Pipe cleaning and inspection robot is one of the new concepts of professional service robots. Sewer pipes are typically of non-man-entry classification (less than 0.8 m diameter). In this paper, a pipe-cleaning and inspection robot specifically designed for this function is proposed. This paper presents a new approach for design and development of cleaning robots in an unknown pipe workspace. To do so, we propose a new cutting method for cleaning work as well as an underwater inspection method. In this study, we discuss a communication which makes the cleaning robot navigate the sewer pipe. Finally, we also evaluate the performance of our proposed inspection and cleaning processes via experiments and real tests. Also, we verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods through computer simulations.
In this study, drying kinetics, including thermal and moisture, of Codonopsis javanica with the support of ultrasonic technology in the drying process were investigated. Experimental processes were carried out at drying air temperatures of 40°C, 45°C, and 50°C with and without ultrasound at a frequency of 20 kHz and three levels of intensity: 1.3 kW/m2, 1.8 kW/m2, and 2.2 kW/m2. Based on theoretical calculations, experimental data, and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, the coefficient of thermal diffusion was determined in the range of 1.01–1.36 × 10−7 m2/s, and the coefficient of moisture diffusion is in the range of 3.2–6.7 × 10−10 m2/s. In addition, the color parameters (L∗, a∗, and b∗) of the drying materials were also considered. Results showed the overall color differences (∆E) of dried products change in the range of 8.0–12.9 compared with the fresh ones. In this work, the multiple boundary conditions were considered to determine the moisture and thermal diffusion coefficients; the results obtained prove that the quality of dried products in terms of color change is also improved.
Ultrasound-assisted air-drying is considered a useful method to reduce drying time and ensure some agricultural food products' quality. In this study, a practical design method of an Ultrasonic Transducer (UT), which is in the form of a circular stepped-plate, was developed by using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The numerical calculation is carried out for two different geometric dimensions of the stepped-plate. Based on the obtained results, the smaller UT dimensions were chosen, and its prototypes were fabricated. The prototype's measured resonance frequency is 19.927 kHz compared to calculations getting an error of 0.073 kHz (0.37%). Also, to evaluate the effects of ultrasound on a drying process, the UT is integrated into a heat-pump drying machine for drying foods. The experiments were carried out on Codonopsis javanica using heatpump drying method at air temperature 45 ± 0.5 °C, air humidity 18-20 %, air velocity 0.5 ± 0.1 m/s with and without ultrasonic intensity while keeping all other conditions and parameters constant. The results showed that the total drying time was reduced in the range of 25% to 42% depending on ultrasonic intensity, compared to heat-pump drying without ultrasonic intensity. The color of the dried products is also considered to testify the quality of the product when using UT in drying processes. The obtained results prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach in design of the UT for food dehydration.
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