ENG-207(1) EMDP Proposal Draft

Project Proposal: Using graphene filmed walls and IOT to reduce maintenance cost of houses
in UAE

Team Nikita:

Debmalya Ghosh (Chemical Engineering) Muhammed Talha Khan (Computer Engineering)

Nikita Kasianov (Civil Engineering) Marwan Al Abedin (Electrical Engineering)
Ali Hussein Al Haddad (Computer Engineering)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has seen rapid development in past few years, Commented [KKA1]: LP: in the past..

transforming from small fishing and diving communities to large suburbs and bustling cities
which attract a huge influx of foreign expats looking for job and living opportunities within the Commented [KKA2]: LP: jobs

region. This transformation ushered in a new modern way of living among UAEs citizens
increasing the need for modernized and fully fledged housing. Climate is a major deciding factor
in the implementation of houses. The UAE is known for its high temperatures and its exposure to
humidity makes engineers take certain actions to protect walls: extensive wall painting, Commented [KKA3]: LP: exposure to humidity which
makes?
insulating steel and reconstructing walls. The rapid development of the cities does not only have
Commented [KKA4]: Seemingly this is what you are
positive effect but also negative ones. One of the major concerns is pollution caused by the trying to get at.

increase of general waste and emission of greenhouse gases, be it from cars to smoke emission
from newly emerged industries.
The exposure to extreme heat and humidity, that comes with UAEs desert climate and its
This section seems choppy, and does not have a logical
flow for the presentation of ideas . for example you begin
with the idea that there is rapid development, then you go
to climate and walls, then back to development of cities
then to harmful emissions by cars and industries.
Commented [KKA5]: LP: effects

proximity to the ocean, brings up several concerns in the way houses are constructed. Residents
in the UAE tend to use air conditioners (AC) to a very large extent throughout the year which has
led to the problem of extensive power consumption. Moreover, humidity also has a big affect on
the maintenance of the buildings. The long-term contact of the wall with moisture due to
humidity causes cracks in the walls and even corrosion in the reinforced concrete beams. Besides
the climate, pollution caused by the increase of general waste and emission of greenhouse gases
increase maintenance costs. The pollution results in the chemical reactions between the building
materials and chemical elements that causes cracks on the wall surfaces and this affects the view
of the city. Commented [KKA6]: See LP issues.

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ENG-207(1) EMDP Proposal Draft

In order to face and solve this problem, our multidisciplinary engineering team will focus Commented [KKA7]: repetitive

on combining two of the most modern technologies: Internet of Things (IOT) and Graphene. Our Commented [KKA8]: which one exactly? You have
mentioned many above and didnt really focus on one.
research will answer the question: How efficient is the use of the Graphene and IOT in reducing
the maintenance cost of infrastructures? Commented [KKA9]: So is the issue/context/situation,
mainly concentrating on how expensive it is to maintain the
infrastructure? Again, the presentation of the information
seems choppy, not focused, nor clear.
Moreover, the research methodology adopted by our team mainly consists of secondary
Commented [KKA10]: What are you transitioning from
research. In secondary research, team members will combine the engineering data that is here? DELETE

available in the databases and library textbooks to analyze them to come up with the solution for Commented [KKA11]: You mean you will analyze the
sources.
the described problems above. However, primary research may be needed and Dr. Roberts, Head
of the Civil Engineering Department at the American University of Sharjah, will be interviewed
to understand the importance and the level of research that has been done on the proposed
materials and the methods of their use. The collected information from both types of sources will
be reviewed and synthesized to come up with the new ideas for the further development. Commented [KKA12]: That is what secondary research
is. And you have already established this above, and now
repeating

