Ashalt Pro - October 2012

Asphalt Industry Remains Green

Tri-County Asphalt Diverts RAP Fines Stay Safe: Ignite Mindset

WMA Can Wait Lower Emissions Shut Down for QC October 2012

contents

16

Departments Letter from the Editor 5 Who’s Representing You? Around the Globe 6 Safety Spotlight 8 Don’t Burn Out on Safety

by Cliff Mansfield

8

Mix It Up 10 Troxler Preps for Superpave Overlays With PMW acquisition, company gets full line for testing rehab, resurfacing mixes

By AsphaltPro Staff Producer Profile 12 Producers Don’t Want to Overlook the Ground Personnel

By T.J. Young Equipment Maintenance 16 Tune Burner to Meet Regs

By Patrick Horn Project Management 26 Know When to Shut it Down Take down production when there’s a problem to keep quality, safety in control

By John Ball Equipment Gallery 46 Producers Want Simplicity in WMA Process

28

Articles 28 Processing Optimizes RAP Value for Tri-County Asphalt

By Tom Kuennen 37 Take Asphalt Back to School

By Sandy Lender 38 Virginia Paving Handles the Wait

By Sandy Lender 52 Book Gives Kids the Scoop

By Sandy Lender

Here’s How It Works 54 Clarence Richard Companies’ EZ-Flo Scale 56 PQ Corp’s Additive-Treated RAS

52 KPI-JCI Preserves Soldiers’ Jobs

Resource Directory 65

38

Last Cut 66 India Gains Crude Ground

By Sandy Lender

26

Asphalt Industry Remains Green

Tri-County Asphalt Diverts RAP Fines Stay Safe: Ignite Mindset

WMA Can Wait Lower Emissions Shut Down for QC OCTOBER 2012

On The Cover…Adding recycling efficiency meant squeezing portable equipment into an urban footprint for Tri-County Asphalt Materials. See related article on page 28. Photo courtesy of Kleemann.

editor's note October 2012 • Vol. 6 No. 1

Who’s Representing You?

2001 Corporate Place Columbia, MO 65202 573-499-1830 • 573-499-1831 www.theasphaltpro.com publisher

Chris Harrison associate publisher

Sally Shoemaker sally@theasphaltpro.com (573) 499-1830 x1008

editor

Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613

Art Director

Kristin Branscom operations/circulation manager

Cindy Sheridan business manager

Renea Sapp AsphaltPro is published 10 times per year: January, February, March, April, May, June/July, August/September, October, November and December by The Business Times Company, 2001 Corporate Place, Columbia, MO 65202 Writers expressing views in AsphaltPro Magazine or on the AsphaltPro website are professionals with sound, professional advice. Views expressed herein are not necessarily the same as the views of AsphaltPro or Business Times Company staff, thus producers/contractors are still encouraged to use best practices when implementing new advice.

Subscription Policy: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the United Sates, Canada and Mexico to qualified individuals.

One year subscription to non-qualifying Individuals: United States $90, Canada and Mexico $125.00. For the international digital edition, visit theasphaltpro.com/subscribe-2.

Single copies available $17 each.

I walked out of a restaurant the other morning and instantly berated myself for not having a camera in my hand. In the parking lot stood a fellow with a pan of paint and a hand-held roller. Before him, a young lady in high heels with her hair done up in some kind of pretty fashion unrolled a knotted string of nylon-like rope between the walkway railing and a pop-up caution sign, which promptly blew over in the Southwest Florida wind. They comprised the parking lot striping crew.

Now, a majority of the folks reading this magazine aren’t parking lot stripers. You all are a few pay grades above that. But it’s that kind of panin-the-hand operation that represents our industry to the general public way too often.

On a recent flight back from an asphalt event, the gentleman in the seat next to me asked how he could make sure he ended up with a good driveway job. I told him the easiest thing to do was to pick a contractor off his state’s asphalt association website. I helped him figure out what that website was and where the members list was, etc. Imagine if he’d just accepted the first crew that stopped by claiming they had “some mix left over from another job” and could give him a good price on it. Hopefully my input will help him have a positive experience not just with his driveway, but also with a professional and organized company.

In this month’s issue of AsphaltPro, we focus on green practices. Asphalt industry members who use warm-mix asphalt (WMA) and recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and shingles (RAS) to save energy and natural resources give more than good examples from which others can learn. They represent our industry as a whole in the public eye, showing everyone from media to neighbors to state planning officials that entrusting infrastructure enhancements to asphalt professionals is a responsible way to build perpetual pavements.

What do you do when you see someone representing your industry well?

In this politically charged climate, representation weighs heavily on my mind.

Is there someone in your company, in your state association, in your user/ producer group or in your professional scene whom you feel does a great job showing off the benefits of asphalt? Maybe you’re the leader who brings a new technology or a new PR piece or a positive message to the community around you.

That kind of representation should be applauded. When we see an unmarked truck doling out shovels full of left-over mix to unsuspecting home owners, it’s time to call the Better Business Bureau and the local news channel to turn in the interlopers and highlight the differences between the nonprofessionals and the real asphalt industry members. When we see a good, safe, environmentally friendly project going down, it’s time to call the owner and/or the prime on the project to say you noticed and you’re thankful for their positive representation of our industry. They may or may not want you calling the local news channel to attract attention, but you can always call me to brag on them!

Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 5

around the globe

Industry News and Happenings from Around the World China As early as April of this year, Singapore was reporting that Shangdong- and Northeast China-based refiners were preferring to produce coking feedstock over selling their bitumen into the spot market. By June, bitumen supply saw increases while prices dropped considerably in the Asian market—as crude prices did around the globe. This took place while China exported 43,464 megatonnes of bitumen to Vietnam during the first six months of the year. By August, bulk bitumen prices in Singapore had recovered by U.S.$5 per megatonne compared to July prices, putting them in the range of U.S.$605 to 615 PMT. This is still less than what Singapore was seeing in January.

Sources: Various

Oman The Oman Daily Observer reported Aug. 22 that the construction of a bitumen terminal, and a cement terminal, at the Port of Duqm in Muscat, by the end of 2013 is expected to have positive ramifications on the development of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) located nearby. Reggy Vermeulen is the commercial director for the port and told the Observer, “Both facilities will contribute to a dramatic reduction in the local cost of these strategic commodities in the Duqm SEZ, as well as significantly reduce the construction cost of projects involving the use of these commodities.” The investor is still reviewing what capacity the bitumen terminal will require.

Thailand Even though Thailand exported 11,515 megatonnes of bitumen to Australia in July, the country’s exports decreased by 11 percent overall during the first half of the year as compared to January to July of 2011. Source: Petrosil’s Bitumart

United States • State transportation departments (DOTs) that have unspent earmarks from FY2003 through 2006 can now use their unused earmark funds on any eligible highway, transit, passenger rail or port project they 6 october 2012

wish, according to the American Association for State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). This means states must identify their projects by Oct. 1 and obligate them by Dec. 31 to take advantage of the $470 million plus in unobligated earmark funds that are out there. The penalty for missing the deadline is harsh. AASHTO reports that any funds not obligated by the end of 2012 will be redistributed in FY2013 to states that did meet the deadline.

• For up-to-the-minute info and updates that impact the asphalt industry, follow http:// twitter.com/AsphaltPro.

Alaska Amanda Holland, division operations manager at the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, has been appointed Chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Subcommittee on Personnel and Human Resources (ASHR).

Florida The benevolent national organization, Construction Angels received its 501(c)(3) status retroactive to June 2011 and will host its first motorcycle run this Oct. 13 to raise funds for families of road construction workers killed while working on jobsites. Visit www.ConstructionAngels.us for more information and to see other upcoming events.

Maryland The Rubberized Asphalt Foundation (RAF) announced in the August/September issue of AsphaltPro is calling for project profiles, studies, specifications and other data that is valuable to professionals deciding on the use of recycled rubber in asphalt pavements.

The white papers and other documents will be catalogued and placed in an online library.

To submit an item, contact Professor Walaa Mogawer at editor@rafoundation.org.

Massachusetts Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed a $1.5 billion bond bill Aug. 9 designed to allocate both state funds and federal funds for

road, bridge and rail projects in the state.

About $885 million in state funds leverage FY2013 federal funds. The law provides the funding necessary for the last of a five-year transportation bond bill Patrick signed in 2008. The new law also changes the state’s Greenway Conservancy Board so that it must now have open meetings. Source: Associated Press

North Carolina Now when you visit Volvo Construction Equipment’s Youtube channel, you can catch one- to two-minute corporate news reports of interest to construction industry members.

Go to www.youtube.com and search for Volvo Construction Equipment Americas and subscribe to their channel.

South Dakota Get $100 in early bird savings on or before Oct. 12 for the Nov. 6 through 8 Service/Applications course from KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens, Yankton, S.D. Attendees train in the Scheid-Iverson Training Center in Yankton. Contact Terry Haas at (605) 668-2545 or terryhaas@kpijci.com.

Washington, D.C. MAP-21 comes with policy reforms, program consolidation and environmental improvements that the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) reports will result in legal and regulatory challenges for delivering transportation improvements.

For a mere $595, ARTBA will help those in transportation design and construction prepare to meet those challenges. Visit www. artba.org for information on the Oct. 24 to 25 annual Legal Forum, which will focus on MAP-21 this year.

Wisconsin Liberty Tire Recycling, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., shared the applications and benefits of rubberized asphalt with more than 30 attendees at the Recycle WISCONSIN: 2012 event Aug. 15 at the Modified Asphalt Research Center (MARC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

safety spotlight

Don’t Burn Out on Safety

by Cliff Mansfield

T

he asphalt plant and surrounding yard can be a dangerous work environment. Accidents happen far too often if workers don’t pay attention to details, aren’t taught good safety practices or become complacent over time. Most accidents can be traced to the same root cause: production needs supersede common sense safety practices. Let’s take a look at one such case in the southwest United States.

Most plant operators are familiar with the flame eye, which is a device that either confirms that the burner has lit or shuts the fuel off if the burner has not lit. A few years ago, an asphalt plant ground man whose name we’ll change to Bob had found a way to bypass the flame eye that had failed at his plant.

In an unrelated incident, the ignition transformer for the igniter had burned out. The crew had ordered a new one and while waiting for it to arrive Bob had been using a propane torch regularly to fire the burner.

One day when Bob pushed the torch into the burner air stream, it was blown out.

