Date of Award
2-10-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Engineering, MSE
First Advisor
Robert Fleming
Committee Members
Paul Minor; Shivan Haran
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2022 A23
Abstract
Accumulation of soils and other particulate matter on the front cover glass of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules results in transmission losses that detrimentally affect the power output of PV installations. Cementation reactions occur due to interactions between the dust and the glass surface in the presence of temperature, humidity, and ph. In this study, accelerated soiling and cementation tests on glass coupons were performed using a custom instrumented soiling chamber and several standardized soils (Arizona Test Dust, Aramco Test Dust, and China Test Dust) to assess soil adhesion and cementation behaviors. Water contact angle (WCA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, along with supporting micromechanical scratch testing, were used to characterize the surface properties of the soiled coupons and the surface energy before and after cementation. The results suggest that a chemical reaction occurs after 30 cementation cycles for China test dust that results in an increase in soil adhesion/cohesion.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Adawi, Mohamed, "Surface Characterization of Particulate Dust Subjected to Dew-Induced Cementation" (2023). Student Theses and Dissertations. 220.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/220
