ARS | Publication request: IN-GIN MASS FLOW MEASUREMENT OF SEED COTTON

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: January 9, 2001
Publication Date: June 1, 2001
Citation: Funk, P.A., Gillum, M.N., Hughs, S.E., 2001. In-Gin Mass Flow Measurement Of Seed Cotton. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. p. 1404-1406.

Interpretive Summary: Cotton gins increasingly rely on automation to reduce costs and improve fiber quality. Computer controlled automation systems require good information to make good decisions. One important input that to date has been missing is the quantity of material flowing in air pipes to various gin machines. Pneumatically conveyed seed cotton flow can be estimated by measuring the difference in air pressure between two points in a vertical pipe. This new instrumentation system was proven in a commercial gin.

Technical Abstract: The mass flow rate of pneumatically conveyed seed cotton is a real-time variable required by gin automation devices. Two systems developed to measure mass flow were tested in a commercial gin to determine durability and accuracy. After a two-day calibration period, the instrument-based estimate of mass flow was compered to the mass flow calculated on a bale- by-bale basis. One system failed because of trash particle fouling. The other system provided a mass flow signal that had an 88% correlation to the bale-by-bale calculation after one month of ginning. Analysis is preliminary, but low initial and installation costs coupled with long expected life favor the latter system.