Heat Recapture for Cotton Gin Drying Systems

ABSTRACT IN surveys of five commercial cotton gin plants we showed that a large pool of hot air collected in the upper part of the building. This hot air originated from heat losses through conduction from hot surfaces of the gin drying systems and from motor cooling. Calculations of the volume and heat content of this air indicated that reclaiming the hot air might provide up to 30% of the heat needed for the gins drying systems. One gin was equipped with heat recapture pipes on the drying systems intakes and we measured an average heat savings of 16.7% over what was required for heating outside air. Heat savings from moving the intake point up into the hot air pool was 6.4% and the remainder of the heat savings was from having the air intakes inside the building.