ABSTRACT
Recent innovations have enabled samples of cotton to be automatically captured, evaluated, and released in gins. Sensors which measured the moisture content of seed cotton from throughout the module at the module feeder and the lint after the gin stand have been used to control drying. The system worked well except for a few modules which had very wet cotton on the bottom which was not indicated by the sensors. In 1998 a system to measure the moisture content of the bottom of the module was designed, installed, and tested. This new sensor was used to raise the drying temperature if the bottom was extremely wet. The sensor functioned as expected to artificially wetted seed cotton. However, no modules were encountered during the 1998 ginning season which had extremely wet bottoms so the control portion of the system could not be tested. In all respects the system worked as designed and is believed to be ready to respond properly when needed.
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