All posts by globecore

Cavitation reactors

Chemical Industry,
CLM-4.1-colloid mill GlobeCore

Thanks to the combination of developments in acoustics, hydrodynamics and chemical kinetics, a new promising device is entering the market: the cavitation reactors, employed for processing of suspensions, emulsions and for intensification of chemical processes in solutions. These devices are can be used either separately (in laboratory test-benches) or in industrial mixing processes. In today’s market, two main types of cavitation reactors are available: the ultrasonic cavitation reactors and the hydrodynamic cavitation reactors. The latter are more popular due to simpler design, reliability and reasonable cost.

The modern cavitation reactor allows to continuously disperse (atomize a solid component), homogenize (further atomization of a fraction and increasing the uniformity of its distribution in a liquid), disintegration (breaking of complex substances into components), deagglomeration (destruction of particle agglomerates), as well as produce stable emulsions on industrial scale.

Any cavitation reactor is based on initiation of cavitation processes in the medium pumped through the reactor. Local low pressure due to the change of flow rate (hydrodynamic cavitation) or passing of a powerful sound wave (acoustic cavitation) cause intensive formation of cavities, which then collapse, generating shockwaves. In the hydrodynamic mixer, the process occurs when the liquid mix passes through specially profiled nozzles. In hydrodynamic reactos of advanced design, nozzle geometry is variable, facilitating control of the flow parameters depending of the liquid properties and the required result.

Beside geometric parameters of the cavitation reactor proper, it efficiency significantly depends on operating pressure in the reactor and the temperature of the liquid (emulsion or suspension). For instance, if the pressure of the liquid passing through the reactor is increased from 5 to 15 bar, the cavitation process is tens of times more intensive. It should be noted that the maximum intensity of the reaction process with increase of the pressure shifts towards elevated temperatures. It has been experimentally proven, that the optimal cavitation occurs when the liquid is heated to 65% of its boiling temperature at the current operating pressure.

In the process of operation, the internal surface of the mixing chamber and the nozzles of the cavitation reactor come under a significant loads, therefore, the responsible manufacturers of such devices, such as GlobeCore, use super strong materials, stable to both impact loads and abrasion. If the liquids to be processed are chemically active, the chemical stability of the reactor’s construction material is a factor.

The cavitation reactor made by GlobeCore as a part of the biodiesel production line is used to make the processed feedstock more uniform. Under the stress of cavitation shock waves, the molecular bounds of the biofeedstock are broken, and the particle size decreases to 1 – 8 micron. Processing in hydrodynamic mixer also increases the area of application of bacteria, intensifying biogas production by 30 – 50%.

The GlobeCore cavitation reactors are versatile in terms of processed media, compact and reliable, and hold a leading place in the world market in terms of price to quality ratio.

Equipment Manufacturing Bitumen Emulsion

Road construction industry, ,

UVB

Heated bitumen yields the superior position to bitumen emulsion in road construction projects. Emulsions have better adhesive properties, are more easily spread over the road surface cover, and can be laid on a damp base.  Due to high penetration rates, emulsions easily fill the cracks and irregularities in the roadway.

Modern, technologically advanced equipment is required for the quality production of bitumen emulsion products.  The production line for manufacturing bitumen emulsion should produce a stable product that (1) does not break down into water and bitumen during storage and transportation and (2) when  received at the job site, the bitumen emulsion should have maintained its performance parameters as to its specified viscosity, acidity, adhesion and other physicochemical properties.

When selecting bitumen and emulsion equipment you should primarily choose the type of operational cycle that best meets the needs of your company.  The operational cycle may be be continuous or periodical.  In continuous plants, the water solvent of emulsifier and acids are prepared separately and then they are blended with the bitumen.  Such plants are relatively simple and can offer more variants and options  when selecting such equipment.  In turn the bitumen and emulsion batch plants do not require prior preparation of the solutions, allow the easy correcting of the recipe in place, and they are easy-to-use.

