Asphalt is a mined hydrocarbon that is refined and heated to high temperatures to liquefy it. The Asphalt Batching Plant is where the application of heat greater than 600ºF is applied to it. From that plant, the product is distributed to be used as a road or manufacturing material in a bulk plant.
According to Asphalt Magazine, asphalt batch plants are diminishing in number as Continuous Mix Asphalt Facilities become the norm.
Most Asphalt products are now made at Continuous Mix Asphalt Batching Facilities
Continuous mix type plants emerged in the early 1970s as a viable option to batch plants. A typical batch facility produced 150 to 300 tph whereas continuous mix plants produced 300 to 500 tph. The first drum plants capable of producing high tonnages were parallel flow design systems, where aggregate flow was parallel to the direction of the heat source. –Asphalt Magazine – Ed Misajet
The asphalt industry is alive and well for uses other than under tank coatings. Roads are still paved with newer specialized asphalt concrete mixes, that are blended at continuous mix facilities. The newer asphalts are created to serve the environments that they will be poured in. A mix may be designed for colder temperatures in the north where frost heaves are common. Many asphalts are also designed to be poured in areas of the country that experience constant higher temperatures. Las Vegas experiences problems with asphalt coatings when the temperatures routinely and constantly reach a melting point. Porous Asphalt and Perpetual pavement are two types of asphalt products that continuous batch facilities can produce for commercial pavers.
