Research on Adhesive Coefficient of Rubber Wheel Crawler on Wet Tilted Photovoltaic Panel

Abstract

The demand for renewable energy sources is growing fast because of the negative impact of the utilization of fossil energy, nuclear energy, and hydroelectricity. One of the renewable energy sources, known as solar energy, which uses the photovoltaic panel (PV) to generate electricity from the sun, is a promising alternative that has great potential to deal with the power crisis. However, the power productivity and efficiency conversion are affected significantly by dust accumulation on PVs. Many researchers investigated PV panel dust cleaning methods to improve performance, yield, and profitability. Various dust cleaning and mitigation methods such as rainfall, labor-based, and mechanized cleaning are explored, and we demonstrated that dust removal could be automated with cleaning robots effectively. Due to the specified geographical site of PV panel installation, cleaning robots might work on the misalignment and uneven PV arrays, presenting huge challenges for an autonomous cleaning robot. Thus, a rubber wheel crawler robot with semi-autonomous handling provides a flexible motion that is a well-suited solution to clean rooftop PV arrays. Nevertheless, the rubber wheel crawler robot might suffer slippage on the wet glass of tilted PV arrays. This paper studies the anti-slip effect of the rubber wheel crawler equipped with a cleaning robot under the wet surface of tilted PV panels. First, a theoretical model consisting of several parameters is established to validate the slippage of the rubber wheel crawler on the wet tilted PV. Then, some parameters of the theoretical model are approximated through experimental tests. Finally, simulation results of the theoretical model are conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed theoretical model in comparison to the experimental results under the same working conditions. The merits provide the efficient design of rubber wheel crawlers, enabling the anti-slip ability of robots.

Research on Mechanism Design and Kinematic Characteristics of Self-Propelled Photovoltaic Cleaning Robot

“…The parameter table is presented below (Table 3). In comparison with references [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], the self-propelled photovoltaic cleaning robot developed in this study showed the following advantages:…”

“…With the cross-arm structure of the photovoltaic panel cleaning robot as the research object, Hou et al [19] adopted topology optimization for the lightweight design of the cross-arm structure based on the power correlation analysis, which increased the safety and practicality of the cross arm. Nguyen et al [20] investigated the rubber tracked photovoltaic panel cleaning robot while exploring the problem of this type of robot slipping on wet photovoltaic panel surfaces in depth. They built a theoretical model and analyzed it.…”

Development of a Multi-Suspension Unit for Solar Cleaning Robots to Mitigate Vibration Impact on Photovoltaic Panels

“…Crawler on Wet Tilted Photovoltaic Panel [13] The article mentions the relationship between the properties of PV panels and SPCR, specifically the sliding phenomenon when SPCR moves on an inclined surface. The article also provides methods to solve the problem.…”

Investigation of Geometric and Hardness Parameters of Tank Track Grooves Equipped on Photovoltaic Cleaning Robot

“…Slip resistance has been recognized as the key feature of the belt-based track, aiming to enhance the anti-slippage capability of this specific PV cleaning robot. Although numerous studies ( [33][34][35][36] and references therein) have investigated the effects of rubber soling materials on floor surfaces, there has been limited research, except for our earlier study [37,38], regarding suitable material coatings for the belt-based track that can provide sufficient grip for the PV cleaning robot during the removal of dust from wet PV panels. It was observed that shore hardness and surface roughness significantly impact the slip resistance of rubber soles in both dry and wet flooring conditions [33].…”