In general terms, any equipment for manufacturing bitumen emulsion consists of five (5) major components: (1) production line, the “heart” of which is a disperser and a mill; (2) vessels with reagents; (3) vessels for bitumen storage and finished emulsion (4) high tech pipelines and (5) a control system.

The quality of the bitumen emulsion is provided in the first place with the reduction the ratio of bitumen and mixing consistency of the emulsion components in the blending line. It is an industry known fact  that something like bitumen emulsion can be prepared with the help of a one gear-type pump that is used as a mixer for an enormous quantity of emulsifier.  This product however, as an emulsion most likely will exist for a couple of minutes and then it will be broken down into bitumen and water.

Colloid mills, that are used as mixers, provide high quality and  homogeneity of the prime dispersion components.  These mills should be chosen very carefully.  If the owner of the plant reaches a decision to save on the quality of grinding when buying a mill of a lower price range, than he will inevitably be faced with the problem of emulsion stability.  This problem however, could be easily solved by means of increasing the quantity of the  emulsifier and acids (for reducing PH).  As a result, this will lead to substantial rise of product costs because the price for reagents is very high.  The “over acidity” of bitumen emulsion will lead to accelerated corrosion of metal surfaces of vessels and pipelines used in bitumen production and storage.

The dosing system is a very important aspect of the bitumen emulsion production line.  Compliance of bitumen emulsion with the given recipe depends very much on the accurate work of the dosing system. Dosing with low cost equipment components is not very accurate and it cannot be adjusted during the work process, nor it can be corrected according to indirect parameters (e.g. frequent rotation of the inlet pump shaft).  It is therefore, extremely hard to provide high accuracy with this equipment as the volume of pumped bitumen with the same values of pump rotation depends too much on the temperature, inlet and outlet pump pressure, and physicochemical properties of the bitumen.  In practice, even a small mistake of 1% bitumen dosing greatly influences the working properties of some kinds of bitumen emulsion.  Special flow meters are installed in bitumen and emulsion equipment of the middle and high price ranges.  They allow for not only controlling the volume of the supplied components, but also introduce feedback and automatically correct the work of the inlet pump.

Vessels for emulsifier, acid, and adhesive additives can be mounted separately or can be supplied as chemical reagents mounted inside of the production block.  The last variant is more preferable because less length of inlet pipelines increases the stability of inlet line work.  Because of the quality of the heat insulation in the production module, the unit can easily sustain the desired temperature of the reagents that are specified in the operating manuals.

As a rule, a vessel for the storage of ready-made emulsion has a cylindrical form and it is installed horizontally or vertically.  Practice has shown that a vertical vessel is more preferable as with some time a bitumen crust on the surface of bitumen emulsion will arise.  The crust preserves its integrity when the bitumen level changes in the vertical vessel and prevents water evaporation from the emulsion.  At the same time, the protecting crust in the horizontally placed cylindrical vessel is constantly breaking thereby not providing protection against unwanted evaporation.

We highly recommend discussing possible variants with the equipment manufacturer and/or an authorized dealer.   You and your dealer or manufacturer should take into account the diversity of factors that help shape your decision making.   It should be borne in mind that when choosing equipment for manufacturing bitumen emulsion, the availability of several variants and solutions that are offered to  the customer of technical equipment can make it  difficult to determine the right choice.  GlobeCore employees always know what the right choices are and will always help you to make the choice that is  right for your business and operation.

Colloid Mill for Catalyst Injection

Chemical Industry,

Catalysts are special substances that speed up chemical reactions while remaining unchanged themselves.  Unlike other reagents, catalysts remain unchanged when the process is finished.  The reaction proceeds more slowly or does not proceed at all without catalysts.  The essence of catalytic reactions can be summarized as follows: First, the catalyst reacts with original substance.  An intermediate compound undergoes changes and then divides into a product and a catalyst.  This process repeats in the cycle up to a million times.

There are homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.  Homogeneous catalysts are in one phase with reacting substances and heterogeneous catalysts form an independent phase, being separated from the phase of reacting substances by a boundary line.

