ARS | Publication request: THE POWERED ROLL GIN STAND: A GIN'S PERSPECTIVE

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: January 30, 2004
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
Citation: Askew, J.W., Holt, G.A., Laird, J.W. 2004. The powered roll gin stand: A gin's perspective [CD-ROM]. Proceedings of Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Memphis, TN: National Cotton Council of America. p. 973-978.

Interpretive Summary: The powered roll gin stand is USDA's patented technology that is intended to help improve ginning capacity, lint turnout, and improve fiber properties over conventional high capacity saw-type gin stands. The new technology can be retrofitted to existing gin stands and has been tested extensively at the USDA-ARS, Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit in Lubbock, TX. Until the past year (2003), this technology had only been implemented in two commercial gins on an experimental basis. During the 2003 ginning season, 11 commercial gins retrofitted 18 gin stands across the U.S. cottonbelt. This study is a perspective of one of the commercial gins that implemented the technology on the advantages and disadvantages encountered during the ginning season. Overall, the benefits outweighed the problems encountered.

Technical Abstract: Upon the successful installation and evaluation of the first commercial powered roll gin stand (PRT gin stand) in 2002, three commercial PRT gin stands were installed and operated during the 2003 gin season. Several mechanical problems were encountered with the new gin stands and were corrected during the course of the gin season. Gin turnout results in 2003 were shown to verify the results obtained during the 2002 tests. Gin production rates were subjectively determined to be higher than those of previous year due to the efficient operation and higher capacity tendencies of the PRT gin stands.