8 october 2012

The plant operator was distracted by a state inspector, so he kept his finger on the start button, continually blowing atomized raw fuel into the drier. After some difficulty, Bob managed to relight the torch and again pushed it into the air stream. This time the accumulated fuel ignited explosively. It severely burned Bob. He fell off the burner deck to the ground, fracturing his skull. He later died as a result of his injuries.

Is burner safety as simple as “keep propane torches away?” There’s more to it than that; we have to train employees for a safe mindset.

We take burner safety systems for granted because contemporary burner controls include such things as purge timers, flame eyes and over-temperature devices. These systems are normally very reliable. In the heat of battle, when one of the safeties fails and the burner won’t light, many workers will bypass the safety until it can be fixed. Sometimes several related systems can fail and bypassing them has tragic results, as evidenced in this story.

Disabling the safety system was the root cause of this accident. The incident can be traced directly to the operator’s failure to repair the burner flame eye safety device

At Left: This flame eye control is a safety device that confirms the burner has lit and shuts the fuel off if it has not lit. If such a safety device ever fails, you want to repair it as soon as possible, not find a way to work around it. Above: Flame eye scanner.

Photos courtesy of Astec, Inc.

and to the practice of allowing the victim to ignite the burner with a hand held torch. Repairs to any safety devices—especially on burner systems—should take priority over daily operations. The amount of mix that this particular plant managed to make while running crippled could in no way compensate for the loss of that man’s life.

The best advice I can offer would be that a company carry spare parts to facilitate immediate repair of any safety system component. Any other scenario is asking for trouble. No amount of production is worth putting a man’s life in danger.

As mentioned above, a common thread in asphalt plant accidents is a disregard for safety issues in deference to production pressures. Asphalt plant operators often feel tremendous pressure to produce by any means possible. Unfortunately, this shifts the focus off safety and onto money without anyone realizing it’s happened.

A clear-cut set of guidelines dealing with the company’s policy on safety issues should be drawn up and distributed to everyone involved with the plant. Be sure to include the paving superintendent so he or she doesn’t unknowingly exert pressure on the plant operator.

Remember: Everyone wants to do a good job that the state inspector or owner/agency will approve.

Sometimes employees go to great lengths to get results. To that end, conditions might be overlooked that would never be forgotten under normal circumstances. When dealing with safety issues, one must keep in mind the fact that you need to be safe all the time; you need only be careless once for tragedy to strike.

Cliff Mansfield is an asphalt plant engineer and a freelance writer specializing in asphalt plants. For more information, contact him at (541) 352-7942 or send him your question through the “Ask the Plant Expert” form on the home page at www.TheAsphaltPro.com. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 9

mix it up

Troxler Preps for Superpave Overlays

With PMW acquisition, company gets full line for testing rehab, resurfacing mixes

By AsphaltPro Staff

A

t the end of August, Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C., purchased Precision Machine and Welding’s asphalt testing equipment, including the PMW WheelTracker, Linear Compactor and High Energy Asphalt Mixer.

Troxler’s general manager, Eric Dunkelberg implied the highlight of the acquisition is the PMW WheelTracker, which is a Hamburg-style piece of lab testing equipment used to determine the wearability and water damage potential of asphalt mixes by simulating roadway conditions in a controlled environment.

Dunkelberg said the PMW product line compliments the Troxler suite of testing equipment and that will be a boon for customers involved in pavement maintenance and preservation activities. For example, company representatives state that the Overlay Tester, which is a machine designed to establish material behavior of thinner specimens such as overlays and individual lift samples, can be used for design, acceptance and quality control/quality acceptance (QC/QA).

When coupled with the Troxler PMW WheelTracker and vetted with the Troxler Model 5850 Gyratory Compactor, lab techs should be able to achieve balanced mixes that meet Superpave criteria.

“Our industry is changing,” Darin Smith stated. He’s the North American sales manager for Troxler. “Our customers are now maintaining existing road systems more than they are building new ones. The Overlay Tester and the Troxler PMW WheelTracker provide our customers with a solution to designing mixes for rehabilitation and resurfacing.”

Jeff Harris, the founder of PMW, will lead an extensive training program for Troxler employees, after which those 10 october 2012

Above Left: The Troxler PMW WheelTracker. Above Right: Microsoft Windows based PC

workers will manufacture the WheelTracker at the Research Triangle Park location. Troxler’s president and CEO, Billy Troxler shared that this acquisition “underscores our commitment to North Carolina and domestic manufacturing.”

The WheelTracker is manufactured out of about 93 percent stainless steel. It features two wheels that are 203 mm in diameter and 47 mm wide.

It simulates roadway conditions, as mentioned above, using a linear value displacement transducer to measure the deformation of an asphalt sample from 0 to 30 mm (+0.15 mm) over 11 equally spaced points at 158 pounds of pressure—that is adjustable.

With two 4,500-Watt water heaters, the lab tech can set the testing environment temperature between 15 and 17oC (+0.3oC), but not lower than room temperature. The machine has three testing modes: wet, dry or optional air heat. The whole system is controlled by a PC and PLC system with custom-designed software on a Microsoft Windows based computer.

It features automatic drain, fill and circulation pump with filter, and automatically maintains the water level during testing. It has a variable speed drive in one-pass-per-minute increments and will automatically shut off at the end of the test. The tech can set the end of the test as reaching a specified deformation or completing a maximum number of cycles, up to 400,000 passes.

As all good lab techs know, power loads make or break a safe environment. The WheelTracker requires the following: 208/230V 50/60 Hz Three-Phase. It weighs 1,450 pounds and takes up the following space: 64 inches in length, 54 inches in width and 56.5 inches in height.

It’s designed to keep the operator at a safe distance from all moving parts and locks out when the wheel is in the upright position. There’s a guard to protect around the linear bearings and a motion detection system is available.

For more information, contact Chris Swiers at 877-TROXLER or cswiers@troxlerlabs.com.

producer profile

Producers Don’t Want to Overlook the Ground Personnel The number of components to check during a walk-around is phenomenal, making an experienced ground person vital to the daily life and uptime of the asphalt plant. Photo courtesy of Cliff Mansfield, Odell, Ore.

By T.J. Young

O

ne of the most underused assets at our plant facilities is not a piece of equipment. It’s a human asset—our ground personnel. Management often considers the grounds person an entry level employee; he’s used for greasing the plant and cleaning up under the belt conveyors and around the scales. Nothing could be further from the truth.

12 october 2012

The ground person is really the point man for ensuring on-line availability of our plants. Consider the truth. Who’s the person right up close to the plant equipment as it operates during the day? The ground person.

If properly trained and instructed, the ground person is the primary person to ensure the plant stays on-line and operating each and every day. If a ground person is on his toes and doing his job properly, he can catch

needed repairs and equipment malfunctions quickly and before they do significant damage. And yet we typically give him little guidance.

We throw a grease gun in his hand and then tell him to keep the plant greased and let us know if there are any problems. A ground person that has been around a while might have learned through experience what could happen around a plant, and how much lubrication to give each

producer profile piece of equipment, but a ground person that works hard and shows promise is typically “moved up” into a loader operator or other position.

He may even be removed from the plant site. Let’s face it; this is a hot job. Moving experienced ground people creates a personnel vacuum in a key position that starts the cycle of inexperience all over again.

A little better instruction and in my vote, an attitude to shift about how important a ground person is to a successful operation, is in order.

A plant should be walked every two hours during operation, not just at the beginning of a shift or as a daily walk-around. Walking the plant every two hours allows us to catch problems early before they cause significant damage. Knowing what to look for, however, is critical.

The walk-around starts first thing when arriving at the plant site by making sure the asphalt storage tanks are at proper temperature, the hot oil heat system is at proper temperature, and the heat transfer oil is properly circulating through the lines.

As the slat conveyors and belt conveyors are turned on they should be checked for proper tracking. Flop doors directing material into the drum and directing material into the silos at the mix transfer points should be visibly checked to make sure they are working properly and not binding. Batchers should be checked to make sure they are cycling correctly.

Safety gates and silo gates should be checked to make sure they are going to open properly. Slugs should be pulled from the mix storage silos, which also eliminates any oxidized or cooled mix from segregating the first loads of the day.

This, of course, requires a trip to the silos and to the top of the silos.

Relying on the limit switch lights in the control tower that advise the operator that everything is cycling properly is insufficient. Many a plant has been stopped up first thing in the morning because the plant operator either didn’t cycle his silo equipment 14 october 2012

or simply relied “on the lights” to make sure everything was working properly. I favor a physical trip to the top of the silos with a hand-held radio to make sure that everything on the equipment side matches what the operator sees on the control panel in the control room.

Most ground personnel don’t take trips to the top of the silos frequently enough during the course of the day, nor do the plant foremen force them to do so. To be safe, a trip to the top of the silos should be done at least twice per day during operation. I favor every two hours. Oilers have to be filled, pins and clevises on air cylinders need to be checked for wear and breakage, and air cylinders and solenoids that are starting to wear can typically be identified early on by the sound of leaking air.

Another useful tool for our ground personnel is an infrared thermometer. These have become very inexpensive the last few years, and are available at Grainger, Harbor Freight, and even Lowe’s and Home Depot. These are very handy diagnostic tools. A decent one can be purchased for less $100.

Because asphalt plants only need to be greased about every 50 hours of operation, because a proper set of belt scrapers eliminates 90 percent of the spillage around an asphalt plant, and because a walk-around only needs to be done every couple hours, the ground person has time on his hand to use this tool during his walk around to help find bearings and gearboxes that are in distress well before they show actual signs of imminent failure.

Having taken temperatures at hundreds of asphalt plants, I was surprised to find that bearing and gearbox temperatures after a couple hours of operation are predictable.

This means we can use this information as a diagnostic aid for pending failure (See Sidebar).

Here’s a paradigm shift for you. A ground person job is still the best entry level position at a mix plant.

You’re right there close to the action

watching everything happen. Whether you head to the lab, the road, or into the control room or loader later, it’s still a great place to start, but a good ground person should be treated as a key person of your production team, not just as a greaser and oiler. He’s a critically important part of the operation.

Show me a highly trained and motivated ground person and I’ll show you a plant that never breaks down.

Now, should we consider this a final position for some people and reward them accordingly?

T.J. Young is the proprietor of T2ASCO, Overland Park, Kan. For more information, contact him at (913) 634-4967 or tjyoung2@att.net.