Acids and bases are often used as homogeneous catalysts and metals, such as oxides and sulfides are used as heterogeneous ones.  In biochemical reactions, enzymes act as catalysts.  For industrial purposes, homogeneous catalysts are used to obtain alcohols, nitrobenzene and other nitro compounds, such as acetic acids, aldehydes, and medicines.  The main difference between homogeneous catalysis and heterogeneous catalysts is that homogeneous catalysts require the reactions to proceed in the whole mixture.  Only in this case it is possible to reach the highest levels of catalyst’s efficiency.

In practice,  it may be troublesome to choose equipment that is able to provide an even distribution of catalyst throughout the whole reagent.  GlobeCore colloid mills meet all the requirements listed above.  GlobeCore Colloid mills are designed to obtain high-stable colloidal solutions, fine suspensions, mixtures, and emulsions.

The operational principle of colloid mills is based on centrifugal force and high relative speed between a rotor and a stationary stator that provide an even distribution of catalyst throughout the whole reagent.  As a result, the final substance becomes homogeneous that makes it possible to reach the highest level of catalyst’s efficiency.

GlobeCore produces both industrial (CLM-4, CLM-18, CLM-22) and laboratory models of colloid mills (CLM-05.3).

Colloid mills for industrial purposes are used to increase the efficiency of technological processes such as the production of medicines, acetic acid, aldehydes, alcohols, nitrobenzene, and terephthalic acid.

Laboratory models of colloid mills are used in special chemical laboratories to explore new catalysts or to find new application areas of existing ones.

Colloid Mill for Hummus

Food industry,

Hummus is a dish known since the times of  Pharaohs.  The following is the list of ingredients, necessary for its preparation:

  • chickpea;
  • lemon juice;
  • olive oil;
  • garlic;
  • paprika;
  • sesame paste.

In modern times, in some countries the word  “hummus”  means not only cold snack but also chickpea.  You may wonder, why are chickpeas used to prepare this dish?  The answer is actually It’s quite simple.  chickpeas contain a great amount of vegetable protein and can replace meat or milk products.  Chickpea dishes are of high calorific value (300-400 kcal).  Additionally, chickpeas contain such substances as iron, manganese, and molybdenum.   Iron is a part of hemoglobin and manganese that is required for energy production and molybdenum is one of the components of some enzymes.  Tryptophane, required for brain activity is also found in chickpeas.

In general, preparation of hummus is simple, but requires certain knowledge and special equipment.  First, the main component, the chickpeas, are boiled and crushed and then mixed with other ingredients.  It is worth mentioning that the list of ingredients listed above may vary depending on personal preferences and tastes.  In general, preparation of hummus requires a large food container, a sieve, a container for blending and a blender for grinding the all the ingredients.  If you prepare hummus at home, it is recommended to use a blender when making the preparations.  If however, you are talking about the large-scale production of hummus to meet the needs of the supermarkets and restaurants, then quite different units will be required to process the necessary amount of raw materials needed for large scale operations.

The GlobeCore line colloid mills are designed for the production of highly stable colloidal solutions, super-fine suspensions, mixtures, and emulsions.  To meet the needs and an individual customer’s order, GlobeCore colloid mills can be made of different capacity and may be retrofitted into the existing food production units already in service at your production facilty.

The operation of a colloid mill is based on the so-called wet milling, provided by a diffrent gap width between a rotor and a stator.  The sophisticated geometric surface of the rotor creates increased turbulence that breaks down the particles of the ingredients being processed for hummus preparation.  Due to the centrifugal forces and high relative speed between the rotating rotor and the stationary stator, hummus becomes homogeneous, finely-divided and retains its taste and values.

GlobeCore’s engineering department has developed a new and more advanced model of the colloid mill.  GlobeCore always takes the needs of its customers into consideration and is ready to improve existing equipment and develop revolutionary new units to solve a wide spectrum of industrial problems.

One of the latest GlobeCore developments in the food industry is a new and more advanced model of the traditional colloid mill.  Such kinds of equipment have enjoyed a wide popularity while producing yogurts, fruit juices, puree, jams, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and peanut butter.