The proposed solutions to encounter problems stated earlier is to use graphene film on Commented [KKA13]: These are not clear

walls integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to reduce maintenance costs.
Graphene possesses some extraordinary characteristics that could help us achieve the goal of the
project. It comprises of two-dimensional layer of carbon atom with free holes and electrons
available in its lattice structure which makes it the best conductor of heat and electricity
compared to any other material existing [1]. Also, graphene can be incorporated to the walls of
the infrastructure in the form of graphene paints. Firstly, given UAE has an extremely hot
climate, it can be confidently said that graphenes ability to conduct heat could be utilized to
achieve lower costs in heat energy production. The system leverages graphenes large surface
area and its minimal thermal mass so the heat can be turned on and off quickly so theres no
waste of energy in heating [2]. It could also be used to harvest power efficiently with the help of
solar energy. In fact, graphene film solar cells can replace the conventional crystalline solar cells
and the property of Transparent Conducting layer (TC) of graphene film helps in higher power
conversion efficiency [3]. Secondly, good conductivity of electricity and heat gives us the
opportunity to integrate IoT technology into our project. Implementing IoT systems with the use
of graphene can revolutionize the usage of electricity and bring into existence an efficient
methodology for saving power and electricity. in such systems, several sensors work together on Commented [KKA14]: Many language issues , see
throughout.

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ENG-207(1) EMDP Proposal Draft

the conductive property of graphene and are connected to the IoT system. Placing them on
graphene walls would allow them to collect data regarding the heat consumed and electricity
conducted within the walls and deliver it to smart chips known as micro-controllers that are
programmed to perform specific tasks depending on the data received like switching off the ACs
[4]. Finally, the tightly bonded carbon atoms of graphene make them anti-corrosive in nature. In
paints, graphene combined with oxygen to create graphene oxide will give an ultra-strong and
non-corrosive coating. The materials exceptional barrier properties allow a thin layer of
graphene paint to make the surface impermeable- thus providing protection from air, harsh
weather or corrosive environment. This helps in the reduction of maintenance cost of the
infrastructure over time.

Although, the project relies on the advantages of graphene, there are several limitations
exhibited by the same. The major drawback is when it comes to the feasibility of implementing Commented [KKA15]: What is this saying?

the project on a large scale. Graphene is still in the research and development stage and is not
ready to enter the market to be mass produced. Although there is more than one method to Commented [KKA16]: How many methods are there?

produce graphene, a tedious and costly method: Mechanical exfoliation is used to get most out of
graphene without losing any of its beneficial properties. It is also hard to acquire graphene in
large quantities for electronics as scientists are still working on ways of producing synthesized
pristine graphene in mass quantities at affordable costs. Furthermore, graphene also faces an
issue when it comes to transparency as it not transparent to use in optical applications that utilize
light which is an obstacle for the solar energy conversion and light sensitive sensors used in IoT.

Having mentioned all that, this project mainly involves the contributions of four Commented [KKA17]: Why state this?

engineering disciplines: Chemical, Civil, Electrical, and Computer Engineering disciplines. Our
Chemical engineering major Ghosh will be considering the chemical and physical properties of
the graphene material being applied to the walls while Kasianov, majoring in Civil Engineering,
will be concerned with the structure and maintenance of the walls. Similarly, Electrical
Engineering Major Al Abedin will be working on the implementation of graphene in the
fabrication of solar panels within the walls. The involvement from the Computer Engineering

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ENG-207(1) EMDP Proposal Draft

side, from Al Haddad and Khan, will include usage of IoT systems to reduce the overall power Commented [KKA18]: Dont keep the reader in
suspense. Everything needs to be clear.
consumption.

References

[1] Graphene Heating System Dramatically Reduces Home Energy Costs. IEEE Spectrum:
Technology, Engineering, and Science News. N.p., 2017. [online]. Available:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/green-tech/conservation/graphene-heating-
system-dramatically-reduces-home-energy-costs Commented [KKA19]: There seems to be two different
font types.
[2] Graphene: six applications for the industry, Construction Manager. [Online].
Available: http://www.constructionmanagermagazine.com/on-site/graphene-six-
applications-industry-536/.
[3] K. N. Nikita, M. A. Gaffar, and M. I. B. Chowdhury, "Exploring the opportunity of using
graphene as the transparent conducting layer in CZTS-based thin film solar cells," in
2016 3rd International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Information
Communication Technology (ICEEICT), 2016, pp. 1-6.
[4] A. Vakil and H. Bajwa, "Energy harvesting using Graphene based antenna for UV spectrum," in
IEEE Long Island Systems, Applications and Technology (LISAT) Conference 2014, 2014, pp. 1-4.

- Commented [KKA20]: See feedback above.

GRADE: -2/3