Predictable Temps Bearing and gearbox temperatures typically run as follows: • Trunnion and pugmill bearings = 110 to 125°F (+/- 5°) (A bearing showing a higher temperature is taking more of the load and under distress. It’s often the result of alignment problems.)

• Exhaust fan bearings = 155 to 185°F (These usually don’t match inboard versus outboard.)

• Slat and bucket elevator bearings = 135 to 185°F (These usually don’t match side to side on head shaft and tail shaft. Head and tail shaft bearings typically run 155 to 185°F. Idler bearings typically run 135°F.) • Baghouse and screw conveyor bearings = 110 to 135°F • All other bearings = 90 to 115°F • Large drive gearboxes = 135 to 155°F • All other gearboxes = 110 to 115°F (NOTE: Temperatures that are 10 to 30°F higher than those listed here are a cause for alarm. Pass this article, and sidebar especially, on to your ground personnel after you buy them some hand-held infrared thermometers.)

equipment maintenance

Patrick Horn shows that filtering waste and heavy oils is critical in preventing oil nozzle blockage.

Tune Burner to Meet Regs

By Patrick Horn

A

ir quality is important to the asphalt industry. Environmental regulations require that asphalt plants meet certain emissions guidelines to operate. These guidelines differ by geographic area, some being more stringent than others. A proactive burner maintenance and tune-up program will provide the best opportunity for you to achieve air quality standards and more reliable, safer burner operations.

16 october 2012

Proper burner maintenance can be simple to accomplish. All instructions for the burner and its components should be read and understood before any maintenance, adjustment or a tune-up is started. If your staff lacks the proper training or tooling for burner maintenance, most burner manufacturers offer extensive training on their products or can provide technicians for hire who can perform these services on your behalf.

The essential components of a combustion system, regardless of brand, are fundamentally similar on most

contemporary burners. After all, the only things we need at the burner are fuel, oxygen and ignition. A specific maintenance program would involve examining the components of the fuel system and the air supply, and then proceed to tuning the burner itself.

Fuel System Maintenance of Oil Fired Burners

Work from the oil tank to the burner. First, check and clean the basket strainer between the oil tank and the pump. Regularly cleaning the strainer

equipment maintenance will keep an unobstructed flow of oil to the pump and reduce the potential for component failure. Next, the fuel pressure regulator or relief valve should be checked. Make sure the lock nut on the adjusting screw is accessible and clean. If the screw or lock

nut is dirty or non-operational, repair or replace the regulator. A poorly maintained oil regulator will detract from your ability to accurately tune the burner. Check the oil pump and verify that the seals are not leaking. If the burner is firing heavy oil—such as

#4, #6 or recycled oil—verify that all piping is properly insulated or traced if long piping runs exist.

At the burner, clean the “Y” strainer. Properly filtering waste and heavy oils is critical in preventing oil nozzle blockage or shutoff valve obstructions.

Check the fuel pressure gauge at the burner and verify that it is the proper range and that it is operational. Accurate fuel pressure readings are essential in tuning the burner. Examine and test the low oil pressure switch.

For heavy oil applications, several additional steps are required. The oil heater and controls must be checked for leakage or improper operation including the oil temperature switch on the burner manifold. Oil viscosity levels should be regularly determined, preferably by load. Viscosity can vary considerably from load to load and source to source. Consult with your burner manufacturer for proper viscosity levels. Clean all linkage to the oil valve and lubricate as necessary. If the linkage binds or is rough, repair or replace the appropriate parts. Consult with your burner manufacturer for proper linkage settings. For installations using a direct coupled valve, it’s important to verify proper alignment between the actuator shaft and the control valve. Misalignment can cause increased stress on the components and could lead to improper operation and premature failure. Finally, remove and clean the oil nozzle per the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Fuel System Maintenance of Natural Gas Fired Burners

Maintenance on a gas-fired system is often less labor intensive than an oil or LP fired system. Always work from the fuel source toward the burner.

Check the main gas regulator, usually owned by the local gas company.

Verify that the sensing lines, if any, are intact. Don’t adjust your gas supplier’s regulator. (Your gas company can assist in cleaning and maintaining gas regulators.)

18 october 2012

A “Y” strainer is usually recommended for use in the fuel system, before the control regulator. If you have a strainer, clean it. Examine the control regulator and verify that the adjustment screw is accessible and adjustable. Clean and lubricate the adjusting screw as necessary.

At the burner gas manifold, verify that the manual gas cock(s) are accessible and that the valve handles are installed. Locate the pressure gauge and verify that it operates properly; the gauge is essential in finalizing the tuneup. Cycle the low and high gas pressure switches to verify that they operate correctly. Clean and lubricate the gas valve linkage. If the linkage binds or is rough, replace the appropriate parts. Consult the burner manufacturer for linkage set-up instructions.

For installations using a direct coupled valve, verify proper alignment between the actuator shaft and the control valve to minimize stress on

the components. Improper alignment could lead to premature equipment failure. If the burner has accessible gas passages, clean them as necessary.

Here, Horn demonstrates how to verify that the pressure gauge operates properly.

Fuel System Maintenance of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LP) Burners

For LP, inspect and clean the “Y” strainer between the pump and tank.

Next, verify that the pressure gauge at the outlet of the pump is operational. Clean and lubricate the adjusting screws on the backpressure regulator and flow control valve. Next, examine and clean the “Y” strainer at the burner manifold. Verify that the low LP pressure switch and the pressure gauge at the burner are operational. Clean and lubricate the LP valve linkage. Modulate the linkage to the LP valve and verify that operation is smooth and unobstructed. If any binding occurs, replace the appropriate parts. Consult with the burner manufacturer for linkage set-up instructions.

For installations using a direct coupled valve, verify proper alignment

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 19

equipment maintenance between the actuator shaft and the control valve. Misalignment can cause increased stress on the components and could lead to improper operation and premature failure. Remove and clean the LP nozzle per the manufacturer’s instructions.

For other fuels not discussed here, consult with your burner manufacturer.

Air Supply System Maintenance… …for Compressed Air For some burners, especially those operating at altitude or with heavy fuel oils, compressed air may be used to improve atomization. First, verify that the compressor is producing the

correct pressure at the burner. Clean any filters in the supply line and repair any leaks. Follow the compressor manufacturer’s recommended maintenance instructions. …for Combustion/Atomizing Air Blower Verify that the blower’s inlet guard is in place. Repair cracks or damage to the housing. If excessive noise or vibration exists, it may be necessary to balance the fan. Patch any leaks in the duct between the blower outlet and burner air inlet. For belt-driven blowers, lubricate bearings and tension belts per manufacturer’s instructions. Verify that rated outlet pressure is developed. Monitor amp draw. Clean and lubricate linkage on air valve. Modulate the air valve and verify that travel is smooth. If any binding occurs, replace parts as necessary or consult the manufacturer for linkage set-up instructions. …for Main Air Fan As with the combustion air blower, verify that the inlet guard is in place and repair any leaks in the housing. If excessive noise or vibration is an issue, balance the fan. Lubricate bearings and inspect belts on belt-driven models. Verify that rated outlet pressure is developed. Clean and lubricate linkages. Modulate the air valve and verify that travel is smooth. If any binding occurs, replace parts as necessary or consult manufacturer for linkage set up instructions.

Top: Horn makes sure the blower’s inlet guard is in place. Bottom: Horn makes sure the rated outlet pressure is developed on the main air fan.

20 october 2012

…for Induced Air (Exhaust) Verify that exhaust damper control is operational and properly set. Lubricate damper linkages and verify that they travel smoothly. Inspect damper blades for wear.

In addition to the fuel and air supply, examine and clean the pilot nozzle and flame detectors. For the pilot nozzle, verify that the igniter is properly gapped and clean. For flame detectors, verify that they’re properly aimed and cooled.

Once all this maintenance is complete, you’re ready to consider tune-up.

The Tune-Up

Workers no longer eyeball a flame as a method of tuning a burner. Today’s emissions performance standards require more modern techniques.

Use of a portable combustion analyzer can give very accurate results concerning a burner’s performance.

A typical tune-up should include use of a flue gas analyzer and a series of adjustments to the burner designed to achieve the most desirable emission results. A basic tune-up for emissions testing can usually be completed in a day or less, and should certainly precede any official compliance test protocol.

To tune a burner effectively, you must have in-depth knowledge of the burner itself and be familiar with how to adjust the burner settings to achieve the required result. The individual tuning the burner must also have a working knowledge of a combustion

Place the sample tube properly to get accurate dryer drum gas analysis.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 21

equipment maintenance analyzer and understand the relationship between what the analyzer is displaying and what corrective action is necessary. Finally, familiarity with the inner workings of an asphalt plant is an asset to the individual tuning the burner.

The goal of the tune-up is to bring the plant to operate within the emissions performance guidelines of its operating permit, or if no guidelines exist, to adjust the burner to run at peak efficiency.

22 october 2012

The plant should be operated under normal conditions. A flue gas sample should then be taken by sampling in the drum, as outlined in Table 1. This provides the most accurate measurement of true burner emissions. Stack readings will include significantly higher concentrations of O2 due to tramp air infiltration. The difference between drum and stack O2 measurements can serve as a useful maintenance indicator for any ductwork, baghouse, cyclone, etc.

located between the drum and the stack.

Obtain Flue Gas Readings

A critical step in dryer drum gas analysis is the placement of the sample tube. Proper analysis of the readings depends on the location from which the sample is drawn. Refer to line drawing on page 21 for specific instructions for batch and drum mix pipe installation.

equipment maintenance • Use a reliable gas analyzer and follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to its proper operations.

• Install the sample pipe in the dryer drum to eliminate stray O2, overheated RAP or AC contamination of the readings.

• Develop the sample using the plant’s average tonnage, moisture and firing rates.

• Allow at least 10 to 15 minutes running time at production rates before taking readings.

• The sample tubing from the pipe to the analyzer should be as short as possible. Tubing materials of rubber, plastic or silicone can be used in ¼-inch (6.4-mm) I.D. size.

• If using RAP, locate the sample pipe ahead of the entry point by 18 to 24 inches (460 to 610 mm).

Once the results have been analyzed, adjustments to the burner can be made. To effectively adjust the burner, the technician must understand how a change to air supply, fuel supply, or both air and fuel supply will affect the stack emissions. The following table identifies several stack gasses and how they can be used in conjunction with each other to determine the efficiency of the combustion process taking place within system. The flow chart included in this discussion can assist you in the tune-up process.