The new model colloid mill is made of stainless steel that makes it resistant to corrosion.  It is easy-to-use and requires littel advanced preparation.  Additionally, the new design with the gap between the rotor and the stator provides for improved characteristics of the final product.  The new unit is belt driven which provides for smooth and noiseless operation of the equipment.

How Does the Modern Colloid Mill Influence the Quality of Road Pavement?

Colloid Mill,

Bitumen emulsions are used for road surface treatment, soil reinforcement, and ground stabilization as well as for the construction of roads and highways.  Bitumen emulsion usually consists of bitumen (50-70%) and water (30-50%).  A special component known as an emulsifier (acidol, naphtha soap, sulphate soap) is added to bitumen emulsion to make it stable.  The emulsifier is more expensive than bitumen though only 0.6-1.6% of emulsifier is required for bitumen emulsion preparation.

Bitumen emulsions were first introduced in the 1920s by French scientists. Bitumen emulsion has made it possible to avoid many of the difficulties that emerge when applying hot bitumen.  Some of them include high viscosity of bitumen that results in excessive bitumen consumption, air pollution and extra time and energy to warm up the bitumen.

Bitumen is emulsified in a colloid mill.  It is the colloid mill that blends the water and bitumen phases and determines the quality of the final product.  It should be noted that colloid mills have replaced propeller type mixers commonly used in earlier emulsification production processes.

The following is a common procedure of road surface treatment when using bitumen emulsions:

  1.    to remove dirt and dust from the surface and repair potholes (if necessary);
  2.    to moisten the surface if it is hot outside;
  3.    to spread 30% of  the regular amount of the emulsion along the surface;
  4.    to spread 70% of the regular  amount of crushed stones along the surface;
  5.    to spread the rest of the emulsion (70%);
  6.    to spread the rest of the crushed stones (30%);
  7.    to compact the surface; and
  8.    to form the final surface.

The temperature and the concentration of emulsion do not need to be set according to weather conditions.  For example, if the ambient temperature is -20ºC, the temperature of the bitumen emulsion should be heated to between +40  and +50ºC and its concentration between 55-60% of the normal volumes.

Here is the list of benefits of bitumen emulsion that have distinguished it from other construction materials:

  •    reduction in power consumption (by 20-40%) since there is no need to warm up the bitumen;
  •    reduction in bitumen consumption  (by 30-40%) due to low viscosity and wettability of the mineral material;
  •    road construction jobs performed on moistened road pavements or mineral materials with natural moisture;
  •    extended road construction season (from early spring till late autumn, at more than +5ºC);
  •    improved adhesion to mineral materials due to emulsifier;
  •    improved work safety;
  •    reduced risk of fire since water; and
  •    reduction of hazardous wastes emitted into the atmosphere.

Bitumen emulsion is usually classified according to the charge of the bitumen particles.  Emulsions with negatively charged particles are called anionic. In practical terms however, it is troublesome to use them since some filling materials are also negatively charged.  It is therefore, very difficult to homogenize filling material and bitumen emulsions that have the same negative charge of particles.

Having done a great deal of work, researchers finally invented emulsions with positively charged particles that are called cationic bitumen emulsions.  Such emulsions are used more often when performing road construction projects because they are easy to combine with filling materials.

In practical terms, not only bitumen emulsions but also bitumen pastes and mastics may be used for road pavement.  It is the proportion of components that distinguishes bitumen pastes from bitumen emulsion: 40-55% of bitumen, 8-15% of emulsifier and 30-50% of water.

Bitumen mastic is the mixture that consists of  bitumen pastes and finely dispersed mineral filling materials  (the size of the grains is no more than 1.25 mm).

GlobeCore has developed, and is still producing equipment, designed for production of high-quality bitumen emulsions (cationic and anionic), bitumen pastes and mastics.  The colloid mill, as the one of the basic parts of bitumen emulsion equipment, provides for production of highly-stable bitumen emulsions that can be stored for a long period of time and ensures high quality of of completed road construction projects.

