Cotton Ginning Research Unit
USDA-ARS Stoneville, MS
Results from Listening Session
and Research Highlights
Top Issues
Prioritized List from Stoneville Gin Lab
1.
2.
3.
4.
Seed loss throughout the gin process – find causes, reduce losses
Plastic contamination in fiber/bales – detect, remove with/without detection
“Airless” gin – quantify economics, examine some engineering limits
Longer staple upland cotton – does fiber damage relate to fiber length using
current equipment?
5. One ton/large bales – quantify economics
6. Study the appropriate amount of pre-cleaning in the gin
7. Improve moisture management and monitoring – from harvest through bale
storage
8. Study problems related to seed size, especially small seed, cleaning and ginning
9. Develop equipment to measure mass flow in the gin
10.Reduction and removal of bark and grass
11.Roller ginning Upland cotton in the Eastern US – quality improvement,
economics
12.Perform fiber quality measurements in the gin
Removing Plastic from Seed Cotton
• US cotton historically had low
contamination
• Contamination levels have been rising
• Sheet plastic is a problem
• Primarily agricultural mulch and
grocery bags
• Also some from round module wrap
• Gin machinery does not reliably remove
the plastic
Plastic Removal
• Higher air flow rates,
lower seed cotton
processing rates
increase plastic removal
• Smaller pieces removed
more efficiently
• Important to remove
plastic before it enters
the gin!
“Less Air” Gin
• Fans use over half the electricity at gins
• Minimum air velocity recommendation
is largely based on experience
• Control system could be used to reduce
velocity and save significant energy
• Minimum air velocity depends on seed
cotton flow rate, air density (changes
with temperature), and pipe diameter
• Example gin conditions:
– 20” pipe, air at 200°F, 21 bph
– Minimum velocity = 2940 fpm
– Lower seed cotton flow rates or
dryer temperatures reduce
minimum velocity
Seed Cotton Cleaners
• Gins commonly operate at 3-4 bph/ft
• More material removed at lower rates
• Possibly some effect of rate on fiber
loss, cultivar more important factor
• No effect of rate on leaf grade, fiber
quality
• Extractor-feeder and lint cleaner
operated at low rate
• Increasing machine speeds increased
foreign matter removal and fiber loss
• No effect of cylinder or saw speeds on
leaf grades or turnout
• All good leaf grades, averaged 2 before
lint cleaner
New Gin Research Equipment
• New ginning line, estimated
completion in ???
• Ginning rates (per ft of width)
comparable to commercial gins
• Cylinder cleaners will be air-fed,
similar to commercial gins
• All machine speeds will be
adjustable
• Planned tests
– Processing rates and cleaning
– Ginning rates, fiber quality, and
energy use
Measuring Bale Moisture Content
• Commercial sensors
examined at gins in three
states
• Over 700 bales at each gin
• All meters had relatively low
accuracy
• Tex-Max performed well –
but read considerably too
high
Delmhorst
Corrected for
Temperature
• 7.1% mc without temp
correction
• 113° Mean bale temp
(-1% for every 20°F)
• 4.9% mc after correction
Tex-Max
with and without offset
Seed Cotton Mass Flow Measurement
Pressure Drop Across Blowbox
Due to acceleration of seed cotton
Due to friction with air
High Speed Roller Ginning
Rotary
Knife
Seed
Cotton
Roller
Covering
Ginning
Roller
Stationary
Knife
Carryover
Seed
Lint
• Mid-south varieties
• Higher turnout,
improved fiber quality
Ginning Research Activities
Research Locations
Cotton Ginning Research Unit
- Stoneville, MS
Cotton Production and
Processing Unit
-Lubbock, TX
Southwestern Cotton Ginning
Research Lab
- Las Cruces, NM
2016 Cotton Ginners School
Southwest – April 2016
Western - May 2016
Stoneville - June 2016
– Level 1, 2, and 3 (3-day)
– Continuing Education Topics (2-day)
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•
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Ginning technology review
Air – measurement, design, and regulations?
Harvesting and by-product utilization?
Suggestions for topics
The Future of Cotton Ginning
Ginners must look for every opportunity to
improve the bottom line by:
• Increasing Capacity
• Increasing Volume
• Increasing Value
• Reduced labor and operating costs
• Provide Additional Services
2008 Beltwide Cotton Conference