ElectroSweep—Electrodynamic Transportation of Cotton Trash

Abstract

Electrodynamic forces for moving waste or trash from beneath and around textile processing equipment are produced by a set of parallel electrodes encased in a plastic panel and connected to a polyphase source of AC power. Such an apparatus is known as an electric curtain of the contact type, or more simply, an "electric panel." When the panel is energized, particles in contact with it become charged and are levitated and transported. An electric panel is mounted beneath an experimental opener-cleaner that is considered representative of cotton trash-removing machines. Trash is separated from fibers by mechanical action at a rate implied to be a function of the opener- cleaner's velocity and the amount of cotton processed. Particles of trash, linters, and fine dust fall onto the electric panel and are removed from beneath the opener-cleaner by the electrodynamic forces of ElectroSweep, which removes trash at its maximum production rate of 20 mg/s. To promote the scaling of ElectroSweep to regular mill operation, the effectiveness of a panel was determined. To do this the weight of trash transported in a unit time per unit of panel's surface area was determined. The max imum trash encountered in practice was 0.8 g per (m ² X sec), and this specific trash was satisfactorily swept along by electrical forces.