Bitumen Granules Anti-Caking Additives Cold Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation and storage of hot bitumen pose safety and energy consumption issues, and existing cold storage methods, such as bitumen in drums, are environmentally questionable and lead to product loss and handling difficulties.
Innovation Solution
Bitumen granules with specific chemical additives and anti-caking agents that allow for cold storage and transport at ambient temperatures below 100°C, preventing agglomeration and maintaining bitumen properties for road applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If bitumen is transported and stored in hot liquid form, then it flows easily and can be transported in bulk, but it consumes energy to maintain high temperatures and presents safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from high (120-160°C) to low (ambient temperature below 100°C, preferably 20-90°C) to eliminate energy consumption while maintaining transportability through granule form
Solution Approach 2:
The bitumen is divided into granules instead of being transported as bulk liquid, allowing cold storage and transport without energy consumption while maintaining ease of handling and application
2Use of energy by moving object
If bitumen is transported in metal drums at room temperature, then energy consumption is reduced, but handling becomes difficult and dangerous without specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
Bitumen is converted from drum-contained liquid to free-flowing granules, enabling easy handling with standard equipment while maintaining cold storage benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The physical form changes from liquid in drums to granular material, improving handling characteristics while maintaining ambient temperature storage
3Temperature
If bitumen is stored in drums, then cold storage is achieved, but product loss occurs due to viscosity leaving residue on drum walls
Solution Approach 1:
Converting bitumen to granules eliminates the drum wall adhesion problem entirely, as granules flow freely without contacting container surfaces during transfer
Solution Approach 2:
Changing from liquid to granular form at ambient temperature eliminates viscosity-related losses while maintaining cold storage advantages
4Ease of operation
If bitumen granules are transported in bags, then handling is simplified, but granules adhere to each other and clump together during storage and transport
Solution Approach 1:
A coating substance acts as an intermediary layer between granules, preventing direct contact and adhesion while allowing granules to maintain their bitumen properties
Solution Approach 2:
The coating is applied locally on the granule surface rather than changing the bulk properties, providing anti-adhesion where needed while preserving bitumen functionality
5Speed
If bitumen is maintained at high temperatures for long periods, then it remains fluid for transport, but the properties of the bitumen are affected and final mix performance changes
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature parameter is changed from high (120-160°C) to low (ambient 20-90°C), eliminating thermal degradation while maintaining transportability through granule form
Solution Approach 2:
Converting to granules enables ambient temperature transport, preventing long-term high temperature exposure that degrades bitumen properties
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables safe, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly transportation and storage of bitumen, minimizing waste and ensuring bitumen quality for road use without the need for heating, even at high ambient temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
bitumen granules which comprise... from 0.1% to 5% by mass relative to the total mass of said granules of at least one chemical additive... wherein the granules do not adhere to one another and do not form clumps during storage and/or transport, even at high ambient temperatures
Implementation Method 2
at least one bitumen base having a penetrability, measured at 25°C according to standard EN 1426, of between 5 and 300 1/10 mm... transportable and/or storable at high ambient temperatures, in particular at a temperature below 100°C
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns bitumen granules comprising at least one chemical additive chosen from: a compound of general formula (I): R1-(COOH)z in which R1 is a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon chain comprising between 4 and 68 carbon atoms, preferably between 4 and 54 carbon atoms, and more preferably between 4 and 36 carbon atoms, and z is an integer varying between 1 and 4, preferably between 2 and 4, and a compound of general formula (II): R-(NH)nCONH-(X)m-NHCO(NH)n-R' in which: - R and R', identical or different, contain a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, cyclic or acyclic hydrocarbon chain, having between 1 and 22 carbon atoms and optionally comprising heteroatoms and/or cycles having between 3 and 12 atoms and/or heterocycles having between 3 and 12 atoms; - X contains a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, cyclic or acyclic hydrocarbon chain, having between 1 and 22 carbon atoms and optionally comprising one or more heteroatoms and/or cycles having between 3 and 12 atoms and/or heterocycles having between 3 and 12 atoms; - n and m are integers having, independently from each other, a value of 0 or 1. The present invention also concerns a method for the cold transportation and/or storage of road bitumen, said bitumen being transported and/or stored in the form of bitumen granules according to the invention. The present invention also concerns the use of bitumen granules according to the invention as a road binder, the use of same for producing coated materials and a method for producing coated materials.