Sidney E. Hughs

Using Cyclones Effectively at Cotton Gins

Cyclones are the most common type of emissions control device used in agricultural processing operations. Cyclones are efficient, reliable, low-cost, and require little maintenance. When used properly, cyclones effectively separate particulate matter from air streams, allowing compliance with state and federal air pollution regulations. Guidelines and techniques intended to help gin plant managers and operators determine if existing cyclones are correctly sized, properly constructed, and adequately maintained are reviewed. Methods presented are such that measurements can be made with minimal equipment and operating parameters determined with simple or no calculations.

Cotton bale moisture meter comparison at different locations.

Seven commercially available portable cotton bale moisture content (mc) meter-probe combinations were purchased by each of the three Agricultural Research Service Cotton Ginning Research Units and examined for precision and accuracy when used with commercially ginned cotton. The devices were used to measure the mc at the same six locations on a total of 96 cotton bales. Lint samples were obtained from the same locations in the bales for mc determination by the oven method resulting in more than 7000 meter readings with corresponding reference mc values. Based on oven-mc, the lint samples had mc in the range 2.3% to 9.4% wet basis. The oven-mc wet basis for the different samples in the same bale had a standard error from 0.15% to 0.42% wet basis. The different meters produced significantly different readings from each other, and these were significantly different from the oven-based mc. Most of the meters were found to have a significant offset from the oven-based mc ranging from -3.3 to 3.3 percentage points. However, the standard deviation of the difference between the individual readings of the meters and the oven-based mc resulted in estimates of precision of plus or minus one percentage point for most of the individual meters.

Technical Note: Particulate Emission Profile of a Cotton Gin

Particulate matter (PM) is one of six criteria pollutants regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). In general, PM is the only air pollutant of concern emitted from cotton gins. The EPA has NAAQS for PM10 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 10 µm) and PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 2.5 µm).

Spindle Speed Effects on Cotton Quality

Three cotton varieties were grown under furrow-irrigated conditions in southern New Mexico and harvested at three different spindle speeds (1500, 2000, and 2400 rpm). Results for stalk losses, trash content, and fiber quality are presented.