Cooling concrete ingredients

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF COOLING AN INGREDIENT USED IN MAKING CONCRETE, PRIOR TO ADMIXING IT INTO THE INITIAL OVERALL MIX, SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF THE AGGREGATES AND SAND, AND TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE O* C. BUT SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES ADDING TO SUCH INGREDIENT WHATEVER AMOUNT OF WATER IS NEEDED FOR IT TO HAVE A MOISTURE CONTENT AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE EVAPORATING FROM THE SURFACE OF ITS PARTICLES AN AMOUNT OF WATER THE LATENT HEAT OF VAPORIZATION OF WHICH EQUALS THE AMOUNT OF SENSIBLE HEAT THAT WOULD BE GIVEN UP BY EVAPORATION FROM THE INGREDIENT FOR IT TO BE COOLED FROM ITS INITIAL TEMPERATURE TO THE DESIRED FINAL TEMPERATURE FOR SAID INGREDIENT; LOADING A CHARGE OF SUCH INGREDIENT HAVING SUCH MOISTURE CONTENT INTO A VACCUMTIGHTLY CLOSEABLE ZONE; SUBJECTING SAID CHARGE OF INGREDIENT IN THE VACCUM-TIGHT ZONE TO SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INITIALLY TO REMOVE AIR FROM THAT ZONE AND FROM WITHIN THE CHARGE OF THE INGREDIENT; AND CONTINUING TO REDUCE THE ABSOLUTE PRESSURE IN THAT ZONE TO REMOVE SUCH AIR AND ALSO TO PRODUCE A PRESSURE LEVEL AT LEAST AS LOW AS THE VAPOR PRESSURE OF WATER AT THE LOWER TEMPERATURE TO WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO COOL THE CHARGE, AND AT THE SAME TIME TO REMOVE VAPOR PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THE EVAPORATION OF MOISTURE UNDER THE REDUCED PRESSURE, AND DOING SO UNITL SUCH EVAPORATION HAS REDUCED THE TEMPERATURE OF THE CHARGE TO THAT TO WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO COOL SAID CHARGE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF COOLING AN INGREDIENT USED IN MAKING CONCRETE, PRIOR TO ADMIXING IT INTO THE INITIAL OVERALL MIX, SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF THE AGGREGATES AND SAND, AND TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE O* C. BUT SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES ADDING TO SUCH INGREDIENT WHATEVER AMOUNT OF WATER IS NEEDED FOR IT TO HAVE A MOISTURE CONTENT AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE EVAPORATING FROM THE SURFACE OF ITS PARTICLES AN AMOUNT OF WATER THE LATENT HEAT OF VAPORIZATION OF WHICH EQUALS THE AMOUNT OF SENSIBLE HEAT THAT WOULD BE GIVEN UP BY EVAPORATION FROM THE INGREDIENT FOR IT TO BE COOLED FROM ITS INITIAL TEMPERATURE TO THE DESIRED FINAL TEMPERATURE FOR SAID INGREDIENT; LOADING A CHARGE OF SUCH INGREDIENT HAVING SUCH MOISTURE CONTENT INTO A VACCUMTIGHTLY CLOSEABLE ZONE; SUBJECTING SAID CHARGE OF INGREDIENT IN THE VACCUM-TIGHT ZONE TO SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INITIALLY TO REMOVE AIR FROM THAT ZONE AND FROM WITHIN THE CHARGE OF THE INGREDIENT; AND CONTINUING TO REDUCE THE ABSOLUTE PRESSURE IN THAT ZONE TO REMOVE SUCH AIR AND ALSO TO PRODUCE A PRESSURE LEVEL AT LEAST AS LOW AS THE VAPOR PRESSURE OF WATER AT THE LOWER TEMPERATURE TO WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO COOL THE CHARGE, AND AT THE SAME TIME TO REMOVE VAPOR PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THE EVAPORATION OF MOISTURE UNDER THE REDUCED PRESSURE, AND DOING SO UNITL SUCH EVAPORATION HAS REDUCED THE TEMPERATURE OF THE CHARGE TO THAT TO WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO COOL SAID CHARGE.