High-efficiency particulate separation from cotton-ginning exhaust air using an inclination-assisted multi-cyclone system

This study presents the design, CFD-assisted optimization, and industrial evaluation of an inclination-assisted multi-cyclone system for particulate removal from cotton-ginning exhaust air. A patented two-stage system comprising a six-body primary multi-cyclone with inclined inlets and continuous screw-conveyor dust discharge, followed by pulse-jet-cleaned secondary filtration, was evaluated under full-scale operating conditions at the Kosonsoy Cotton Ginning Plant, Uzbekistan. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations predicted stable flow distribution among the cyclone bodies and strong internal swirling-flow structures and were used as an engineering design-support tool rather than as a quantitatively field-validated aerodynamic model. A randomized 23 full-factorial experiment showed that secondary-filter diameter significantly affected collection efficiency and specific cleaning time, while cyclone inclination angle significantly affected cleaning time and exhibited a weaker effect on collection efficiency that approached, but did not exceed, the adopted 95% significance threshold. Inlet velocity showed no statistically significant effect within the investigated range. The best-performing constrained operating point within the tested design domain was 14 m s⁻¹, 10°, and 200 mm. At this operating point, the integrated two-stage system achieved a measured TSP mass-based collection efficiency of 98.3% between the system inlet and final clean-air outlet. This value represents the combined system performance and not the standalone efficiency of the inclined primary multi-cyclone. Theoretical Lapple analysis suggested a cut size of approximately 8 μm, although no size-resolved PM₂.₅ or PM₁₀ collection efficiencies were measured. A site-specific comparison with the existing field-operated SP-6 installation showed a 91.5% reduction in seasonal TSP emissions and an additional capture of 54,900 kg of particulate matter. Model-based temperature-sensitivity analysis using Sutherland’s viscosity relationship and the Lapple framework predicted decreasing separation efficiency with increasing temperature; this relationship was not independently validated using temperature-resolved TSP measurements. Under the adopted economic scenario, the proposed system yielded an estimated net seasonal benefit of 895.4 million UZS. As a single-site, single-season proof-of-concept study, these findings demonstrate substantial TSP-emission reduction together with industrial and economic feasibility under the investigated conditions. A comprehensive assessment of actual energy performance and environmental sustainability requires direct power measurements and dedicated life-cycle assessment, respectively.

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