Method for the cryogenic cooling of powders using an early control strategy

A method for cooling a powder in a tunnel provided with a vibrating support and at least two independently controllable cryogenic liquid inflows into the tunnel, the method comprising:

• a) spraying, via a first independently controllable cryogenic liquid inflow, cryogenic liquid on the support upstream of a point where the powder is deposited on the support;
• b) spraying, via at least one jet of a second independently controllable cryogenic liquid inflow, cryogenic liquid on the powder along a route of the powder in the tunnel;
• and comprising the following steps:
• determining a thermal mass the powder entering the equipment;
• detecting an arrival of the powder at a tunnel inlet;
• synchronizing the thermal mass with the detection of the arrival of the powder at the tunnel inlet according to a known or predefined response time of a system of valves that control the cryogenic liquid inflows into the tunnel;
• and
• transmitting data from the synchronization step to a data acquisition and processing unit, which is able to retroact, if necessary, on the data, on all or part of parameters governing the operation of the tunnel.