Bitumen Recycling Unit with Multi-Stage Grinding and Scraper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recycling units are not efficient in recycling bituminous products, particularly those with reinforcement layers, as they fail to completely disintegrate fibers, leading to contamination and frequent maintenance issues.
Innovation Solution
A process involving multiple grinding steps and a recycling unit with a micronization chamber and scraper, followed by a mixing tank with a carrier, to produce a recycled bitumen with a predefined viscosity, allowing for efficient recycling of diverse bituminous waste products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single grinding step is used in existing recycling units, then the processing time is reduced, but the fibers in reinforcement layers are not completely disintegrated, leading to contamination and frequent maintenance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The grinding process is divided into multiple sequential steps: a first grinding step using a rotor-stator mechanism to reduce particle size, followed by a second grinding step using a screen to further reduce particle size and completely disintegrate fibers. This segmentation ensures complete fiber disintegration while maintaining efficient processing throughput.
2Device complexity
If existing recycling units are used without a screen, then the device complexity is reduced, but the fibers are not completely disintegrated, causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
A screen is introduced as a separate component in the second grinding step to specifically target and completely disintegrate fibers. The screen extracts and processes fiber-containing materials separately, ensuring complete fiber disintegration and preventing contamination in the final recycled bitumen product.
3Device complexity
If existing recycling units operate without a mixing tank and carrier, then the process complexity is reduced, but the recycled bitumen quality is inconsistent and viscosity is not controlled
Solution Approach 1:
A mixing tank with a carrier is introduced before the final product output to pre-mix the ground and melted bitumen with the carrier. This preliminary mixing action ensures uniform distribution of recycled bitumen components and controls the final viscosity, producing consistent high-quality recycled bitumen suitable for various applications.
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
The process effectively recycles a broad diversity of bituminous waste products, including those with reinforcement layers, reducing maintenance needs and enabling the production of high-quality recycled bitumen for reuse in various bituminous products.
Implementation Method 1
heated and melted by shear strength upon the operation of the stator, rotor and micronization chamber
Implementation Method 2
at least one scraper organized to scrape the external wall of the rotor
Implementation Method 3
said mixing tank being continuously agitated with horizontal or vertical screw having mixing blades
Data Source
AI summary
A process of recycling a bituminous product or a bituminous membrane product contacting reinforcement layers. Collecting the waste bituminous products and sorting it in a series of waste bituminous product batches. At least one grinding step of each batch in each series forms a fine ground batch. The fine ground batch is introduced into a recycling unit wherein the fine ground batch is heated and melted and collected as a melted product. The melted product is fed into a mixing tank having a predetermined volume containing fresh carrier.