Flue gas samples taken from an asphalt plant dryer will contain various quantities of gases. In general, oxygen will range between 6 percent (low) to 11 percent (High). When tuning a burner, 8 percent oxygen is a reasonable goal. Theoretically, as oxygen increases in the flue gas, efficiency decreases (also known as high excess air). On the other hand, if the oxygen is too low, the burner may begin to mix poorly and overheat the drum, resulting in lower efficiency. Excess air usually ranges from 15 to 30 percent.

As the carbon dioxide (CO2) increases, efficiency increases. The theoretical maximum CO2 content is about 12 percent. CO2 will realistically run at 6 to 9 percent on a well-tuned asphalt plant.

Depending on the fuel, the CO2 may increase.

24 october 2012

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas created by incomplete combustion. This can occur when there is too much or too little fuel. Other sources of CO on an asphalt plant include overheated asphalt cement, scavenge air, material quenching the fire or an inadequate combustion zone size. CO production should be minimized as much as possible without sacrificing other emissions performance criteria.

The most basic method of adjusting for CO is to obtain a baseline reading by placing all plant controls at a fixed rate and observing the emissions from a combustion analyzer. Let’s suppose the analyzer showed 12 percent O2 and 800 parts per million (ppm) CO. If we then reduce the fuel pressure 10 percent, we can observe the emissions again. If the O2 went up to 12.7 percent and the CO to 950 ppm, it’s safe to say that the burner is lean and we should add fuel slightly to the burner to reduce the CO and O2.

CO is another measure of efficiency.

As the CO goes down, the burner efficiency goes up. This is due to the more complete combustion reaction, further oxidizing the CO into CO2.

NOx compounds are typically measured as the sum of NO and NO2 emissions. NOx results when cold oxygen and nitrogen are violently joined together when fuel is burned. Another source of NOx is nitrogen that resides in fuel, fuel bound nitrogen, or in the actual aggregate itself. Fuels such as heavy oil or coal contain nitrogen. On conventional burners, the only way to reduce NOx is to reduce flame temperature. As flame temperature is reduced, and efficiency is reduced, NOx is reduced.

Some burner technologies employ air staging to keep peak flame temperatures down and/or use flue gas recirculation (FGR) to reduce the volume of oxygen in the combustion air. FGR reduces the oxygen content of the combustion air, also resulting in reduced peak flame temperatures. FGR and air staging have resulted in not only significantly lower NOx levels, but also reduced CO and excess air levels.

Hydrocarbons typically reflect the amount of unburned fuel. Tuning a burner for minimal CO will generally minimize hydrocarbon emissions. Hydrocarbons can exist when a fuel rich or fuel lean condition exists. In addition to burner-related hydrocarbons, plant factors such as overheated RAP or AC can contribute to the total hydrocarbons.

Sulfur dioxide results primarily from firing fuels that contain sulfur. When firing heavy oil, waste oil or coal, sulfur will be present. Burner adjustment will not have a significant effect on SO2 emissions.

Other Factors

The burner is only a part of the entire tune-up. Even a finely tuned burner can’t overcome emissions issues related to any of the following plant conditions: • The combustion zone must be large enough to be free of cascading material—the veil. This can cause incomplete combustion resulting in higher emissions levels.

• There must be adequate plant exhaust air for open-fired burners to burn completely. When using a sealed in burner, the exhaust capacity must be able to evacuate all the products of combustion and provide a slightly negative pressure in the drum.

• RAP and AC should not be overheated.

In summary, a tune-up is most effective when regular maintenance is performed on the burner and plant. A properly trained individual using a combustion analyzer can tune a burner to improve its performance and ability to meet air quality standards. If, however, especially stringent standards need to be met, an experienced combustion technician should be considered.

A yearly tune-up, in conjunction with a regularly scheduled burner maintenance program, should yield favorable results for overall burner performance.

Patrick Horn is a service manager for Hauck Manufacturing Company, Lebanon, Pa. For more information, contact the company at (717) 272-3051 or visit www.hauckburner.com.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 25

project management

Know When to Shut it Down

Take down production when there’s a problem to keep quality, safety in control

By John Ball

W

hether it’s at the plant or in the work zone, a problem with equipment means the quality of the job is in jeopardy. The mix could be out of spec if the wrong size of aggregate is getting in or if the AC pump isn’t metering correctly. The mat could have cool spots that aren’t going to get proper compaction or meet the density requirement if there’s an electrical problem in the screed.

As soon as an equipment operator, ground person at the plant or supervisor notices something is wrong, he calls for a mechanic. But what does the crew do while waiting for the doctor to arrive?

All too often, crews continue limping along with faulty equipment while waiting for help to come because production is the name of the game. Getting tons on the ground is what some workers think is the most important aspect of each shift.

26 october 2012

Production is only part of the goal.

The secret to good project management is knowing when to call for a shutdown. If faulty wiring or a bent auger or a problem at the plant is jeopardizing the mix quality, good project management demands you stop production until the problem is fixed. Trying to eek out more material while the mechanic drives to the site in question is asking for trouble.

Oftentimes crew members either know that the problem/break just happened, or they limp along with it until it hinders production before “giving in” and calling for the mechanic. It’s as if the only time we want to allow the mechanic to interrupt the flow is when a problem is hindering the almighty tons per hour.

I’ve even seen situations where crews have continued working with a problematic paver, and when the mechanic got to the site, they made him wait in the truck until they’d finished the next pass before they let him at the

machine. Making the mechanic wait not only wastes the mechanic’s time, it wastes the company’s money, puts the job in jeopardy and could put workers in harm’s way.

I’ve seen a mechanic literally sit on the job for two or three hours in his pickup waiting for “one more pass” because the crew was so concerned about production. What the crew in that instance should have done was stop the paving train the minute it encountered the problem and waited for the doctor to arrive. If you have a veteran supervisor or veteran paver operator on the crew—someone who’s been out in the field 10 years or more—he’ll probably take control an let the mechanic get right on the job.

He knows the machine needs its doctor if the crew is going to get back to good production and good quality.

At that point, the mechanic can assess whether the machine can be fixed on-site in just a few minutes, allowing the crew to get back to work

an ailing paver or roller or transfer vehicle on a job with your company’s name and reputation on the line. You want all the equipment performing at top efficiency, even if that means waiting for another machine from the garage or a rental from the dealer in town while

yours is hauled back to the shop. It’s a tough decision to make, but a wise one and part of good project management when you’re out on the job.

John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving, Manchester, N.H., and can be reached at (603) 493-1458.

Opposite Page: Many companies have been doctoring their existing fleets for years now.

Watch for the signs of too much wear and tear and repair during daily cleaning, inspection and walk-arounds so you don’t get surprised by sudden breakdowns on the job. ToP: Daily use means daily wear and tear for production and paving equipment. If you see streaks, cold spots in the mat, chunks of mix entering the head of material as shown here, or any other number of problems at the paving site, don’t wait to call the mechanic. And don’t make the mechanic wait until the crew has completed “one more pass” or “one more load” once he gets on site. The money you lose on deducts and a hit to your reputation is worse than what you’ll lose sending a cold load back to the plant for the RAP pile. Stopping production to solve a problem is often the best course of action to get bonus-worthy quality, and the experienced supervisor in the field or in the control house will recognize when it’s time for shutdown.

right away, or needs to be taken out of service for the rest of the shift while a more elaborate repair is performed.

Either way, a faulty machine can give a crew a faulty mat. At the plant, a faulty belt can mean a tragic accident.

A faulty weigh scale can mean out-ofspec mix. The reasons for jumping on problems immediately are overwhelming. It doesn’t pay to wait.

The mechanic comes out to the field to make the decision if he needs to down the machine or if he can rectify it to get through the rest of the day and then make an appointment to have the machine brought in. He has three options when he arrives and looks at the machine: 1) see if he has to down it 2) put some hoses on it to get through the day 3) order parts because it’ll take a week to get back online A good supervisor will pay attention to the process and take the mechanic’s advice. You don’t want to put www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 27

Tri-County Asphalt representatives said the new Mobirex MR 110 Z gives them flexibility in feed sizes, fast production and less redundancy than past scenarios, among other benefits.

Processing Optimizes RAP Value for TriCounty Asphalt

By Tom Kuennen A northeast-Ohio asphalt producer optimizes its use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) by processing it into consistent sizes, which are stockpiled and used as needed in commercial and DOT mixes. Tri-County Asphalt Materials, Inc., serves the “tri-county� area of metropolitan Youngstown, Ohio, from a single batch plant adjacent to downtown Youngstown. The area benefits from a growing interest in natural gas extracted from the Utica Shale formation, counterpart to the well-known Marcellus Shale formation in southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 29

TOP: The final product out of the crusher is a minus 9/16-inch top size. Oversize material is initially returned for crushing. BOTTOM: The asphalt plant is located in a relatively small urban footprint adjacent to an interstate highway interchange, immediately southeast of downtown Youngstown, Ohio. The mobile crusher had to fit into the tight space.

Tri-County Asphalt operates a 160,000-ton-per-year batch plant, from which it serves predominantly commercial customers with a variety of mixes on demand, a la carte. About 80 percent of production is destined to private sector use.

“Many of our customers pave driveways, residential developments and parking lots,” Plant Manager Chuck Royer said. “We use this plant to make different mixes for our customers throughout the day. We run 30 october 2012

recycled asphalt 20 percent in base, and 15 percent surface courses, and otherwise use limestone from a quarry 20 miles south.”

Consistency of RAP feed is important for mix production, Royer said.

“It’s very important, especially with state work,” he said. “We have to make sure what they’re getting in the mix is what’s called for in the mix design. In order for us to do Ohio DOT work we have to make blended piles.

Because the material comes from so

many sources, this machine helps us process large amounts of RAP while still knowing the gradation and AC content via test samples. With this machine we have a lot more consistency than we did prior.”

The machine Royer refers to is a Mobirex MR 110 Z EVO mobile impact crusher from Kleemann. TriCounty Asphalt uses it to process RAP. The single, compact machine replaces a rented crusher/screen and a small in-line crusher mounted in the recycle system. “We had problems with that small crusher,” Royer said.

“It was wearing out and would plug up on us. We did a lot of maintenance on it.”

In addition to the small in-line RAP pugmill, Tri-County Asphalt had the rented crusher/screen brought in to pre-crush RAP in advance of the inline crusher. “We’d rent a crusher/ screen to process RAP, but we’d still have to run RAP through the in-line crusher,” Royer said. “That was an added cost.”

