Smart Cleaning Research Articles

Study of the technology of smart cleaning of solar power modules of an autonomous power station

The advancement of solar technology has facilitated the development of autonomous power stations that primarily rely on solar energy. This article delves into the crucial role that smart cleaning technologies play in enhancing the efficiency of these solar power modules. Solar panels, pivotal in harnessing solar energy, require regular and effective cleaning to maintain their efficiency. Traditional cleaning methods, although somewhat effective, are increasingly becoming insufficient due to the evolving demands of autonomous systems. The focus of this research is on the innovative integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to optimize the cleaning process. IoT not only enables remote monitoring and control but also automates the cleaning process through advanced algorithms that assess environmental data and panel conditions. This optimization ensures that the panels operate at peak efficiency by scheduling cleaning sessions based on actual needs rather than fixed intervals. Specifically, the study explores various smart devices such as autonomous robots and drones equipped with sensors and cleaning systems. These devices perform tasks ranging from dust detection to thorough cleaning without manual intervention, significantly reducing the labor cost and time involved in maintaining large solar farms. The use of embedded sensors and cameras facilitates real-time monitoring of the panels’ conditions, detecting any inefficiencies or malfunctions early. Furthermore, this article highlights the potential of mobile applications in smart cleaning systems. These applications provide operators with real-time data analysis, system status updates, and the flexibility to adjust operational parameters remotely. This capability not only enhances the responsiveness of the maintenance teams but also contributes to a proactive maintenance culture, preventing potential downtimes. In conclusion, smart cleaning technologies, powered by IoT and supported by innovative hardware and software solutions, represent a significant advancement in the field of renewable energy. They ensure that solar power modules operate at their highest potential, thereby supporting the broader goal of sustainable and efficient energy use in autonomous power stations. This research underscores the transformative impact of integrating smart technologies in the renewable energy sector, suggesting that continued innovation in this area is essential for the future of sustainable energy infrastructure.

A Fuzzy Logic Approach and Path Algorithm for Time and Energy Management of Smart Cleaning Robots

Smart home technologies (SHM) or devices provide some degree of digitally connected, automated, or enhanced services to building occupants in residential areas and have been becoming increasingly popular in recent years. SHM have the potential to improve home comfort, convenience, security, and energy management. Different technologies are used to equip household parts for smarter monitoring, movement, and remote control and to allow effective harmonic interaction between them. Especially, energy management and path-planning algorithms are some of the important problems for such technologies to get optimum efficiency and benefit. Smart vacuum cleaning robot is one of the applications of such devices with various functions. These cleaning robots have limited battery power and battery sizes, thus effective cleaning is critical. Additionally, the shortest / optimal path planning is essential for the efficient operation of effective cleaning based on the battery time. In this article, two distinct algorithms, which are Search algorithm and CSP algorithm are utilized to obtain distinct optimal minimum path lengths for keeping the home's total dirt level as low as possible. Depending on various types of linguistic, abstract, or perceptual variables, these algorithms are not enough for the energy management of the battery. Therefore, the fuzzy logic-based inference system is proposed for obtaining the charge durability of battery of the cleaning robot, in addition to these algorithms. The inputs affecting the charge durability are considered as floor type, dirt level and the width of area for the fuzzy approach.

KPIs for Maintaining Smart Clean Sustainable Cities

Nowadays, cities adopt new initiatives to build a prosperous future and to satisfy the society needs to optimize city functions and promote economic growth while improving the quality of life for citizens using smart technologies and data analysis, where smart cities make cities more livable ensuring efficient use and planning of urban sources and infrastructure Egypt has taken major steps in this perspective as part of 2030 vision which is one of the numerous initiatives currently being adopted by the Egyptian government aligned with the vital strategic plans. In the Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization which is to be illustrated in this paper -the objectives of smart cities and national geographic information services are determined to make infrastructure work in order to establish smart cities, to improve the spatial management in cities with the help of technology, to share data to improve public services and to be the focus of national geographical information”. In this paper, measures used globally for Smart, Clean, sustainable cities are combined to measure the performance of the new administrative Capital in Egypt, this massive unique project that is built on a state of the art technology in all fields and aspects.