Toothpaste Production

Chemical Industry,

Nowadays, we can’t even imagine our lives without toothpaste.  In general, they consist of abrasives, binding components, surfactants, aromatics, and antiseptics.  Often, such chemical elements known as ‘propyl p-hydroxybenzoate‘ are used as an antiseptic. Additionally, pastes may contain various medical and preventive additives such as chlorophyllin sodium, provitamins and vitamins, herbal infusions, salts, microcomponents, and enzymes.

The following details the toothpaste production process.  At the first stage, sodium carboxymethylcellulose solution is prepared: first it is soaked for 24 hours.  Then, such components as glycerin, perfume oil, and chalk are added to the mixture that is constantly blended.  At the final stage, the resulting mixture is supplied to a special homogeniser with a colloid mill.  It is the colloid mill that gives the toothpaste plastic like qualities.  Then, a special automatic machine fills and seals the tubes with paste which are then placed in boxes for shipment and sale.

As we can see, one of the most important stages of toothpaste production is giving it plastic properties since these qualities are of great importance.  GlоbeCоre has developed and is still producing colloid mills to obtain high-stable solutions, superfine suspensions, mixtures, emulsions, and toothpastes.  The GlobeCore colloid mills may be mounted into the existing equipment since the gap between a rotor and a stator is adjustable.  GlоbeCоre equipment has been recognized as an industry leader in more than 70 countries around the world.

GlobeCore’s UBV-1 Bitumen-Emulsion Equipment is the Best Solution to Today’s Road Construction Problems

Road construction industry, , ,

It is has always been difficult to provide a competely effective road surface pavement because of the wide range of factors such as:

(1) short road construction seasons;

(2) unpredictable and unfavourable weather conditions;

(3) shortage of financial resources;

The situation had remained unchanged for a long period of time, but recent developments with bitumen emulsion products has made it possible to extend the service life of road surface pavements.  This construction material has been used all over the word for the last few decades.  Our experience has shown that bitumen emulsions are much more effective than bitumen for performing road construction projects.  The performance characteristics of bitumen emulsion allow the builders to apply the so-called ‘cold methods’ of roadway construction.

GlоbeCоre has designed universal bitumen-emulsion equipment designated as the UBV-1 line that produces cationic bitomen emuslsion as well as anionic bitumen emulsion with specified performance characteristics.  The final product is characterized by low viscosity and high adhesion that allow the builders to use it at low temperatures.  Additionally, it can be stored for a long period of time.

The process of bitumen emulsion production includes several stages. At the first stage, the water solution is prepared. The blending tank is supplied with hot water, acid, and an emulsifier.  The ready-made solution gets into the colloid mill which blends it with liquid bitumen.  When the process is completed, the final product is placed into the storage tank.

GlоbeCоre equipment fully complies with all international standards and regulations and is designed to meet all customers’ needs involved in the road-building enterprises or at bitumen-concrete production plants.

Horizontal Bitumen Tank

Solutions,

Storage and preparation of bitumen on your own company property has a number of advantages for the company.  The availability of bitumen boilers allows companies to create and replenish their own stocks of the material without fear of market fluctuations and irregular supply.  There are various special containers for storage and heating of bitumen.

GlobeCore offers equipment that is optimally adapted to the technical features of your enterprise.

The basic unit of bitumen complex is bitumohranilische. Its main advantage is that it can be used both as a storage container of asphalt emulsion and as a tank for storing the bitumen-heater.

Bitumohranilische is a “reservoir tank”, i.e. made from 6 mm thick sheet metal.

A horizontal bitumen tank can be used by enterprises that are engaged in the production of asphalt pavements, foundation waterproofing, and concrete structures.

The GlobeCore design department has developed specific solutions for a variety of construction enterprises. Thus, depending on the type of enterprise and the technologies and materials, you can choose the most efficient type of equipment with the minimal expenditure of resources and money.

For example, when installing the burner flame tube as a heating agent, it can use a gas furnace or diesel fuel.  As an alternative coolant it can use thermal oil.  In this case it is carried out in a special heating boiler.  Also for this purpose it can use a MTG-generator with a capacity of 400 thousand. Kcal.  This type of equipment is made by our factory and can be delivered to the customer together with the horizontal bitumen tank.  Its main advantage over similar equipment is the increased capacity.