“The Kleemann saves us a lot of work,” President Rick Vernal said.

“Before, we’d run RAP through the rented crusher, then through the screen, then through the in-line crusher and back through a final screen.

Now, we have one guy feeding one piece of equipment, and the same guy pulling out a finished product. It saves us a lot of labor.”

The people who came in with the rented crusher/screen did a good job, Vernal said. “But the consistency wasn’t what we were looking for,” he said. “We decided to get control of the crushing and screen for ourselves. CONEXPO is a good place to buy equipment because you can compare the different brands in the same room. We saw the equipment in Las Vegas [2011] and were impressed with its workmanship, the quality and the ease of use. We made our choice.”

The new impactor gives more flexibility in feed sizes, Royer said. “Our new Kleemann lets us accept blacktop driveway tear-outs of all sizes,” he said. “In the past we were limited to 6-inch-diameter down. The inline crusher was good only up to 20 continued on page 34

continued from page 30

tons per hour, and when material was damp it would tend to plug up.

“Rubber or crack sealants in the feed also would bind it up,” Royer continued. “We’d have to shut the recycle system down and wouldn’t be able to run RAP in mixes, meaning we’d have to run virgin, which would cost us money. In the meantime they’d spend two, three hours cleaning the crusher out and getting it back online. Now we can crush much larger size feed. It’s been working really well for us.”

Prescreen Diverts Fines

Often, depending on how deep or fast a milling machine is operating, RAP feed will wind up as chunks; RAP from the mill primarily comes to the plant as fines. “That all is put into the crusher,” Royer said. “Most of the fines are screened out by the prescreen and into a pile, and whatever doesn’t make it through the prescreen is sent to the crusher to be

processed. There’s no sense in sending all the fines through the crusher.”

“The prescreen was big for me,” Vernal said. “Instead of redundantly crushing everything that goes through the plant, we can screen off the fines ahead of the crusher.

When we take grindings off the street, somewhere around half already is the size we need. To run that through the crusher when it’s already the right size is redundant and costs money. It makes sense to get it out of the way first, and then crush what’s left. We get a much more consistent quality of product with this crusher/prescreen.”

The final product out of the crusher is a minus 9/16-inch top size, while the prescreen removes a little bit bigger material, a minus ¾-inch down to dust. “Its prescreen means we don’t have to send all the fines through the crusher,” Royer agreed.

“Basically we filter or screen out the fines beforehand. Once everything goes through the crusher and passes the screens, the RAP will be 9/16

Plant Manager Chuck Royer explained that the Mobirex prescreens out most of the fines that come in as recycle material into a pile. Whatever doesn’t make it through the prescreen is sent to the crusher to be processed.

down to dust. Eventually the ¾-inch will be run through the plant and crushed to 9/16-minus size. We use the 9/16-inch in every mix we make.”

Also, Tri-County’s only asphalt plant is located in a relatively small urban footprint adjacent to an interstate highway interchange, immediately southeast of downtown Youngstown. “It’s always better to have more room, and we get that with the compact mobile crusher,” Royer said. “Integrating the crusher into our operation was relatively easy. It’s not a complicated machine. Kleemann personnel were with us for several days while we were starting up.”

The Mobirex MR 110 Z falls under the control of the driver of the front end loader, which charges the crusher. “The driver operates the plant, but everybody in the plant has worked with it and is familiar with its operation and can run it,” Royer

said. The driver feeds the plant with raw material, and removes crushed RAP from one stockpile and screenings from the Kleemann’s prescreen from another.

Each day, once the asphalt plant is up and running, the day’s operator will do all prechecks to make sure the crusher is good to go. This includes oil checks, air filter inspection and greasing.

The Kleemann works so fast that one day’s crushing can serve the batch plant for two days. “We crush it as we need it,” Royer said. “He’s crushing today, and then we’ll be good for a few days.”

Tri-County Asphalt has a Wirtgen W 1900 cold mill, but most of its RAP comes from other contractors. “Our RAP stays fairly consistent as most contractors place limestone pavements to Ohio DOT specs,” Royer said. “We have a lab that tests the material as it comes

ABOVE: Plant Manager Chuck Royer said integrating the Mobirex MR 110 Z crusher into the Tri-County Asphalt Materials operation was relatively easy.

in from the field, determining liquid asphalt cement content. For Ohio DOT work we also send RAP to them, and they test it as well.”

With less redundancy at the crusher handling the fairly consistent material coming in, Tri-County Asphalt has added more efficiency to an already environmentally responsible process. The Mobirex MR 110 Z is the latest in the producer’s efforts to represent the asphalt and aggregate industry in a positive, green manner.

34 october 2012

ABOVE: Tri-County Asphalt’s Stansteel batch plant produces about 160,000 tons per year. The company serves predominantly commercial customers with a variety of mixes; about 80 percent of production is destined for private sector use. LEFT: Much of the recycle coming to the Tri-County Asphalt Materials site is in the form of millings, but the material comes from many sources. As this raw RAP stockpile shows, proper screening and crushing is necessary to achieve consistent RAP feed for mix production. Plant Manager Chuck Royer said that’s especially true with state work.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 35

36 october 2012

Take Asphalt Back to School

by Sandy Lender

R

eaders of AsphaltPro magazine know we’re up against stiff competition from the concrete industry when organizations such as the Portland Cement Association spend a million or so dollars a year to badmouth our product in trade publications. Members of the concrete industry have lobbied to get their product mandated for use in paving projects based on faulty numbers and flawed science that I’ve responded to in Engineering News Record and online forums.

You Can Reach Out

A wise thing for anyone in our industry to do is proactively make our positive messages more pervasive. Let’s get out ahead of the negative—yet wrong—ideas that others might put in legislators’ and neighbors’ minds.

Everyone reading this article can participate in spreading the good word by going back to school and by reaching out to the children in our communities who have recently returned to school. Let’s begin by looking at the easy way you can educate others, and then look at your easy online education.

Reach the Community with ASPHALTLANE™

Asphalt professionals, including materials producers such as asphalt cement refiners and distributors and aggregate miners and crushers, know the power of participating in community activities.

After a community event, do the attendees or other participants remember your employees’ role(s) or what your company does for our world? It’s important to have a “leave-behind” public relations piece that keeps your positive message in mind.

Among the coffee mugs, mouse pads or t-shirts on which you put your logo and mission statement to give away at open house or school day events, consider something that supports the entire industry. The AsphaltLane activity book that AsphaltPro offers not only provides you with a customizable PR piece to leave behind, it gives you an excellent opportunity to teach children and their parents about your industry.

From its outset, a friendly dump truck named Chuck takes kids through 16 pages of activities suitable for grades Kindergarten through 5th that show how a road gets made with environmentally friendly asphalt. Great messages about asphalt’s uses are sprinkled among puzzles, coloring pages, math questions and even a word search. Kids learn about big equipment, safety signs, recycling and more. It’s a fantastic way to help teachers or parents teach kids about infrastructure and road building while getting in some practice on good, basic skills.

Reach the Community with Online Skills

Whether you check your e-mail once a week or you actively use your Twitter and Google+ accounts daily to make your company’s messages go viral, the world around you is taking its marketing online. As I will share in my seminar at the San Antonio World of Asphalt in March, departments of transportation post more than their letting schedules online and your potential customers look you up on the Internet before they hire you. Are you there for them to find? A better question: How easy are you to find online?

As we near the March 19 date, I’ll make sure you know how to sign up for the class I’ll be teaching. Much has changed since the seminar I gave at CONEXPO, and there are more tips I can offer to make your use of online social media professional, efficient and successful.

In the meantime, I personally invite you to engage with AsphaltPro online at our facebook page, which is Asphalt Pro Magazine.

Like the page so you can see updates, which we do not inundate you with.

Also follow us on Twitter, where our handle is @AsphaltPro. Again, our goal is not to overwhelm you with continuous content that may or may not apply to your bottom line. We tweet and retweet items that are pertinent to asphalt, aggregate and AC professionals.

Finally, I encourage you to visit the AsphaltPro website and click on the RSS feed button so you can be notified when we update the site with asphalt content that is vital to your operations. It’s a joy to share information that you can use to enhance your business and our industry. www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 37

Virginia Paving Handles the Wait

By Sandy Lender

T

he Virginia Paving crew stayed cool, calm and collected when a nearby false alarm shut down paving for 90 minutes April 25. A project originally slated for hot mix asphalt (HMA) had the crew sitting mid-pave across the parking lot from an elementary school on Balls Hill Road in Fairfax County when the fire alarm went off.

38 october 2012

The Virginia Paving team produced the PG64-28 with 30 percent RAP and 1 percent SonneWarmix at 250 degrees F in the ambient evening temperatures of about 57 degrees F April 25, 2012.

The asphalt cement came to Virginia Paving’s tanks already blended with the SonneWarmix and ready to mix for the Balls Hill Road project.

Of course the crew stopped working for emergency personnel to get in and take care of business. Ninety minutes later, seven trucks of material that hadn’t gotten the “stop production” message sat with warm-mix asphalt (WMA) cooling from 250 to 200 degrees F. No problem.

Quality control manager for Virginia Paving, Herndon, Va., Josh Thompson admitted to being surprised by the fire alarm and emergency response, but he wasn’t concerned about the paving to be done. He’s worked on too many WMA projects to count at this point in his career, and he spoke with confidence about the job to be done. With about 418 tons of mix for the job, the superintendent merely had to let the plant manager, Rob McKeever, know to 40 october 2012

hold mix in the silos until the crew was cleared to continue paving.

“For us, it’s not a big deal to stop the trucks,” Thompson said. “We can keep the mix in the silo so nothing’s going to hurt it.”

Once the team started paving again, the cooler temperatures of the mix behind the paver proved no problem.

“We got density all night long.”

Here’s how they did it.

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) requested an SM 9.5 A/ HR mix with 5.4 percent 64-22 AC with a touch of additive from Akzo Nobel (0.2 percent) and a touch from MeadWestVaco (another 0.2 percent). When Lane Construction’s Virginia Paving division won the bid for the project, they had the option to make some changes based on their experience.

“We can use whatever’s approved

by VDOT,” Thompson said. “We’re allowed to use warm-mix on any job we want for VDOT. We use water to foam.”

