3 weeks. However, applying the antistatic coating together with the 1D shield while vibrating the panel preserved the efficiency of the panel, such that the drop in efficiency did not exceed the maintenance limit during the experiment duration of 6 weeks.

Numerical Simulation on Water Jet Oil Cleaning inside Pressure Gauges

Pressure measuring instruments in the process of use, the accumulation of oil and dust will produce irreversible harm to the pressure instrument. High-pressure water jet cleaning technology to clean the oil can clean off most of the dirt. Now, based on the VOF multiphase flow model, the k-ε turbulence model is simulated for the jet flow rate, and the efficiency of oil flushing by different velocities and different frequency jets is quantitatively studied by numerical simulation for different working conditions. With the increase in speed, the higher the efficiency of oil cleaning; when the pulsating jet input is used, the frequency and cleaning efficiency are not proportional. The pulsating jet has more advantages in cleaning efficiency compared to the constant flow.

Performance testing of nanocomposite based coatings with high dust pickup resistance and solar reflective index for energy efficiency in built environment

Cool paints/coatings are passive solutions which enable reduction in energy loads and impart substantially in buildings owing to their reflective properties. The most common metric to assess their performance is the Solar Reflective Index (SRI). Higher SRI values for paints enable the reflectance of solar radiation and further aid in reducing the cooling load in buildings. This study presents the development and testing of a novel nanocomposite-based coating, NanoDPR, designed to offer high dust pickup resistance and solar reflective index for energy efficiency in the built environment. The research addresses the challenges of dust accumulation affecting the long-term performance of such cool coatings in arid climatic conditions of the UAE. The study includes experimental investigation, conducted over 1000 days, demonstrated that the NanoDPR coating exhibits superior resistance to dust pickup and a lower reduction in SRI values compared to a reference coating. The work further extends to modelling on a residential townhouse for energy savings evaluation. The results revealed a 5% reduction in energy consumption annually and an avoidance of 2.75 kg of CO2/m2 of exterior painted area with the NanoDPR coating in comparison with conventional reflective paints. Results show that the development and adoption of such coatings can significantly impact energy consumption and carbon emissions, ultimately promoting a more sustainable future.

Conceptual design of a novel partially floating photovoltaic integrated with smart energy storage and management system for Egyptian North Lakes

With the recent increase in energy demand due to social, development and economic reasons in Egypt, solar energy is one of the most abundant renewable energy resources which can be utilized to meet these needs. Although Photovoltaic (PV) technology has been used with large scale in Egypt in different applications, it's still suffering from losing its efficiency due to high temperature, dust accumulation which is common in Egypt especially in spring and summer seasons, besides the intense land requirements and power intermittency. Therefore, a novel partially floating modular PV system is proposed in this study to supply rural areas around the Egyptian North Lakes with green electricity. The PV system is integrated with a hybrid compressed air energy storage system and managed with a smart energy management strategy to extend its operating hours and enables its day and night continuous operation. The smart system also enables different operational modes of the PV system which includes sun tracking, cleaning, cooling, and surviving modes. The aim of this study is to introduce the conceptual design of the proposed concept and the smart controlling system, its different operational modes, the supporting platform and its hydrodynamics performance.

Performance Evaluation of an Installed On-Grid Photovoltaic System at Bamako

The primary goal of this paper is to analyze the performance of an installed on-grid photovoltaic 100 kW system installed on the roof of a building at the Institute of Applied Sciences, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako. The system under consideration is part of a pilot project of a grid-connected system in Mali by the Renewable Energies Agency (AER). The PV system is located at 12.62°N latitude and -7.99°W longitude. It is composed of 313 monocrystalline modules of 320W for an installed power of approximately 101kWp and they are fixed on support inclined at 6 degrees orientated East-West. The system was monitored from March 2020 to February 2021. Within this period, the photovoltaic system supplied 114801.57 kWh to the grid with the final yield varying between 2.41 to 4.09 kWh/kWp/day. Additionally, the ratio of performance in this one year ranged from 53% to 89%. The annual capacity factor and efficiency are 13% and 10%, respectively. The main roots of this bad performance of the system are analyzed. The system performance is significantly affected by the soiling effects which are in other words attributed to meteorological and environmental parameters mainly dust accumulation and ambient temperature, as well as, factors like inclination (low tilt angle (6°)), the east and west orientation of the panels and finally lack of cleaning frequencies.