The long-term experience of our engineers in the field of mechanical engineering allows us to create and implement technical solutions for enterprises of any complexity.  On request, a horizontal bituminous container can be made in two constructive designs depending on which substance is used for heating.

Bitumohranilischa volume depends on the presence or absence of a flame tube and can vary from 28 to 30 m. Cu.

In recent years, there have been industrial trends towards the use of plants for thermal oil. This is due to their efficiency, environmental friendliness and preservation of all necessary requirements for the subsequent operation of the properties of the bitumen.  The  heating tube uses a temperature not exceeding the boiling temperature of the bitumen, thereby avoiding overheating.  In addition, the heat generated by the oil generator can be used to heat all bitumohranilischa consisting of at least 3-4 horizontal tanks.

In the second case, the bitumen may overheat and fall as sludge to the bottom and, consequently, lose its properties.  To avoid this, you need to constantly monitor the processes occurring inside the tank.  After use, it is necessary to drain the bitumen and to clean the tank itself.  It is also worth noting that the bitumen cannot be drained completely (it should at least cover the flame tubes).

Despite the current shortcomings, this type of unit is has also found its application in many companies that use gas or other fuels.

The design department and engineers at GlobeCore constantly improve the technology eliminating all sorts of shortcomings while introducing modern technologies and devices.

Since asphalt is a sufficiently viscous substance, in the container structure  there is a special horizontal mixer consisting of three pieces that accelerates the mixing of hot and cold layers of material.

A distinctive feature of our manufactured containers for storage and heating of bitumen is their container structure, ie, mounting dimensions are similar to the dimensions of the “Ocean Going” sea container. This allows us to deliver a horizontal bitumen container via sea transport anywhere in the world.

When transporting the container with a gas burner and the flame tube there is the possibility of removing the last premises in special registers.

In order to put the equipment into working condition, you need to install the flame tube in the original position according to the scheme that is contained in the technical documentation that comes with the equipment.

The range of the horizontal bitumen vessel may include a special pump for feeding the bitumen. This part is also produced by our factory.

Thus, the customer can order a bituminous complex that has been appropriately tested and certified.

Comparative Characteristics of the Technical Data of Various Performance Settings

Characteristic

Bitumohranilische burner

Bitumohranilishte of Thermal
The total volume of the boiler, m. Cube

32

32
The working volume of the boiler, m. A cube

28

28
Type of Heating

fire

Termomaslo
Installed capacity, kW

23
The parameters of the burner
– Rated Power, kW

430
– Maximum power, kW

540
– Fuel

Natural gas G20
– Gas pressure

20 bar
– Maximum flow rate, m. Cc / hr

38
The parameters of the electric current

380V / 50Hz

380V / 50Hz
Dimensions, mm, max.
-length

11750

11750
– width

2100

2100
– height

2500

2500
Weight, no more

12700

12700

Questions that you may have:

1. Should the tank and system be constantly filled?

For each type of container, there are differences in the response to this question.

The advantage of using a thermal oil for heating is that the bitumen can be filled and drained from the tank half or even completely. In this case, it will be in working order.

When using the flame tube it is not recommended to drain below their standard substance, as in this case it is possible to have burning bitumen. This may result in a fire the entire system.  For reheating it is necessary to fill the tank with new bitumen.

2. How to control the filling?

Installation of the system has certain special devices that includes:

  • level sensors (located on the perimeter of the installation);
  • Temperature sensors for the upper and lower layer of bitumen;
  • overflow sensors (at the top of the unit- are needed to improve the accuracy of measurements).
  • backup level sensor;
  • overflow pipe.

When triggered, the high level sensor shuts off the pump feeding the material into the bitumen tank.  For emergencies, there are special openings for quick drainage of bitumen.

3. In what form is the unit received by the buyer?

The unit is supplied to the customer with the need to separately deliver the gears.   In the second part, the burner.  Our engineers can visit the area and make the installation and make the unit run and operate properly.

