Visually Attractive and High-Power-Retention Solar Modules by Coloring with Automotive Paints

The automotive painting technique is highly advantageous for coloring solar modules, because it enables the modules to be visually attractive over a large area, numerous colors can be applied, and they are highly durable. Herein, we present a high-performance solar module colored using an automotive painting technique. We coated a dilute automotive pigment, the high-transmittance mica pigment, with a clear coat material on a crystalline Si solar module to generate blue color. Our measurements show that a pigment weight concentration of around 10% with the mica pigment is suitable for painting the solar modules, because it enables visual attractiveness while retaining over 80% of the output power, compared to the original solar module. We believe that the technique proposed herein can considerably increase the installable area of solar modules on a car body.

Effects of Tack Coat Application on Interface Bond Strength and Short-Term Pavement Performance

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of pavement surface type, tack coat material, and application rate on the interface bond strength between a hot-mix asphalt overlay and underlying pavement layers in the field. The effects of interface bonding on short-term pavement performance were also investigated. Three field projects that included 14 in-service test sections were constructed with four types of emulsified tack coats applied at different residual application rates. Specimens were cored from the test sections, and the interface shear strength (ISS) was measured at different service times with a direct shear test device, the Louisiana interlayer shear strength tester. The results of the study showed that, with respect to surface type, the ISS was largely dependent on the type of pavement surface receiving tack coat materials and surface texture. With respect to tack coat material type, the use of a nontracking (rapidly setting) tack coat resulted in a greater ISS than the use of slowly setting (SS-1 and SS-1H) tack coats, a result that was primarily attributed to the stiffer base asphalt cement used in the nontracking tack coat material. With respect to the effects of service time, the interface bonding strength increased with service time in all field projects and for all surface types. This phenomenon was primarily attributed to tack coat curing, which was more pronounced with slowly setting tack coat materials. Laboratory ISS test results correlated well with short-term field performance. All test sections except those that did not meet the minimum ISS threshold of 40 psi, recommended by NCHRP Project 9-40, exhibited satisfactory cracking performance.

Experimental Investigation on Reduction of NOX Emission Using Zeolite Coated Converter in CI Engine

In the recent times, the issues of reduction of harmful pollutants emitted from an internal combustion engine have gained large prominence as a part of climate change and global warming. Automobile and power generation systems are identified to be one of the largest contributors to atmospheric pollution. Some of the major pollutants emitted from an engine are Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Carbon monoxide (CO), Unburnt Hydrocarbon (UBHC) and soot particles. This project work presents a new wash coat material is in the catalytic converter to be used for compressed ignition engine. Zeolite coated in the catalytic converter insists of aluminium oxide to reduce the emission. The objective of this project work is to control the NOx emission and to develop a low-cost three way catalytic converter. This catalytic converter is assembled in the exhaust manifold region of a single cylinder four stroke diesel engine. The emission from the engines is measured using a five gas analyzer and the results are tabulated.