Patent ID: 6449875
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: B29B,F26B

Abstract:
A method of heating a bulk material, said method comprising the steps of:supplying the bulk material to a chamber of a single-staged heating vessel through a material inlet and withdrawing bulk material from the vessel through a material outlet at a throughput rate based on consumption of the material in a subsequent processing step; introducing a single flow of heat transfer gas through a gas inlet into said chamber of the single-staged heating vessel and passing the heat transfer gas through the heating vessel in contact with the bulk material; said heat transfer gas being passed through said vessel at a constant rate per unit of time; and regulating the temperature of said heat transfer gas introduced through said gas inlet in response to the temperature of the bulk material supplied through said material inlet and to the throughput of said bulk material through said vessel such that the bulk material withdrawn through said material outlet has a temperature corresponding to a target temperature value; wherein the temperature of the heat transfer gas introduced through said gas inlet is regulated in response to a temperature measurement from a temperature sensor which measures the temperature of said bulk material in a lower region of said vessel through which the heat transfer gas does not pass.