The system they use is the AQUABlack Solutions system from Maxam Equipment, Inc., Kansas City, Mo. The binder they purchased from Bitumar USA came already mixed with SonneWarmix™ from Sonneborn Refined Products, Mahwah, N.J. Sonneborn Market Manager Chris Strack explained that SonneWarmix is an organic additive that can be used as a compaction aid. It’s designed to reduce production temperatures from 50 to 70 degrees F, which offers the typical benefits of WMA mixes, such as: • decreased fuel consumption and cost; • decreased greenhouse gas emissions;

above: The Virginia Paving crew achieved 92 and 93 percent densities on the mat with temperatures of 200 degrees F behind the screed. right: Virginia Paving Company, a division of Lane Corporation, took the cool April night’s interruption in paving in stride.

The crew reported that the warm mix cooled to 200 degrees F during the 90-minute wait for the all-clear.

• increased time for transportation, placement and compaction when needed; • extension of the paving season; • cooler mat temperatures; and • less worker fatigue.

The additive also allows for increased RAP content in the mix design, according to Strack. “Our additive can be used with RAP or RAS, and can be used in polymer modified asphalts and ground tire rubber mix designs…to start the season early or extend your season.”

He explained that the design VDOT accepted from Virginia Paving included a PG64-28 with 30 percent RAP and included 1 percent SonneWarmix. The team produced the mix at 250 degrees F, which falls easily into the range that defines a WMA. The paving crew started work around 8:30 p.m., milling the roadway to alleviate the deteriorating condition. They put down a tack coat of CRS-1 from 42 october 2012

Nustar Asphalt, Dumfries, Va., with the SM 9.5 over that. They dumped the mix straight into the Roatec RP 195 tracked paver without a material transfer vehicle and achieved compaction with some Caterpillar rollers behind the Carlson screed.

Before the team could use all 20+ loads of mix, a fire alarm sounded from the school next to the job site. After 90 minutes of emergency vehicles in and out of the area, seven trucks of mix sat cooling in front of the paving train. By the time they laid the mix, the

mat temperature read 200 degrees.

As Thompson said before, they had no trouble hitting density with those temperatures. The stats Strack has show 92 to 93 on the nuclear density gauge.

“I thought it went very well out there [that] night,” Thompson said. “I have been involved in a lot of warm-mix projects from the very start when I was with FHWA, and [that] night I was impressed when I saw 200 on the temperature gun and we still didn’t have any issues at all with density. I’ve never seen that low of a temperature with no issues.”

equipment gallery

Producers Want Simplicity in WMA Process A

s more warm-mix asphalt (WMA) technologies flood the marketplace, each one brings its own promoted set of benefits. Often, the benefits include ease of use for the producer. Technologies that allow asphalt producers to purchase a pre-mixed asphalt cement (AC) binder with WMA additive already included appear to offer an “easy” use in that the producer merely injects the binder for mixing as he would with any hot mix design. Of course that’s a simplified explanation, and each additive technology has its own set of requirements for storage—agitation, reblending, injection into the AC at the owner’s site, etc., are a few of the options out there.

Mechanical technology manufacturers have been working on simplification as well the past few years. For example, the original Astec Double Barrel Green described in detail in the October 2007 Here’s How it Works department has greatly reduced the number of nozzles and parts to maintain daily or flush during cold, extended season ambient temperatures. Astec’s latest rendition, the Green Pac uses a positive displacement piston pump to deliver water at a high pressure but modulated speed to the device affixed to the side of the plant’s drum.

The Maxam AQUABlack Solutions system has always housed vital components in an all-weather box where blending is controlled with the touch of a button and uses no moving parts. The system’s high-pressure nozzle with high-pressure jets in the foaming gun sends water into the stream of liquid AC as it flows into the mixing chamber. The high-pressure system allows a low water-to-liquid-AC ratio during foaming and the diffuser provides even distribution of water throughout the liquid AC.

Terex® Roadbuilding’s Warm Mix Asphalt System 46 october 2012

By AsphaltPro Staff

Stansteel’s Accu-Shear uses a mill and flow meters to force materials together, blending oil and water mechanically instead of injecting one into another. The process requires a flip of a switch in the control house to start the flow meters measuring one, two or three liquids into the mill. According to the manufacturer, this positive blending of the additives with the liquid AC dramatically increases foaming action and maintains the fusion of the oil with the aggregate for a long period.

Terex Roadbuilding announced its Warm Mix Asphalt System had further simplified its automation features on the foaming unit.

First, the company enhanced the auto-fill tank with high/ low level gauges. Once water inside the 250-gallon (3.8-liter) tank reaches a prescribed low point, the plant controls automatically turn on water flow to refill the tank so the plant can continue to make WMA without interruption. A high level marker shuts off the flow of water to avoid overfilling. The system’s water meter includes a “no flow” indicator to alert the plant operator of water flow restrictions, as well. The tank’s design features an available solenoid valve at the water inlet to allow for water recirculation. This allows the plant operator to recirculate water through the tank and supply hoses so the water doesn’t freeze when asphalt producers are extending the season with WMA production.

The Terex water-injection solution delivers simple operation with a patented expansion chamber. The chamber features single-point mixing of water and AC. It’s mounted inline on the plant’s existing liquid AC supply line and allows the plant operator to reverse the system to clean oil from the pipe. Inside the chamber, water is vaporized into a gaseous state to expand the binder. This expansion process allows the “foamed” binder to coat the aggregate at lower mixing temperatures than when produced as traditional HMA. A belt-driven, variable-frequency 5-horsepower (3.73-kilowatt) electric motor drives the skid-mounted water pump and allows the producer to control power output.

Water is injected into the expansion chamber at a variable rate up to 4 percent of the binder’s mass weight. A checkvalve on the water side of the expansion chamber ensures no liquid AC contaminates the water line. The closed-loop system includes a water meter to verify that the correct percentage of water is injected with hot liquid AC. For more information about the Terex Warm Mix Asphalt System, contact Aron Sweeney at (605) 987-2603 or Aron.

Sweeney@terex.com. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.

equipment gallery a local dealer, which you can find at www.powerscreen. com. You can also contact Michelle Murphy at michelle. murphy@powerscreen.com. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.

Heatec Releases More Info

Powerscreen automation upgrades simplify controls for operators.

Powerscreen Automates Control

Powerscreen, Dungannon, Northern Ireland, announces a series of improvements to the plant controls used in its crushing and screening equipment designed to simplify the interaction between operator and machine internationally. Back in 2011, Powerscreen began implementing a wide ranging upgrade to its plant control system to coincide with the redesign of its machines to be compliant with Tier 4i/Stage IIIB emissions legislation. The upgrade transformed the user interface into a more streamlined and integrated solution, according to the manufacturer.

In earlier iterations within the mobile cone crusher range, the system had a multiple controller setup with different interfaces for engine, cone setting, choke control and machine power. With the latest generation system, all engine and machine functions are controlled and operated on a single, intuitive and graphically drive Human Machine Interface (HMI) color display.

The menu interface and display are designed to provide the operator with a balanced amount of process detail for any given task; from tracking the machine to crusher setting to full plant operation. An operator can access more detailed information through a secondary menu within the setup, diagnostics and alarm settings menu, which can help an operator or service technician identify and resolve faults. Within the screening range, the color HMI display provides improved diagnostic capabilities, such as fault log history, electronic engine information and fault code support, while retaining the industry-standard fault icons for shutdown and other warnings. A small PLC inside the display panel houses the main operational software.

The aligned rollout of these systems with Tier 4i/IIIBcompliant Powerscreen machines means that the 1000 Maxtrak, 1000SR and 1300 Maxtrak cone crushers, as well as some Warrior and H-Range screens, already include the new plant control. The same models with Tier 3/Stage IIIA engines are planned to be upgraded soon.

For more information on Powerscreen crushing, screening or washing products or customer support, contact 48 october 2012

Owners of hot mix asphalt plants, asphalt terminals and emulsion terminals, as well as oil and gas producers, chemical producers, and others will be interested in the new 24page color brochure from Heatec, Chattanooga. Heatec makes heaters, liquid storage tanks and related products for a wide variety of producers and manufacturers, and this new catalog covers the company’s full range of products and services. For a free copy please call (800) 235-5200 and ask for the products and services brochure.

Flex-Mat Wire Improves Recycling

Flex-Mat® 3 Double-Wire™ high-performance, selfcleaning screen media from Major Wire Industries, Ltd., Montreal, is designed to increase efficiency when screening high-impact, heavy, abrasive and high-metal content recycle material on top decks. That means producers looking to increase their recycling operations’ production speed or shorten project times could benefit from the Flex-Mat design.

The side-by-side wire design adds a slight spring to the wire that absorbs impact from heavy material or material that is dropped from a long distance. Vibrating wire, combined with the side-by-side wire design, increases screen capacity and throughput, while eliminating pegging on top decks. Flex-Mat 3 Double-Wire’s two wires lie flat against each other so crimps don’t protrude upward and interfere with material flow. The flat screen surface is supposed to extend wear life up to three times when compared to traditional woven wire with high wear spots.

Distinctive lime-green polyurethane strips bond individual wires as they run from hook to hook and allow them to vibrate independently at different frequencies, eliminating blinding, pegging and clogging. In addition, the independently vibrating technology increases product throughput by up to 40 percent over traditional woven

Major Wire’s Flex-Mat Double-Wire

wire and polyurethane or rubber panels, according to the manufacturer.

Flex-Mat 3 Double-Wire is available in wire diameters up to 3/8 inches and opening sizes up to 4 inches. Made from OptimumWire®, which is manufactured with high carbon and manganese content, Flex-Mat 3 Double-Wire is less susceptible to breaking in high-impact conditions with highly abrasive materials. It’s made to be a screening solution for recycled asphalt and concrete, C&D recycle, aggregate, mining, sand & gravel, slag and more.

For more information, contact Major Wire at (450) 6597681 or major@majorwire.cc. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.

ECCO Lights Up Safety

This surface-mount directional light from ECCO, Boise, Idaho, is its latest concealed warning LED. It’s the 9014 Series Hide-A-LED™, a high intensity LED warning light designed for vehicle headlight and tail light applications.

It can also be surface-mounted to a vehicle’s exterior using the included mounting bezel.

It features six LEDs. A sealed in-line driver module eliminates the need for a remote power supply. The 9014 has

multiple flash patterns and synchronization capability with other Hide-A-LEDs, as well as ECCO’s 3510.

