Powder cooler start-up aeration system

Abstract

A method of starting a vertically situated cylindrical cooler for powered material such as cement within which material to be cooled moves upward through the cooler by being propelled by rotatable spiral flights. The method is advantageously used when the cooler, because of a crash stop, is prevented from starting normally because of an excess of packed material located at its bottom, thus preventing the spiral flights from rotating. According to the method of the invention, a compressed gas is introduced into the bottom portion of the cooler in a quantity sufficient to aerate the packed material. Once the material is sufficiently aerated the spiral flights are able to be rotated, thereby propelling the material upward through the cooler.

1 . A method of starting a vertically situated cylindrical powder cooler having a bottom portion near which powdered material to be cooled enters the cooler and an upper portion near which the cooled material exits the cooler, said cooler having interior rotatable spiral flights that when in rotation serve to move material to be cooled upward through the cooler, wherein the rotation of said flights is prevented or hindered by an accumulation of material located at the bottom of the cooler, said method comprising introducing a quantity of gas into the bottom of the cooler sufficient to aerate the material located at the bottom of the cooler and thereby allowing the flights to be rotated.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the powdered material to be cooled is cement.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the powdered material to be cooled is lime.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the powdered material to be cooled is gypsum.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the gas is introduced into the cooler through a plurality of nozzles which are distributed around the bottom perimeter of the cooler.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the plurality of nozzles are evenly spaced around the bottom perimeter of the cooler  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein each nozzle is in contact with the inner bottom floor of the cooler.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein at least one of said plurality of nozzles is a vibrating type nozzle which serves to prevent the backflow of material into the nozzle.  
     
     
         9 . A powder cooler, said cooler comprising 
 (a) a vertically situated cylindrical body having a bottom portion near which there is a material entrance through which powdered material to be cooled enters the interior of the cooler and an upper portion near which there is a material exit through which cooled material exits the cooler,    (b) a plurality of interior rotatable spiral flights that when in rotation serve to move material upward through the cooler;    (c) means to rotate the spiral flights; and    (d) means to introduce gas into the bottom portion of the cooler in an amount sufficient to aerate material located at the bottom of the cooler.    
     
     
         10 . The cooler of  claim 9  wherein the gas is introduced into the-cooler through a plurality of nozzles which are distributed around the bottom perimeter of the cooler.  
     
     
         11 . The cooler of  claim 10  wherein the plurality of nozzles are evenly spaced around the bottom perimeter of the cooler  
     
     
         12 . The cooler of  claim 11  wherein each nozzle is in contact with the inner bottom floor of the cooler.  
     
     
         13 . The cooler of  claim 10  wherein at least one of said plurality of nozzles is a vibrating type nozzle which serves to prevent the backflow of material into the nozzle.