ARS | Publication request: SEED COTTON MASS FLOW MEASUREMENT

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: January 5, 2000
Publication Date: June 30, 2000
Citation: Funk, P.A., Gillum, M.N., Hughs, S.E., Pelletier, M.G. 2000. Seed Cotton Mass Flow Measurement. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. V2. p. 1571-1574

Interpretive Summary: Automation is increasing in cotton gins, both to improve fiber quality and human productivity. A basic parameter required by automation systems is seed cotton mass flow. The best of five tested systems measured the velocity of conveying air to estimate the mass flow rate. It had a real time accuracy of better than 90 percent. It can be added to an existing gin at very little cost. This key input will now be available to new systems that control and optimize cleaning, drying and ginning equipment.

Technical Abstract: Five experimental mass flow measurement systems were tested against a weighing conveyor belt at the SW Cotton Ginning Research Lab. A certified truck scale verified accuracy integrated over time. Test systems measured the mass flow rate of pneumatically conveyed seed cotton with ultrasonic and optical signal attenuation, elbow inertial force, pressure difference in a vertical pipe and conveying air velocity pressure. Conveying air velocity pressure most accurately reflected mass flow in real time.