Other benefits include low current draw and a long maintenance-free service life, according to the manufacturer.

For more information, contact ECCO customer service at (800) 635-5900 or visit www.eccolink.com. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.

Astec Mining Group Shows Off New Products

At the MINExpo 2012 in Las Vegas Sept. 24 through 26, Astec Mining, Mequon, Wis., showcased new products and services from Astec Mobile Screens, Breaker Technology, KPI-JCI, Osborn and Telsmith. The RMS 18 mobile scaler vehicle from Breaker Technology along with the K500 cone crusher from KPI-JCI and 3858 mine duty jaw crusher from Telsmith were in the 3,800 square-foot booth. Telsmith used the opportunity to launch its new T900 mine duty cone crusher.

For more information, contact Dagmar Fleming at dfleming@dbfinternational.com. Tell them you saw it in AsphaltPro Magazine.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 49

Book Gives Kids the Scoop

by Sandy Lender

F

rom the front cover to the last page, Author Sally Sutton’s Roadwork shows big equipment and big vehicles illustrated by Brian Lovelock. These machines build and use an asphalt road.

Sutton uses catchy rhymes that kids will love to repeat with onomatopoeia that kids will love to say. It’s perfect for children ages 2 to whatever. I enjoyed it and we all know how old I am.

The book begins with planning, showing the workers staking out the road’s path. From there, we see the whole roadbuilding process. Male and female workers clear the path, put down stone, lay asphalt and compact it. They stripe the road, plant trees alongside it and install safe lighting.

The only thing that made me cringe was some word use that might confuse adults reading to their children: Sutton uses the words tar and sticky, which we don’t use in the United States. Even the title of the book in its original Australian press run had an “s” on the end, making it Roadworks. Sutton explained to me that her publisher, Candlewick Press, changed the title to Roadwork to fit the American audience.

Nathan Nuttmann and his dad learn about road-building with Sally Sutton’s board book titled Roadwork. Photo courtesy of Christina Nuttmann.

In all, Roadwork is a great 30-page board book for young children, offering colorful pictures and fun rhymes to teach how a road gets made. My thanks goes to the team at Blacklidge Emulsions for making it available from their booth at the recent 21st Century Asphalt Pavement meeting in Cincinnati. You can get your copy at Amazon.com.

KPI-JCI Preserves Soldiers’ Jobs T

Traffic Manager Todd Rothenberger (left) stands with Equipment Operator Matthew Schmidt in front of a KPI-JCI FT4240. KolbergPioneer, Inc. (KPI-JCI), along with Rothenberger, was recognized as a Patriotic Employer for its support of employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force.

52 october 2012

he South Dakota Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (ESGR) honored Traffic Manager Todd Rothenberger and company Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc., (KPI-JCI) Yankton, S.D., for their support of employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force. Specifically, an equipment operator named Matthew Schmidt who is supervised

by Rothenberger in the company’s yard department nominated his boss and the company because he appreciates the support given to him when he’s required to be away from his civilian job.

“I know how hard it can be when you are down a man at work,” Schmidt said. “Todd is really understanding of what I do. It makes me feel good to know that if I get deployed or have to be gone for an extended period of time, I’m going to be able to come back and my job is still going to be there.

To have that kind of job security is amazing.“ This is the second time the South Dakota ESGR has recognized KPI-JCI as a Patriotic Employer; the company employs 60 men and women who have served or are currently serving in the military.

To learn more about the Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve organization, visit http://www.esgr.org. For more information about KPI-JCI, visit www.kpijci.com.

here's how it works Step 1 Material flows down the feed throat.

Step 4 The load cell measures the force and converts it into a rate signal.

Step 2 Material impacts the suspended plate.

Step 3 The plate is forced against the load cell rod.

Step 5 The Integrator shows rate signal information in the control house.

Step 6 The flow scale discharges the material for use.

Richard Companies’ EZ-Flo Scale P

roducers who want to measure the rate of material flow in an enclosed environment can turn to the Clarence Richard Companies, Minneapolis, for the EZ-Flo Scale. Here’s how it works.

Let’s say you need to add dust or filler to your mix at 2.3 percent of the plant rate. The material is temporarily being stored in a surge bin or silo and then metered through a variable speed device such as an auger or vane feeder. At this point, the material flows down the feed throat of the EZFlo Scale and impacts the suspended plate. All material is included because the enclosed environment allows nothing to blow away. The flow scale also eliminates the tachometer seen in other weighing systems. Based on gravity, the scale “knows” the constant speed of the material passing through it and

56 october 2012

calculates the rate based on the load cell signal.

As the material impacts the plate, the plate is forced away from the flow and against a single load cell rod. A razor-sharp hinge allows low mechanical resistance, known as low hysteresis, for the plate’s movement.

The load cell measures this force and converts it into a rate signal, known as the rate of material flow, which the integrator panel reads at the control house. The rate reading in tons per hour indicates how quickly material is passing through the flow scale and produces a signal used for blending materials.

The totalizer reading on the integrator panel, which can be in tons or other engineering units, is used for calibrating the scale, cross-checking accuracy

and inventory control, and produces a signal used for batching product.

When compared to weigh pods, the EZ-Flo Scale is relatively small sized and is designed to remove the need for venting material. The flow scale does not have the bridging problems the pod has and the silo can be filled without affecting the scale reading.

The manufacturer states the most important dimension for flow scales to physically fit into the many existing and new applications is its vertical height.

Depending on the application, scales can be as short as 10 inches. Scales have been custom built for applications requiring the scale to be more than 6 feet tall.

For more information on the EZ-Flo Scale, contact Clarence Richard Companies at clarence@clarencerichard. com or visit www.ez-flo.us.

here's how it works

Step 1 ®

Supersacs of Advera WMA feed into a simple hopper and auger system.

Step 4 Step 5

Advera-treated RAS cascades to the conveyor belt for a homogenous mix.

The clean stockpile remains clear of agglomeration and the material provides a workable mix.

Step 3 The grinder blends the additive and shingles during grinding.

Step 2 The system delivers 1 to 2% of the additive per ton of RAS into the load hopper of the shingle grinder.

PQ Corp’s Additive-Treated RAS W

hen stockpiling or feeding recycled asphalt shingle (RAS) material at the plant, time, temperature and moisture can cause agglomeration of the particles into clumps that negatively influence quality control. In some instances, producers have included sand in their RAS stockpiles to keep agglomeration to a minimum. While this has a secondary benefit of shining some plant components by keeping RAS from sticking as it goes through production, this can also have a negative influence on quality control depending on the cleanliness of the sand.

Clean sand can be costly. Dirty sand can throw a good mix off kilter.

To address all of the issues at hand, PQ Corporation began using its Advera® WMA additive instead of sand to homogenize the stockpile and keep

60 october 2012

clumping at bay, whether the RAS went into a warm-mix design or not. Here’s how it works.

In the first scenario, the producer will receive supersacs of Advera WMA at his recycling area. A simple hopper and auger system will deposit 1 to 2 percent Advera WMA per ton of RAS, which is about 20 to 40 pounds per ton of RAS, into the loading hopper of the shingle grinder. The -200 mesh, white powder blends into the grinding process with the RAS. In another scenario, Advera WMA can be fed into the feed hopper during trommel screening. Additionally, Advera WMA can be fed directly onto the belt for blending in most belt applications.

Advera-treated RAS can then be used in the mix plant just like traditional

RAS. The loader operator feeds the RAS bin through a grizzly screen or directly into the bin. The Adveratreated RAS cascades to the conveyor belt below the RAS bin, where it travels in uniform belt coverage to the drum for mixing.

Additionally, Advera-treated RAS provides the benefit of improving mix workability so that contractors can maximize recycle content in the mix, even in cold weather or long haul applications, and still meet density targets.

For more information, contact PQ Corporation at (800) 944-7411 or (416) 255-7771 or e-mail AdveraWMA@PQCorp.com, or see actual field examples by searching Advera WMA on YouTube.

“Hot Mix Asphalt, Paving the Highway to the Future”

C.M. Consulting Looking for a used 150 tph hot plant?

WE CAN HELP!

2007 TEREX Counter-Flow Drum Plant, w/diesel fuel burner, 50-ton selferecting, back weighing silo w/batcher & 200 tph slat conveyor. 4-bin cold feed w/scale conveyor & slinger conveyor, computer controlled AC oil pump injection system, baghouse with exhaust fan, dust return blower and rotary air compressor. Portable 20,000 gallon AC tank.

Plant moves in 4 loads. This plant has made less than 20,000 tons since new. Plant is FOB Seattle Washington and is available now. CMC is available for set-up & operational training. $850,000 obo

Many New and Used Asphalt Plants for Sale New Portable Counterflow Drum Plants, 100 to 500 TPH .......................................... Call.

2005 ADM 160 TPH Skidded Drum Plant, 2-AC Tanks, 3-bin, 90t Silo ..................... .Call.

1980s Boeing MS-200 250 TPH Portable Drum with Slinger & Burner .................... Call.

90-Ton Silo 350 TPH Drag & 12-Ton Weigh Batcher, very nice! .............................. Call.

1978 Wylie 40 tph Hot Plant. Baghouse. Generator, AC tank Complete & Running ... Call.

1966 MADSEN 5,000-Lb. Batch Plant, Baghouse w/silo and drag ...................... $80,000.

Cliff Mansfield Inc. • P.O. Box 407 • Odell, OR 97044 Office 541-352-7942 • Fax 541-352-7943 • www.hotplantconsulting.com

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 63

RAP-13455 – 1998 Dillman Duo Drum 500 TPH Plant •RAP 13616 – (2) 200 Ton Astec Silos w/ Weigh Batchers •RAP 13567 – 100 Ton Bituma Silo System •RAP 13481 – (3) 200 Ton Standard Havens Silo System

Stansteel Dryer - 41’ x 10’ 1998 Dillman Mixing Drum 6 Dillman Cold Feeds: 10x15 2 Dillman 300 Ton Silos (1997) w/ Oil Heat Cone, Elec Heat - Gate Dillman Main Drag Slat w/ Elec Heat 36”W x 48” D 2 - 30,000 Gal Dillman “Porta-Stor” AC Tanks 20,000 Gal Vert Waste Oil Tank w/ Pre-Heater Under Burner

•RAP 13548 – Astec 51k CFM Stationary •RAP 12674 – 50k CFM Standard Havens Magnum

HOT OIL HEATERS •RAP 13605 – 1.5mbtu Gentec Serpentine •RAP 13604 – 1.0mbtu Stansteel Helical •RAP 13416 – 1.2mbtu Heatec •RAP 13492 – 1.0mbtu Heatec •RAP 13438 – 1.2mbtu Heatec •RAP 13360 – 2.1mbtu Gencor-HyWay •RAP 13377 – 6.0 Gencor –HyWay •RAP 13264 – 6.0 Fulton Vertical

•RAP 13515 – 150 Ton Bituma Silo and Drag •RAP 13513 – 100 Ton ALmix Silo and Drag

•RAP 13424 – 2002 CMI PTD-300 Port.

