Rotary Coolers

Rotary Drum Coolers and Cooling Systems

Every rotary drum cooler fabricated at Applied Chemical Technology (ACT) is backed by a team of engineers, designers, and craftsmen with experience in designing and building industrial equipment and developing industrial processes dating back to 1981. Our rotary cooler designs have proven themselves to be high quality, efficient, and rugged solutions for our clients’ thermal processing systems. In addition to building cooling drums, we also design and fabricate complete thermal processing solutions including air handling, heat exchangers, material sizing, product handling, and emissions control.

Materials of Construction: Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, Specialty Alloys
Capacities: 50 lb/hr to 200 tons/hr
Diameters: Up to 14 feet
Lengths: Up to 60 feet (single section), 150 feet (multiple sections)
Shell Thicknesses: Up to 1½”
Rotary Drum

Typical Materials Cooled in an ACT Rotary Cooler

  • Fertilizers
  • Aggregates
  • Biomass – Wood Chips, Energy Crops, and Other Materials
  • Minerals – Sands, Clays, and Other Minerals
  • Sewage Sludge
  • Animal Feeds – Cereal Grains, High Protein, Wastes, and By-Products
  • Foods – Cereals, Fruits and Vegetables, Starches, and more
  • Plastics – Pellets, Resin, PET, Waste
  • Powders – Catalysts, Chemicals, Pigments, and more
  • Metal Scraps

Why Choose an ACT Rotary Drum Cooler?

  • Quality at an economical price
  • Backed by years rotary drum engineering, design, and fabrication experience
  • Proven customer service
  • Customizable for your process
  • On-site laboratory and pilot testing to generate the data needed to design your drum
  • Built with safety in mind

ACT Standard Rotary Cooler Features

  • Drive System Built for Your Application and Preference
  • Riding Ring “Floating Tire”
  • Trunnions and Thrust Rollers
  • Speed Reducer/Motor
  • Multiple Internal Configuration Options
  • Unitized Base or Two Tier Design
  • Modular or Complete System Designs
  • Quality Construction
  • On-site Precision Alignment
  • Easy Operation and Clean Up

Optional Add-on Features and Systems

  • Refractory Lining
  • Zones for Multiple Functions
  • Air Handling/Emission Control Systems
    • Scrubbers
    • Baghouses
    • Cyclones
  • Feed Systems
  • Material Screening and Recycle
  • Product Handling
  • Heat Exchangers
  • Chillers
  • Automation and Controls

How Do Rotary Coolers Work?

Rotary coolers are similar to rotary dryers. They are designed using a rotating cylinder called a drum. The material to be cooled is fed into one end of the drum and discharged at the other. To move the material through the drum, the cylinder is tilted down slightly at the discharge end. As the material is fed into the drum, internals in the drum lift and/or mix the material to improve the heat transfer between the material and either the air in the drum or the shell of the drum.

There are two basic types of rotating drum coolers, convective coolers (direct air swept coolers – cascading coolers and falling curtain coolers) and indirect coolers (water deluge coolers and water jacketed coolers). In the case of convective coolers, a stream of air moves through the material in the drum. Indirect drum coolers use water to cool the shell of the drum instead of streaming air through the drum.