Adaptive position control of DC motor for brush-based photovoltaic cleaning system automation

Abstract

In this paper, we have developed an automatic brush-based PV cleaning system to control and synchronize the 3 motors together with a smooth periodic of cleaning while moving it horizontally over the PV surface. The mechanical design involved installing linear guides at the top and bottom of the rail to support the aluminium plate that holds the carrier motors and rotating brush. Two different movements of translational and rotational motion of the motors are managed by an algorithm programmed in Arduino Mega. In investigating the performance of motor parameters and dust removal rate, we conducted an experiment by spreading dry sand over the PV surface. Results showed that the torque of the cleaning brush motor increases with the increase in load. The obtained torque of the carrier motor was found to be 9.167 Nm (> stall torque, 9.8 Nm) with a full load of 18 brushes. The torque is inversely proportional to the speed but directly proportional to power. The required power to move the 2.93 kg of cleaning system was 19.20 W with 3.015 Nm of torque. The system achieved 86.8% of the dust removal rate from the four cycles of cleaning operations.