4. The terms of the warranty?

Warranty period – 12 months from date of shipment from the supplier’s warehouse. The manufacturer guarantees the stable operation of the unit if the consumer observes the correct installation, operation, maintenance, transportation and storage.

5. How many operators are necessary for the management of the equipment?

The minimum number of operators during bitumen production is two people.

UVB-1 Bitumen Emulsion Plant was Launched in Azerbaijan

News

Early February, members of GlobeCore had a business trip to Baku (Azerbaijan).  The purpose of the trip was commissioning and launching of the previously supplied UVB-1 plant (capacity of 2 m3/h), designed to produce bitumen emulsions.

The project was completed on time,  in full compliance with international quality standards – which allowed the workers of Azerbaijan to start  production of bitumen emulsions.

Today bitumen emulsions are generally used for:

  • Surface treatment.  The main advantage of using bitumen emulsion is its ability to work with wet gravel;
  • Fine sealcoating.  Selecting an emulsifier allows for quick coating.  Active traffic can be resumed in 1 or 2 hours after completion of works;
  • Preparation of cold mixes for recycling directly on the site;
  • Impregnation of soil consisting of gravel and sand;
  • Seal coat (waterproofing, providing non-skid surface, anti-glare surface, reducing deterioration and cracks);
  • Surface tack coat treatment (for best bond strength treatment of pavements);
  • Macadam pavement (gravel impregnated with bitumen).

GlobeCore produces all types of bitumen emulsions to meet the challenges of road construction, as well as modified emulsions for roofing and waterproofing works.

Road-Building Project Using Bitumen Emulsion

Road construction industry, ,

Bitumen is an important adhesive component of mixtures used in road construction projects.  This substance is used only in a liquid form therefore, it must be subjected to heating.

As much as 70% of bitumen emulsion is made of the solid substance called bitumen.  The particles of the bitumen are suspended in water.  Additionally, bitumen emulsion retains all of its binding properties even at room temperature.

When used in paving, bitumen emulsion properly adheres to aggregate surfaces.  The electric charge of the aggragates however, can damage the mixture’s balance.  In order to avoid damage to the mixture’s balance, special additives (bipolar molecules of emulsifier) provide the adhesion qualities of bitumen emulsionand prevent any damage to the mixture’s balance.  The bitumen particles become free from the emulsifier in order to avoid any electrolytic imbalance.  As a result, bitumen emulsion is stabilized and can properly cover the aggregate surface.

The water in the mixture is forced out and evaporates because of different charges between the emulsifier and the aggregate surface.  This method of ‘binding’ the construction material and bitumen (in the bitumen emulsion) improves the quality of road pavement and gives it greater strength and  resilience.

Bitumen emulsion is a homogeneous adhesive liquid consisting of bitumen and water.  There are also other kinds of bitumen emulsion modified by rubber fillers and high tech additives.

Distinctive performance characteristics of bitumen emulsion allows road builders to increase the pavement’s strength and drying rate.  Additionally, the performance characteristics listed above enable equipment operators to use the mixture in poorly ventilated or indoor areas without any risk to human health or risk of fire.

Different bitumen emulsion equipment operates according to the principle of blending bitumen with water, emulsifiers and high tech additives.  This method ensures compliance with local laws and regulations.

Batch and continuous blending machines have similar construction, but there is a difference in the blending process (double-pass or continuous  blending procedures).  Water, bitumen, emulsifiers and other additives are blended in a colloid mill of the batch type unit.  This kind of equipment allows the operator to manage the process manually.  The metering of components however, may require semi-automatic or automatic controls to reduce the risk of operator errors.

In continuous blending unit, emulsion is blended in a container with separate metering pumps for each type of material introduced to the mixture.

Bitumen emulsion is mainly used in the road construction industry, but improved composition of bitumen emulsion gives it the possibility of being used indoors to protect sanitary facilities and waterproof commerical and residential buildings.

GlobeCore GmbH designs and produces modern and efficient equipment for producing bitumen emulsion products for the road and building construction industries.  Learn more about GlobeCore by visiting our website at globecore.com