Nanostructured Emulsions as Smart Cleaning Materials for Removing Aged Polymer Coatings from Stone Substrates

Cleaning is one of the most important, essential, and delicate operation which has to be handled by conservators before applying new materials to any substrates. In past decades, nanotechnology introduced new concepts and materials in the conservation field, which have been providing many advantageous performances, especially higher than older materials. As a result, the conservators have already started to use nanomaterials in the cleaning processes of artifacts. Taking into consideration this new approach, our study has focused on using nano-structured emulsions (NSE) as smart cleaning materials for removing polymer coatings (e.g., acrylic polymers). For this purpose, Paraloid B-72 was applied on three different substrates (glass, Lecce stone, and Arenaria stone) and cleaning was performed by a specific nano-structured emulsion (NSE) based on an eco-friendly surfactant (EcoSurf) and two organic solvents in different proportions. In order to better understand the interaction of surfactant and organic solvents with polymer coating, plain EcoSurf in water was also used for comparison. In this study, the decay process of the considered polymer was also deeply studied, because it directly affects the cleaning effectiveness. Coated specimens of the different substrates were artificially aged and examined by different techniques: chromatic variations and contact angle measurements, optical microscopy, FTIR, and SEM-EDS. This material characterization process is important to understand the colour, morphology, and micro-structural difference, and the changes of hydrophobic behaviour as well as chemical composition of Paraloid B-72 polymer due to different ageing processes. After that, substrates coated with both unaged and aged polymer were cleaned by NSE according to the direct-contact procedure and cellulose pulp method. Preliminary analyses suggested that the direct-contact cleaning performed by nano-emulsion (i.e., NSE) induced a complete removal of the acrylic polymer, despite that this method is not recommended for the artifacts and can be hardly applicable in real cases. On the other hand, experimental results showed that satisfactory cleaning of stone substrates can be obtained by using NSE/the cellulose pulp system.

Solar Panel Cleaner Using Vibrator and Air Blower for Desert Location

Solar panel is vulnerable to accumulated dust on its surface. The efficiency of the solar panel gradually decreases because of dust accumulation. Accumulation of dust and debris on even one panel in an array reduces their efficiency in energy generation considerably and emphasizes the need to keep the panel’s surface as clean as possible. In this paper, a smart panel cleaning system for PV that provides a cost-effective and scalable solution for the removal of soil and dirt. It will automatically and remotely remove the dirt at a fraction of the cost of manual cleaning. In this paper, an Arduino based solar panel cleaning system is designed and implemented for dust removal. The proposed solar panel cleaner is waterless, economical and automatic. Two-step mechanism used in this system consists of an exhaust fan which works as an air blower and a vibration to detached the dust from the panel surface. Since, the system does not need water to clean solar panel, it avoids the wastage of water and effective in desert areas. In terms of daily energy generation, the presented automatic-cleaning scheme provides about 30% more energy output when compared to the dust accumulated PV module.

EVALUATION OF THE LAUNDRY SCLEAN PARTNER'S WEBSITE USABILITY USING THE USABILITY SCALE SYSTEM METHOD

SCLEAN (Smart Cleaning) is a mobile device made to connect laundry with laundry service users. Mobile SCLEAN devices are also designed with two sides, namely from the side of the laundry service user using the mobile version and from the laundry service provider side using the Website version. The laundry admin website is a very important component in connecting laundry and laundry service users. Researchers want to conduct research that aims to evaluate the performance of the SClean laundry partner admin website and are expected to provide suggestions that are used as a reference for the improvement and development of the SClean laundry partner website by NuCom. By using the System Usability Scale method, it shows that the evaluation results have a score of 59, the value is included in the marginal category in grade D with an OK rating and website improvement recommendations for improving service features on the website and optimizing performance on the website.

Future of Us – Transforming Healthcare With Intelligent Machines (Vol. 25, No. 12, Full Issue)

For the month of December 2021, APBN looks the applications of artificial intelligence and robotics in the healthcare space. In Features, we hear from Christopher Khang, President and CEO of GE Healthcare ASEAN, on how innovative technologies such as AI and automation are shaping a bright future for radiologists and their patients. Then, we have David Irecki from Boomi, who proposes that a unified view of patient data can enable holistic, coordinated services that will improve people'soverall quality of life, and an article contribution by Lewis Ho, Chief Executive Officer at Avalon SteriTech on innovative healthcare solutions and the future of smart cleaning. Shifting away from intelligent machines, we speak to Dr. Goh Choo Beng, Head of Medical Affairs at Takeda APAC, on unmet disease areas and learn more about the different treatments and trials currently in the pipeline at Takeda, and finally, we wrap up the year 2021 with Lu-Ching Lau, Director for External Affairs, Policy and Communications, Singapore and Malaysia, MSD, as she shares with us how we may navigate through current and future health challenges.

One-Step Fabrication of a Micro/Nanosphere-Coordinated Dual Stimulus-Responsive Nanofibrous Membrane for Intelligent Antifouling and Ultrahigh Permeability of Viscous Water-in-Oil Emulsions.

