DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF A VACUUM SYSTEM FOR A LARGE STORAGE TANK CLEANING ROBOT

Taking the large storage tank as the cleaning object, a cleaning robot integrating shoveling, crushing, sweeping and dust-absorbing was developed, and its dust-absorbing system was analyzed and optimized. Firstly, Fluent-EDEM gas-solid coupling was utilized to simulate the dust-absorbing system. By analyzing the fluid distribution and particle trajectory, the internal structure of the dust collection box was optimized to reduce the dust particles entering the fan box. Then, by analyzing the structural parameters of the suction nozzle, the influence of the nozzle shoulder angle, nozzle length, and shoulder height on the dust-absorbing effect was explored, and the parameters were determined, so as to reduce the energy loss and increase the flow rate on both sides of the nozzle. Finally, through the dust suction test, different models of nozzles were tested for dust suction, and the wind speed at the nozzle was measured, and the leakage of dust particles on both sides of the nozzle was significantly reduced after optimization, which verified the reliability of the simulation results and provided a theoretical basis for the design of the sweeping robot.