Saving Energy at Your Hot-Mix Plant

This article describes how hot-mix asphalt plant owners may decrease their operating costs by making operations more efficient. By sloping the surface beneath aggregate stockpile, excess moisture is drained away without having to evaporate it by heating, which, the author notes, could potentially save a plant owner $180,000 per year for a 200,000 ton per year plant. By insulating burner fuel lines and preheating burner fuel, one might save $70,000 for the same sized plant. Adding 10 percent more recycled asphalt pavement is projected to save $400,000 per year in a hypothetical plant, while switching to coal would save $320,320 per year. Lastly, the author suggests the addition of a variable frequency drive to exhaust fans and burner blowers, which may save $60,000. The end result, it is noted, will come to $5.15/ton, or over $1,000,000 for the hypothetical hot-mix plant.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1519687
• Authors:
  • Brown, Daniel
• Publication Date: 2007-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 52-55
• Serial:
  • Better Roads
  • Volume: 77
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: James Informational Media, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0006-0208
  • Serial URL: http://www.betterroads.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt pavements; Cost control; Cost effectiveness; Costs; Hot mix asphalt; Mixing plants; Recycled materials
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Materials; Pavements; I31: Bituminous Binders and Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01044896
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 29 2007 2:34PM