Membrane fouling is a major challenge for long-term oil/water separation. The incomplete degradation of organic pollutants or membrane damage exists in the common methods of membrane regeneration. Herein, a dual-responsive nanofibrous membrane with high water-in-oil emulsion separation efficiency and smart cleaning properties is reported, which shows complete restoration of its original separation performance. The pH-responsive and upper critical solution temperature (UCST)-type thermoresponsive nanofibrous membrane with a micro/nanosphere structure was developed via a one-step-blending electrospinning strategy. The membrane displays high hydrophobicity/oleophilicity at pH 7 and 25 °C and hydrophilicity/oleophobicity at pH 3 and 55 °C. As a result, it exhibits an ultrahigh permeability of 60528.76 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 and a separation efficiency of 99.5% for water-in-D5 emulsions at room temperature (25 °C). Moreover, the contaminated membranes could be easily reclaimed by being rinsed with warm acidic water (pH 3 and 55 °C). The membrane maintained high separation performance after being used for multiple cycles, indicating its scalable application for purifying emulsified oil. This study provides a facial method of constructing membranes with multiscale hierarchical structures and a new idea for the design of recyclable oil/water separation membranes.

PH-Sensitive Membranes with Smart Cleaning Capability for Efficient Emulsion Separation and Pollutant Removal

Since anionic dyes and surfactants abundantly exist in oily wastewater, both the separation of oil/water mixture and removal of low-molecular-weight pollutants are important to realize the advanced purification of water. By grafting poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (pDMAEMA) onto polyethylene (PP) membrane via ultraviolet (UV)-initiated polymerization, the obtained PP-g-pDMAEMA membrane presented positively in water and negatively in an alkaline buffer (pH 9.0), respectively. Due to the switchable surface charge, the membrane had high emulsion separation efficiency and flux recovery ratio (approximately 100%). Besides, the dye (reactive black 5, RB-5) adsorption capacity reached 140 mg/m2 in water, and approximately 90% RB-5 could be released in pH 9.0. The anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, SDBS) was also reversely interpreted and released by the membrane via manipulating the ambient pH. The membrane constructed in this study is supposed to realize emulsion separation with smart cleaning capability, as well as the removal of dyes and surfactants, which could be utilized for multifunctional water purification.

The integration and development trend of China’s 5G technology and smart cleaning

China’s 5G development has achieved a significant leap from the conceptual level to the application level from technical testing and pilot implementation in 2018 to official commercial use in 2019. In 2020, China will accelerate the application of new technologies such as 4K/8K, VR/AR, and increase the supply of high-end information services.At present, the works in this field stay in the imagination of 5G smart and clean level, talking about the grounded products under the 4G foundation, and fail to reflect the technological attributes of China’s 5G application. This article further analyzes the latest applications and development trends of 5G technology in the field of smart cleaning, which is an important theoretical basis for promoting the intelligent and modern development of China’s cleaning industry, and will help the development of smart cleaning industry and the construction of smart cities in China.

L’Aquila Smart Clean Air City: The Italian Pilot Project for Healthy Urban Air

Exposure to atmospheric pollution is a major concern for urban populations. Currently, no effective strategy has been adopted to tackle the problem. The paper presents the Smart Clean Air City project, a pilot experiment concerning the improvement in urban air quality. Small wet scrubber systems will be operating in a network configuration in suitable urban areas of L’Aquila city (Italy). The purpose of this work is to describe the project and show the preliminary results obtained in the characterization of two urban sites before the remediation test; the main operating principles of the wet scrubber system will be discussed, as well as the design of the mobile treatment plant for the processing of wastewater resulting from scrubber operation. Measurements of particle size distributions in the range of 0.30–25 µm took place in the two sites of interest, an urban background and a traffic area in the city of L’Aquila. The mean number concentration detected was 2.4 × 107 and 4.5 × 107 particles/m3, respectively. Finally, theoretical assessments, performed by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes, will show the effects of the wet scrubber operation on air pollutants under different environmental conditions and in several urban usage patterns.

