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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Cotton Production and Processing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #98755
Title: EVALUATION OF MODIFIED 1D-3D CYCLONES

Author
item Holt, Gregory
item Baker, Roy
item Hughs, Sidney

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Cyclones are the most cost effective means of controlling particulate emissions from cotton gins. The 1D3D cyclone has become the most widely used cyclone to control particulate emissions. However, application of the 1D3D design has resulted in operational problems such as choke ups that can result in downtime for the gin and/or more dust being emitted into the air than would be if the cyclone was not choked up. Previous research had indicated several design modifications that could be applied to the 1D3D that might eliminate the operational difficulties ginners are experiencing. This research evaluated the following modifications to the standard 1D3D cyclone design: 1) a 2D2D air inlet, 2) a 2D2D air outlet, 3) a D/3 trash exit, 4) an expansion chamber with a D/3 trash outlet, and 5) a tapered air outlet duct. The modifications were used in various combinations. The 1D3D modifications that exhibited a significant improvement in reducing particulate emissions were the designs with the 2D2D inlet and air outlet combined with either the regular D/3 tail cone or the expansion chamber. The modification with the tapered air outlet and the expansion chamber had improved performance over the 1D3D for heavier particulate matter. The benefits learned from the results of this study indicate that certain modifications can be made to the 1D3D cyclone design that improve performance in reducing emissions as much as 24 to 35% over the 1D3D. The modifications should also help eliminate the operational problems encountered when using the 1D3D.

Technical Abstract: Five modifications of a standard 1D3D cyclone were tested and compared against the standard 1D3D design. The modifications to the 1D3D design included: 1) a 2D2D air inlet, 2) a 2D2D air outlet, 3) a D/3 trash exit, 4) an expansion chamber with a D/3 trash outlet, and 5) a tapered air outlet duct. The 1D3D modifications that exhibited a significant improvement in reducing both PM10 and total suspended particulate (TSP) emissions were the designs with the 2D2D inlet and air exhaust combined with either the regular D/3 tail cone or the expansion chamber. In reference to the standard 1D3D, the average reduction in PM10 emissions was 24 to 29% with a 29 to 35% reduction observed in TSP emissions. The modifications with the tapered air outlets did not show any significant improvements in controlling PM10 emissions compared to the standard 1D3D. However, the modification with the tapered air outlet/expansion chamber combination exhibited statistical significance in reducing TSP emissions b 18% compared to the 1D3D cyclone.