•RAP 13455 – 1998 Dillman Duo Drum 500 TPH

RAP-13055 CEDARAPIDS E500 CF DRUM

•RAP 13580 – 2000 CMI PTD 400 Port.

•RAP13224 – Gencor 10x15 Rap Bin •RAP 13568 – 9x14 Barber Greene Rap Bin •RAP 13523 – 9x12 Gentec Rap Bin •RAP 13561 – (4) 9x13 Barber Greene Cold Feed Bins RAP 12531 – (4) 9x12 Cold Feed System SCREEN DECKS •RAP 13418 – 2007 4x8 Telsmith Double Deck •RAP 13422 – 1998 4x8 Telsmith Single Deck •RAP 13410 – 1997 4x8 Telsmith Single Deck •RAP 12176 – Telsmith 5x12 Double Deck •RAP 13585 – Deister 6x14 4 Deck Batch Plant Screen

• 114” x 52’ long w/ 126 mbtu burner • Shell thickness close to ½” throughout • Rap collar, trunnion drive, left side discharge

VISIT US ON THE WEB OR CALL TOLL FREE

Inc.

PO Box 519, Shelbyville KY 40066 • Fax 502.647.1786

www.ReliableAsphalt.com 866.647.1782

resource directory Asphalt Drum Mixer......32, 50-51 Contact: Steve Shawd orJeff Dunne Tel: 260-637-5729 sales@admasphaltplants.com www.admasphaltplants.com

Dillman Equipment.............58-59 Tel: 608-326-4820 www.dillmanequipment.com Dynapac US.............................. 17 Tel: 800-732-6762

Asphalt Plant Products............. 65 Contact: Tom Holley Tel: 866-595-3268 Cell: 706-466-3678 www.asphaltplantproducts.com

E.D. Etnyre............................... 33 Contact: sales@etnyre.com Tel: 800-995-2116 www.etnyre.com

Astec, Inc............. …15, 35-36, 49 Contact: Tom Baugh Tel: 423-867-4210 tbaugh@astecinc.com www.astecinc.com

EZ Street............................19, 21 Tel: 800-734-1476 Info@ezstreet-miami.com www.ezstreetasphalt.com

B & S Light Industries..........54-55 Contact: Mike Young Tel: 918-342-1181 Sales@bslight.com www.bslight.com CEI.............................................. 4 Contact: Andy Guth Tel: 800-545-4034 info@ceienterprises.com www.ceienterprises.com C.M. Consulting....................... 63 Contact: Cliff Mansfield Tel: 541-354-6188 www.hotplantconsulting.com

Fast-Measure............................ 63 Tel: 888-876-6050 www.Fast-measure.com Gencor Industries..................... 11 Contact: Dennis Hunt Dhunt@gencor.com www.gencor.com Heatec, Inc..... Inside Front Cover Contact: Sharlene Burney Tel: 800-235-5200 sburney@heatec.com www.heatec.com

Herman Grant Co., Inc............. 13 Contact: Paula Shuford Tel: 800-472-6826 hg@hermangrant.com www.hermangrant.com Libra Systems.......................... .18 Contact: Ken Cardy Tel: 225-256-1700 Sales@librasystems.com www.librasystems.com Maxam Equipment................... 47 Contact: Lonnie Greene Tel: 800-292-6070 lgreene@maxamequipment.com www.maxamequipment.com MeadWestvaco........................ 23 Tel: 800-458-4034 www.evotherm.com www.mvw.com NAPA........................................ 31 Annual Meeting www.asphaltpavement.org NAPA........................................ 62 World of Asphalt www.asphaltpavement.org Process Heating....................... 27 Contact: Rick or Ron Jay Tel: 866-682-1582 Ron@processheating.com Rick@processheating.com www.processheating.com

Reliable Asphalt Products............... Back Cover, 64 Contact: Charles Grote Tel: 502-647-1782 cgrote@reliableasphalt.com www.reliableasphalt.com Roadtec.................................. 7, 9 Contact: Sales Tel: 423-265-0600 Sales@roadtec.com www.roadtec.com Rotochopper, Inc........Inside Back Cover Tel: 320-548-3586 Info@rotochopper.com www.rotochopper.com Rushing Enterprises................. 34 Contact: Darrell Martin Tel: 800-654-8030 Dmartin@rushingenterprises.com www.rushingenterprises.com Stansteel AsphaltPlant Products.............. 39 Contact: Dave Payne Tel: 800-826-0223 dpayne@stansteel.com www.stansteel.com

Stansteel................................... 57 Contact: Dawn Kochert Tel: 800-826-0223 dkochert@hotmixparts.com www.hotmixparts.com Systems Equipment................. 53 Contact: Dave Enyart Sr. Tel: 563-568-6387 Dlenyart@systyemsequipment.com www.systemsequipment.com Tarmac International, Inc.......... 41 Contact: Ron Heap Tel 816-220-0700 info@tarmacinc.com www.tarmacinc.com Top Quality Paving................... 63 Contact: John Ball Tel 603-624-8300 Tqpaving@yahoo.com www.tqpaving Wirtgen America...................... 61 Tel: 615-501-0600 Info@wirtgenamerica.com www.wirtgenamerica.com WRT Equipment....................... 34 Contact: Dean Taylor Tel: 800-667-2025 or 306-244-0423 dtaylor@wrtequipment.com www.wrtequipment.com

AsphaltPro’s Resource Directory is designed for you to have quick access to the manufacturers that can get you the information you need to run your business efficiently. Please support the advertisers that support this magazine and tell them you saw them in AsphaltPro magazine.

www.theasphaltpro.com | ASPHALT PRO 65

the last cut

India Gains Crude Ground

by Sandy Lender

W

ith a growing economy, India’s giving China a run for its money when it comes to oil consumption. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), India is the fourth largest consumer of energy after the United States, China and Russia—in that order.

In terms of oil production, India has discovered some domestic fields in the past few years, but not enough to supply its hungry demand. To make up the 2.25 million barrel per day (bbl/d) difference, which is about 70 percent of use, the country imports from Iran and Saudi Arabia, among other sources. In this month’s Last Cut, let’s take a closer look at this growing contender in global crude markets.

EIA reports that India’s oil production is largely stateowned, which shouldn’t be surprising. The largest stateowned entity, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) took care of almost three-quarters of the country’s oil production from 2009 to 2010. Obviously that’s been a couple years ago and EIA expects “the role of private companies in Indian oil production” to increase. The administration states that the largest private actor in the oil sector is Reliance Industries.

The government is working toward increasing domestic exploration and production. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas wants major companies with deepwater drilling experience (and other expertise) and created the New Exploration License Policy (NELP) way back in 2000.

NELP allows foreign companies to hold 100 percent equity/ownership in oil and natural gas projects in India—a first for the country.

Despite these attempts at getting the private sector involved in growing the energy platform, state-owned groups also dominate the refineries, pipelines and distributor network. The aforementioned Reliance Industries opened a refinery in 1999, marking India’s first privately held refinery, but the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is a state-run company that operates eight of India’s refineries, thus controlling almost three-quarters of the domestic oil pipeline, according to EIA. According to Oil & Gas Journal, Reliance has the biggest, though. Its Jamnagar complex is the largest oil refining complex in the world, with a total capacity of 1.24 million bbl/d and ability to process a wider variety of crudes than older Indian refineries.

A company to watch internationally is ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL). This is the overseas investment arm of ONGC, mentioned above. This Indian national oil company looks to acquire equity stakes in exploration and production projects, and currently conducts oil and natural gas operations in at least 15 countries. The company wishes to grow its total production more than 400 percent to 560 thousand bbl/d by March 2014. Source: Energy Information Administration.

66 october 2012

Liquid Asphalt Cement Prices—average per ton Company, State

May ’12

June ’12

July ’12

Aug ’12

ConocoPhillips, Tenn.

$625.00

$635.00

$605.00

$585.00

NuStar Energy, Ga.

630.00

630.00

615.00

600.00

NuStar Energy, N.C.

630.00

630.00

615.00

600.00

NuStar Energy, Va.

650.00

650.00

610.00

590.00

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, N.C.

645.00

645.00

625.00

595.00

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, S.C.

645.00

645.00

625.00

595.00

Assoc’d Asphalt Inman, Va.

645.00

645.00

625.00

595.00

Marathon Petroleum, Tenn.

625.00

625.00

600.00

575.00

Marathon Petroleum, N.C.

630.00

630.00

600.00

575.00

Valero Petroleum, N.C.

625.00

620.00

605.00

585.00

Massachusetts Average

645.00

637.50

610.00

610.00

California Average

640.90

518.00

520.80

544.30

Missouri Average

591.25

592.50

570.00

545.00

Colorado Average

421.35

371.93

360.10

na

Data for Southeast region, Source: ncdot.org; Data for Massachusetts, Source: mass.gov; Data for California, Source: dot.ca.gov; Data for Missouri, Source: modot.mo.gov; Data for Colorado, Source: CDOT and Cenovus

Crude Oil Activity (U.S. Crude) futures spot data

stocks

Jun 1

$83.23

384.6 m bbl

Jun 8

$84.10

384.4 m bbl

Jun 15

$84.03

387.3 m bbl

Jun 22

$79.76

387.2 m bbl

Jun 29

$84.96

382.9 m bbl

Jul 6

$84.45

378.2 m bbl

Jul 13

$87.10

Jul 20 Jul 27

Diesel Fuel Retail Price (dollars per gallon) Jun 4

3.846

Jun 11

3.781

Jun 18

3.729

Jun 25

3.678

Jul 2

3.648

Jul 9

3.683

377.4 m bbl

Jul 16

3.695

$91.44

380.1 m bbl

Jul 23

3.783

$90.13

373.6 m bbl

Jul 30

3.796

Sources: Energy Information Administration