Laser cleaning of copper in air and nitrogen atmospheres

We examine the physical and chemical processes occurring on the surfaces of copper and copper-alloy objects that are laser-cleaned using a Smart Clean 2 (El. En., Italy) pulsed YAG:Nd laser and a commercial MiniMarker2 M20 ytterbium pulsed fiber-optic laser, both with emission wavelengths of 1064 nm. We show that discoloration of the copper surface can be mitigated by performing the laser treatment in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) grafted polyester textiles with switchable surface wettability

Thermo-responsive textile is newly developed and has wide application potentials in various fields. As the most commonly used textile, polyester has advantages in easy care, great durability and low cost. Since it has no reactive groups in fiber for surface functionalization, amino groups were generated by aminolysis in this study. By applying alkali deweighting during the aminolysis process, more -NH2 was produced. Poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was then grafted onto the surface via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. Infrared and X-ray photoelectron scanning measurements confirmed the success of PNIPAAm grafting. The thermo-switchable surface wettability was then explored by the test of surface wettability and fiber swelling–deswelling behavior. When the temperature rose, the surface switched from hydrophilic to hydrophobic as the contact angle transited from 0° to 120° reversely. This work established a feasible way and provided a new insight for preparing thermo-responsive polyester fabrics with smart cleaning and smart comfort properties.

Method of Dynamic Optimal Rout Calculation in the “Smart Clean City” Project

Method of Dynamic Optimal Rout Calculation in the “Smart Clean City” Project

Development of Renovation Techniques for Medium and Large Diameter Water Transmission Pipes

Abstract Smart lining System was developed to restore and improve water quality, hydraulic, and structural function of water large transmission pipes through the construction of the high quality lining in the study. Smart lining System consists of smart cleaning, smart spray-on lining, and smart CIPP 2+ . Smart cleaning is the pre-process of lining process, and could ensure SSPC SP-10 and surface roughness 50 μm (Rz) as the quality of surface preparation for the lining by removing effectively deposited slime, residual lining, tuberculation, graphitization of pipe wall with the high pressure water jet, mechanical scraper, and air spin-head blasting equipment step by step.

Smart Grid, Clean Energy and US Policy

In the US, smart grid and, more generally, clean energy policies enjoy a surprisingly wide consensus. Although the consensus is strong, smart grid deployment has been hindered by barriers established by a century old fossil fuel energy policy that has had the effect of entrenching both private firms and the regulatory bureaucracy. This paper will first describe the failures to modernize US electricity markets which have led to a failure to modernize the grid. The paper will then describe the key responses to overcoming those impediments. In brief, smart grid development is central not only to more competitive and more efficient electricity markets, it is central to a clean energy economy. However, before the smart grid can be fully deployed in the US, three things must occur. First, a national innovation policy must be further developed and federal resources must be, and are being, directed to smart grid innovations. Second, federal and state regulators, together with industry and consumers, must renegotiate the traditional regulatory compact with the specific intent of designing a clean energy future and with it a smart grid. And, third, incumbent private utilities will have to retool the way they do business to optimize their use of available funds and innovation opportunities.

Smart cleaning of cultural heritage: a new challenge for soft nanoscience

The search for innovative, smart and performing cleaning agents is one of the main issues of modern conservation science. Nanosciences do not only provide solutions to this scientific field in terms of new materials but also change radically the approach to problems and challenges. In this feature article we review the most innovative nanostructured systems developed in the last decade for the cleaning of artworks together with some noteworthy case studies. Micelles, microemulsions, thickened complex fluids, and responsive gels that constitute the new "cleaning palette" for modern conservators are here presented and critically analyzed. The development of these smart nanostructured systems requires the comprehension of their behavior and interactions with other materials down to the nanoscale. In the last section of this manuscript we report on the most recent results from a study about the mechanism of polymer removal from porous artifacts using nanofluids, such as micelles or microemulsions. The rules of classical detergency do not fully address the polymer removal mechanism and a schematic model of the process is proposed.

SMART CLEAN: a new laser system with improved emission characteristics and transmission through long optical fibres

SMART CLEAN is an innovative Nd:YAG laser system that has been designed to optimize laser cleaning procedures, especially for the treatment of altered stone surfaces. The project, originated by the co-operation of researchers and enterprises involved in optoelectronics system development, was aimed at improving the intrinsic features of the laser source, as well as some practical aspects, in order to facilitate laser application in the restoration yard. Emission characteristics were suitably tailored to obtain effective removal of alteration layers, and to minimize possible side effects. In particular, the pulse duration of the SMART CLEAN laser was set at 20 μs, by means of a proprietary design of the power supply. This was in order to reduce the risk of both mechanical and thermal damage to the artwork substrate, which is more likely to occur with short and long laser pulses, respectively. Moreover, this pulse duration permitted a reliable transmission of high laser energy through long optical fibres (50 m), which allowed easy cleaning operations on façades. The laser system was tested on a large variety of lithotypes and in operative cleaning interventions on Italian monuments.