THE ROAD NEVER ENDS…… WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT

BITUMEN

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM

THE SPORTS SCIENCE INSTITUTE OF SOUTH AFRICA12TH & 13TH MAY 2015

BITUMEN REACTOR

AUTHOR AND PRESENTER – PHIL CHIRNSIDE, COMMERCIAL MANAGER, SPRAYPAVE

ADVISORY – FRANK ALBRECHT, ALBRECHT SUPPLY CONCEPTS

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

UNTIL A CHEAPER, EQUALLY/MORE EFFICIENT MATERIAL IS DISCOVERED,

BITUMEN AS A BINDER WILL REMAIN IN HIGH DEMAND!!!

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

AT WHATEVER POINT IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN WE MAY BE, USERS OF BITUMEN IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION ARE EXPERIENCING EVER INCREASING CHALLENGES IN SECURING SUPPLY……

IN NO WAY UNIQUE TO SOUTH AFRICA : E.G. AUSTRALIA

WHAT OPTIONS DO WE HAVE?

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

OPTIONS FOR SUPPLEMENTING FEEDSTOCK REQUIREMENTS……….

IMPORTATION

- INFLATED COST- CASH TRADE- STORAGE REQUIREMENTS- LEAD TIMES- QUALITY (UNCERTAIN)

ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

- EXPENSIVE- POSSIBLY UNPROVEN- STILL REQUIRE RELIABLE FEEDSTOCK

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

THE TECHNOLOGY – ENGINEERING BITUMEN

TO UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY ONE NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THE COMPLEXITY OF BITUMEN AS A SUBSTANCE …………

- OVER 1,500 DIFFERENT CRUDE OILS IN EXISTENCE.

- BITUMEN YIELD RANGES FROM 60% TO PRACTICALLY 0%.

- BITUMEN ISN’T BITUMEN AS CRUDE OIL ISN’T CRUDE OIL

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

THE TECHNOLOGY – ENGINEERING BITUMEN

THE CHEMESTRY OF BITUMEN …..

- OVER 100,000 HYRDROCARBONS

- ESSENTIALLY A “WILD MIXTURE” OF DIFFERENT SUBSTANCE GROUPS. IN SHORT, S.A.R.A

- SARA: SATURATES, AROMATES , RESINS AND ASPHALTENES

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

THE TECHNOLOGY – ENGINEERING BITUMEN

IT IS FUNDAMENTALLY INSUFFICIENT TO DEFINE THE QUALITY OF BITUMEN BY IT’S PHYSICAL PROPERTIES ONLY

YOU HAVE A GOOD QUALITY BITUMEN IF THE SUBSTANCE GROUPS (SARA) ARE PRESENT IN THE RIGHT BALANCE TO EACH OTHER

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

THE TECHNOLOGY – ENGINEERING BITUMEN

ASPHALTENES ARE IMPORTANT AS THEY BUILD THE BACKBONE OF THE BITUMEN. A WELL BALANCED RATIO TO, AND EMBEDMENT BY, THE RESINS GIVES YOU A HIGH QUALITY BITUMEN.

THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY ENGINEERING BITUMEN WITH THE BITUMEN REACTOR.

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

THE TECHNOLOGY – ENGINEERING BITUMEN

THROUGH THE CONTROLLED PROCESSES IN A BITUMEN REACTOR, UNDER THE ADDITION OF PRESSURE, HEAT AND AIR, IT IS POSSIBILE TO REARRANGE CHEMICAL STRUCTURES RESPECTIVELY TO CREAT ASPHALTENES.

IN A LOOP REACTOR THESE PROCESSES ARE CONTINUOUSLY INITIATED.

THE GENTLE PROCESS AND HIGHLY EFFICIENT ADDITION OF AIR, AND THEREFORE OXYGEN (AIR RECTIFICATION), PRESERVES THE HIGHLY POLAR AROMAT/RESIN FRACTION AND MINIMIZES THE COKE BUILD-UP.

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

THE TECHNOLOGY – THE BITUMEN REACTOR

ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MULTIGRADE BITUMEN IN THE FIJI ISLANDS IN 2008 (MULTIGRADE PLANT)

FOLLOWING FURTHER R&D IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE REACTOR WAS CAPABLE OF MANIPULATING BITUMEN ON A MOLECULAR LEVEL.

WITH ALL OF ITS APPLICATIONS AND BENEFITS IT IS LOOSELY TERMED – THE SWISS ARMY KNIVES OF BITUMEN PLANTS

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

THE TECHNOLOGY – THE BITUMEN REACTORTHE FOLLOWING BITUMEN DEFICIENCIES CAN BE ADDRESSED THROUGH USE OF THE BITUMEN REACTOR:

1. ADHESION2. COHESION3. TOO HARD4. TOO SOFT5. PI TOO HIGH6. PI TOO LOW7. DUCTILITY TOO LOW8. POLYMER COMPATIBILITY

ESSENTIALLY ADDRESSING ANY CURRENT AND FUTURE ISSUES WITH LOCAL BITUMEN SUPPLY AS WELL AS MITIGATING QUALITY RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPORTATION

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

THE TECHNOLOGY – THE BITUMEN REACTOR

CREATES ASPHALTENESPRESERVES HIGH POLAR AROMATICS/RESINS, THEREBY IMPROVING THE OVERALL BITUMEN COMPOSITIONOFFERS MULTIPLE FEEDSTOCK OPTIONS – BITUMEN, VACUUM RESIDUE/BOTTOMS, REFINERY SIDESTREAMS AND BLENDS THEREOFPRODUCTIONS CAN BE MADE TO MEASURE (WITH AND WITHOUT USING REAGENTS)SAME OR BETTER PRODUCT QUALITY COMPARED TO A CONVENTIONAL BLOWING PROCESSMINIMAL PRODUCT LOSS: 0.01% IN AVERAGECONTINUOUS PROCESS – NO BATCH LIMITATIONSA BITUMEN GRADE CHANGE (E.G. 70/100 TO 50/70) CAN BE ACHIEVED AT A CAPACITY OF ABOUT 20T/HRCAN ACHIEVE A SPECIFIC PI OF WITHIN 5 (E.G. 65/70)

CORNERSTONES………..

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

LAB SCALE AND PILOT PLANT TESTING

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

LAB SCALE AND PILOT PLANT TESTING

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

LAB SCALE AND PILOT PLANT TESTING

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

LAB SCALE AND PILOT PLANT TESTING

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

LAB SCALE AND PILOT PLANT TESTING

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

LAB SCALE AND PILOT PLANT TESTING

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

LAB SCALE AND PILOT PLANT TESTING

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

LAB SCALE AND PILOT PLANT TESTING

FUTURE STUDIES TO INCLUDE CHEMICAL FRACTIONATION AND RHEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PRODUCED BITUMEN AND FEED MATERIALS USING S.A.R.A ANALYSIS BY IATROSCAN.

IDENTIFYING CORRELATION BETWEEN S.A.R.A PROPERTIES AND PERFORMANCE OF BOTH INFERIOR AND SUPERIOR BITUMENS.

29TH ROAD PAVEMENT FORUM – BITUMEN REACTOR

QUESTIONS?

You can’t expect to meet the challenges of today with yesterday’s tools and expect to

still be in business tomorrow