Fault classification using deep learning based model and impact of dust accumulation on solar photovoltaic modules

ABSTRACT Solar panel performance is affected by ambient temperature, sunlight, module surface temperature, dust, and shadows. Dust inhibits sunlight from reaching photovoltaic modules, reducing power generation. Dust is aerosol pollution from natural or human-made sources. Dust on photovoltaic (PV) panels reduces power generation and raises the surface temperature, shortening panel life. This work uses a Fluke TiS60 Thermal Imager for detection of hotspot created by the accumulation of dust and further classification of the faulty and healthy images is done. The image classifiers used in this paper are SqueezeNet and AlexNet transfer learning methods, the accuracy of both methods is compared, and AlexNet performs best with an accuracy of 99.3%. Further, the effect of dust on PV modules is studied, and hotspots are created intentionally with the help of dust for study purposes. Initially, 50% of a solar module is covered with dust and then 100% of the solar module is covered with dust particles to find the power loss, when a thin layer of dust was spread over 50% of a module power loss is of 4.7% and when a thick layer of dust is spread over 50% the power loss is 5.9%, when thin layer of dust was applied over 100% of a module power loss is of 6.49% and when thick layer of dust is spread over 100% the power loss is 10.17%. This analysis for a healthy and faulty panel is done that helps PV module inspection by facilitating a more precise and cost-effective identification of PV defects.

Risk assessment of lead exposure in radiology personnel in Menoufia hospitals, Egypt

Lead shielding is used as a guard against scatter radiation. Lead aprons can emit particulate lead into the occupational environment, resulting in the accumulation of lead dust on the skin and garments of workers. This study aimed to assess the risk of lead exposure among radiologists working in the radiology departments by estimating hair and blood lead levels. A total of 40 radiology personnel (18 wearing aprons and 22 not wearing aprons) with a comparable control group (20 personnel not working in a radiology department) underwent a pre-designed questionnaire with estimation of blood and hair levels. The hair and blood lead levels in radiologists wearing aprons were significantly higher than those of the control group and that of the radiologist not wearing aprons. The lead levels in hair and blood were correlated significantly with the duration of wearing aprons in years and weekly working hours. Health care workers in radiology departments demonstrated high hair and blood levels that were higher among workers wearing aprons than those not wearing protective equipment. Hair lead levels can be detected quickly, cheaply, and non-invasively, and could be a helpful screening test for occupational exposure.

Self-cleaning coatings for minimizing the impact of dust precipitation on the power production of solar cells utilizing mesoporous TiO2/SiO2 and ZnO/SiO2 films

The production of customized site-specific anti-soiling nanocoatings is needed for better utilization in dry parts of the world, with consideration of natural dust fallout in those regions. Kuwait's atmosphere carries airborne dust 70% of the year. Thus, designing anti-soiling nanocoatings for the arid region is necessary when dusty atmospheres are considered the norm. In this contribution, all solar cells were coated by SiO2, ZnO/SiO2, and TiO2/SiO2 films for self-cleaning applications and were tested in the summer period with the high level of dust and temperatures the current, voltage and power output was measured. We directly relate the coatings' performance to the electrical power output of the coated solar cells, which is considered among the few studies in this field. Influences of properties ZnO/SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 films, such as the surface morphology, transparency, and water contact angles on the power production efficiency of solar cells, were systematically investigated. The three fabricated films showed a contact angle of about 70o agrees with the expected hydrophilicity behaviour. The thickness values of SiO2, TiO2/SiO2 and ZnO/SiO2 films were found to be ∼35, 205 and 240, respectively. Transmission values of the synthesized SiO2, TiO2/SiO2 and ZnO/SiO2 films were determined at about 97.95, 96.62 and 96.25%, respectively, suggesting that all synthesized films are highly transparent over the visible range. Solar cell samples were subjected to natural conditions for 30 days in the summer. The results indicated that the effect of dust on the power production efficiency for ZnO/SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 coated PV cells was lower than the solar cells coated with SiO2 film concluded from the low power output of 0.16 Watt for this coating compared to 0.18 and 0.2 Watts for the other two coatings. The mesoporous ZnO/SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 films not only significantly minimized the accumulation of dust on the PV cells but also boosted the power-generating efficiency. The average daily power output of around 0.2 Watt and the deviation values of the soiling ratios of about 5% showed that TiO2/SiO2 film was a durable coating against dust for the presented experiment time, while the ZnO/SiO2 film started as good, but showed deterioration after six days of the experiment with a deviation in SR value reached 15%. The TiO2/SiO2 nanocoating showed consistent behaviour with lower deviations for soiling ratio (SR) values and constant average power output for the solar cells concluding good durability in solar cells tests during harsh conditions in the summer, implying the excellent service life of solar cells.