Status: Completed
Duration: 1 year(s)
Undergraduate Students:
Ressty Manuzon | Student | Texas A&M University – Qatar
Summary of Research
Faculty mentor:
Undergraduate researchers:
Ressty Manuzon
Synopsis:
Qatar has plans to develop 800 MW – 2000 MW of solar power generation capacity using photovoltaic (PV) technology in the next decade or so. In Qatar’s dusty environment dust deposition on PV panels may reduce the PV panels’ electricity output by 15%-20% each year without cleaning. To properly schedule PV panel cleaning, it is necessary to be able to quantify the level of dust deposition on PV panels. One potential way to measure dust deposition is to use the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technology.
The objective of this project was to quantify the effect of temperature and grease/oil coating on QCM resonant frequency. A QCM instrument was used in this project. The QCM resonant frequency was studied as a function of temperature and the grease/oil coating on the QCM crystal. The undergraduate researcher carried out experiments and calculations and accomplished the research objective.
Undergrad Knowledge and Training Related to Project
Research Mentors:
Dr. Bing Guo | PI | Texas A&M University – Qatar
http://meen.qatar.tamu.edu/FacultyStaff/Pages/Bing-Guo.aspx