Heat Distribution Within a Raw Cotton Seed

The drying and active ventilation of raw cotton are important technological processes that directly affect the quality, storage stability, and further processing of cotton. During drying, heat and moisture transfer within individual cotton seeds plays a significant role in determining the efficiency of the overall process. Therefore, mathematical modeling of heat distribution inside a cotton seed is essential for improving and optimizing drying conditions. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a mathematical model describing the heat distribution process inside a raw cotton seed during active ventilation and drying. For this purpose, an individual cotton seed is represented as a spherical object, and the heat conduction process inside the seed is described by a system of differential equations considering moisture evaporation and convective heat transfer between the seed surface and the surrounding drying medium. The boundary value problem is solved using the method of separation of variables (Fourier method). The unknown coefficients of the mathematical model are determined by applying the least squares method to experimental data. The proposed mathematical model was evaluated by comparing theoretical calculations with experimental results obtained at drying-agent temperatures of 100°C and 150°C. The comparison demonstrated good agreement between the calculated and experimental temperature distributions, with a deviation of less than 5%. This confirms the adequacy and reliability of the developed model for describing the heat transfer process inside raw cotton seeds under active drying conditions. The results of the study provide a theoretical basis for determining rational drying parameters and optimizing technological operating modes of industrial installations used for the drying and storage of raw cotton. The developed approach can also be applied to further investigations of coupled heat and moisture transfer processes in cotton seeds.

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