What type of fuel do asphalt mixing plants run on?

27.04.20213645 Page views

If you are going to start producing of asphalt, you need to be very careful when choosing type of fuel for asphalt mixing plants.

The fact is that the use of certain types of fuel can be unprofitable for your plant.

What is the reason for this, how to choose the right fuel and what are the options for saving are available is in our article.

What types of fuel are used in asphalt mixing plants?

In general, all types of fuels for asphalt mixing plants can be divided into:

1. liquid
2. gaseous

It is important to understand exactly how you plan to work. For example, if you are planning to purchase a mobile ACP, then in this case it is impractical to work on a gas burner.

The fact is that such equipment is often moved from one facility to another. However, in order to start AMP on gas, the road workers need to collect a large package of permits. Moreover, this must be done at the place of future production, that is, at each new location.

However, if you are looking for a stationary asphalt concrete plant, you can consider introducing of a natural gas burner.

As a result, you will be able to:

• reduce production costs, since the calorific value of gas is higher than other types of fuel;
• resolve issues related to compliance with environmental standards: gas is considered cleaner and safer for the environment than diesel, etc.

The most common types of liquid fuel are:

• Diesel
• Heating oil for asphalt mixing plants

Dark heating oil for AMP is a product of secondary distillation of diesel fractions. It is manufactured on the special equipment that allows you to clearly control the properties and indicators of the final product.

As a rule, such fuel has a sufficiently low flash point, as a result of which various additives must be added to it, which are synthesized from vinyl acetate and ethylene.

Most often, we buy AMP operating on natural gas and liquid fuel.

Whichever type you choose; we recommend you to find in advance the suppliers offering high quality raw materials. A low-quality product can compromise a company's reputation and negatively impact your profit.

Where is fuel used in the asphalt mixing plant

Fuel consumption in AMP is in the following two places:

• In the drying drum

It is necessary to heat the materials of the mixture to those temperature values that are required in the production of asphalt concrete mixture.

The dryer burner consumes the greatest amount of the raw materials. Therefore, its quality directly affects the performance, environmental friendliness and efficiency of AMP.

• For heating of bitumen

This is a secondary burner that uses less fuel than the drying drum. Bitumen is also heated to the required temperature values, and then fed into the compartment to the rest of the ingredients, where they are mixed until smooth.

Fuel saving for asphalt mixing plant

Since fuel is one of the main consumables in the production of the mixture, road workers are interested in how to save on fuel for the asphalt mixing plant.

Some companies take risks and buy a lower quality product. However, we do not recommend going this way, as a low-quality product can break down. As a result, it can clog injectors, filters or completely the entire fuel system. Such "saving" can result in additional and very significant costs.

In order to reduce consumption, we recommend asphalt mixing plant modernizing, namely, equipping the drying drum with a modern furnace unit. This will reduce the fuel consumption of AMP by 20%. You can also replace the bitumen heater by installing a new automatic liquid heater, which can significantly reduce diesel consumption, as well as electricity consumption. 

The specialists of PrJSC “Kredmash” are ready to advise you on the choice of the type of fuel suitable for your tasks.

We can also help you upgrade your ACP to make it more cost effective and efficient.