ASPHALT PLANT OPERATION

1 Introduction to Asphalt Plants

Part 1 — Types of Asphalt Plants
2 Drum Asphalt Plants
3 Batch Asphalt Plants
3.1 Continuous Mix Asphalt Plants
Part 2 — Asphalt Plant Components
4 Aggregate Feed Bins to the Asphalt Plant
5 Collecting Conveyor
6 Scalping Screen (with respect to Asphalt Plants)
7 Drum Feed Conveyor
8 Asphalt Plant Burner
9 Asphalt Plant Drum Mixer
10 Air Filtration Baghouse (environmental)
11 Asphalt Plant Slat/Bucket Conveyor
12 Hot Mix Storage Silos
13 Asphalt Cement Storage Tank
Part 3 — Asphalt Plant Illustrations
14 Asphalt Plant Illustrations

Introduction to Asphalt Plants

This section of the Aggregate Designs Corporation web page is intended to inform
the reader about different aspects of asphalt plants, from the different kinds that
exist to the different subsystems in a typical asphalt plant. Over one-half of the
Interstate System and 70 percent of all highways are paved with hot-mix asphalt
concrete. Asphalt concrete is probably the largest single highway program
investment today and there is no evidence that this will change in the near future.
Hence the importance of asphalt plant productivity.

Part 1 — Types of Asphalt Plants

Drum Asphalt Plants

In a drum asphalt plant crushed aggregate of different sizes that is stored in cold
feed bins is metered out from these hoppers onto a conveyer belt where it enters a
rotary dryer. This dryer can be either gas or oil fired. This hot aggregate is then
dropped onto a set of vibrating screens where it can be classified into as many as 4
different sizes and is placed into individual hot bins based on these grades. These
grades are then combined in the desired formulation by an operator weighing the
aggregate out into a weigh hopper. Reclaimed Asphalt Product (RAP) can then also
 be added to the mix in some percentage. Bituminous asphalt cement, heated in a
hot oil tank, is then also weighed out for the correct final mix ratio. All ingredients
travel through the drum where it is mixed for a short time, typically less than a
minute. This Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) is then conveyed to a hot storage silo (often
using a slat conveyer) or directly into delivery trucks and hauled to the job site.

Batch Asphalt Plants

Batch Asphalt Plants literally make Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) one batch at a time.
They have the advantage of being able to taylor each truckload of HMA to exact
specifications, whereas a drum asphalt plant generally produces high volumes of
the same "recipe". Aggregate, RAP and asphalt cement are mixed in a pugmill
mixer rather than a drum.

Continuous Mix Asphalt Plants

Continuous Mix Asphalt Plants make up less than 1/2 percent of plants in the US
and are most similar to drum plants.

Part 2 — Asphalt Plant Components, Typical Drum Plant

Aggregate Feed Bins to the Asphalt Plant

Depending on the formulation of the asphalt mix up to four different sizes of
aggregate might be combined to create the final product. These raw ingredients
are stored in bins known as cold feed bins which would each typically have a
conveyor scale leading to another conveyor called a collecting conveyor.

Collecting Conveyor
The Collecting Conveyor takes measured amounts of aggregate from the cold feed
bins and transfers it to the drum mixer, optionally through a scalping screen.

Scalping Screen
A Scalping screen can be added between the cold feed bins and a conveyor going
to the drum mixer. This is used to rescreen the crushed aggregate to remove any
oversize materials that might be in the rock. Often times the rock is crushed and
stockpiled on the ground and then later reclaimed by loader and put in the cold
feed bins to be blended to make the hot mix asphalt. It would be possible for there
to be some rock in the piles that didn’t belong there and you can’t have oversize in
the ac mix it would ruin the mat when you go to lay it out and roll it. This can also
aid in blending the different sizes of aggregate prior to entering the drum.
Drum Feed Conveyor
If a scalping screen is used after the collecting conveyor then it must send the
screened product to another conveyor leading to the drum.

Asphalt Plant Burner

A large burner with a substantial fan attached to it blows into one end of the drum
to dry and heat the aggregate mix. Typically near the center of the drum the hot
asphalt cement is injected into the drum to mix with the hot aggregate.

Asphalt Plant Drum Mixer

Aggregate from the drum conveyor is dumped into a large hollow cylinder known
as the asphalt drum where it dries, mixes and is mixed with the bituminous asphalt
cement. Any Recycled Asphalt Product (RAP) can also be added in measured
quantities to the drum. There are paddles and agitators in the drum to insure that
thorough mixing occurs before the conglomerate leaves the drum.

Air Filtration Baghouse

The heated air that is blown into the drum extracts large amounts of dust and sand
from the heating aggregate mix and can't simply be exhausted into the
atmosphere without being cleaned. This is the job of the baghouse. It is a large
volume enclosure with lots of filter bags that remove and collect the fine particles
coming out of the drum. These particles are commonly fed back into the drum
near the asphalt cement input to become part of the mix. A wet venturi scrubber
can also serve the function of a baghouse.

Asphalt Plant Slat/Bucket Conveyor

Once the completed asphalt hot mix product exits the drum it goes to a conveyor
belt that is either implemented with slats or buckets. This highly-inclined device
carries the HMA to one or more silos. Slats are the preferred implementation of
this conveyor now.

Hot Mix Storage Silos

These silos are often heated so finished product can be stored there for a number
of days. From here, it is dispensed into waiting trucks to be hauled to the job.

Part 3 — Asphalt Plant Illustrations

Asphalt Plant Illustrations

Typical drum asphalt plant