Ion-assisted rotor airflow for residual fine-dust release from photovoltaic glass

A mechanism-isolation validation roadmap

Abstract

Residual fine dust on photovoltaic (PV) cover glass, concentrating solar power (CSP) mirrors and related exposed optical surfaces can persist after loose material has been displaced by wind, brushing or airflow. The scientific question addressed here is deliberately narrow: at matched airflow, standoff, exposure time and initial surface state, does rotor- or fan-carried ion delivery increase a predeclared residual-response metric relative to matched airflow-only treatment?

This paper presents a mechanism-isolation validation roadmap rather than integrated-system performance data, field deployment data or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) product validation. AIr denotes airflow with ion-assisted release. The roadmap defines an ion-assisted rotor-airflow architecture, separates the proposed mechanism from adjacent ionised-air, electrohydrodynamic (EHD), electrodynamic-screen and attractor-electrode approaches, and specifies the first falsifiable matched-control experiment required before integrated-system, field or product-performance claims can be made.

The proposed configuration is distinct from airflow-only treatment, stationary ionised-air knives, close-proximity ionic-wind devices and electrostatic collection systems because ion delivery and rotor- or fan-induced mobilisation are co-located within the same treatment footprint. Dust fate and redeposition are treated as validation endpoints rather than assumed outcomes. Optional sensing, self-calibration and control layers are engineering extensions; the core physical question is whether ion delivery changes the residual fine-dust removal threshold under matched airflow.