DUPONT™ ELVALOY® RET

MIXING DESIGN GUIDE

Technical Bulletin RET2.2
Equipment design considerations for the mixing of
DuPont™ Elvaloy® RET in polymer-modified asphalt (PMA) binder for paving.
 TECHNICAL BULLETIN RET2.2

Overview

DuPont™ Elvaloy® RET asphalt modifier effectiveness

and maximum performance requires adequate mixing.
Because only a small amount of Elvaloy® RET is added
to the asphalt; and because the terpolymer is reactive,
proper mixing helps assure that the RET pellets are well
distributed and that the RET molecules are stretched
out and dispersed quickly, to react with the available
asphaltenes.

Distributive and Dispersive Mixing (1)

Distributive mixing is defined as providing spatial uniformity

of all the components.

Dispersive mixing is defined as the breakup of

agglomerates or lumps to the desired ultimate grain size of
the solid particulates, or the domain size (drops) of other
immiscible fluids.

(1)From: Handbook of Industrial Mixing - Science and Practice, Edited by:

Paul, Edward L.; Atiemo-Obeng, Victor A.; Kresta, Suzanne M. © 2004
Illustration source: Handbook of Industrial Mixing - Science and Practice, Edited by: Paul, Edward
John Wiley & Sons
L.; Atiemo-Obeng, Victor A.; Kresta, Suzanne M. © 2004 John Wiley & Sons

Mixing Parameters
There are three keys to ensuring both distribution and
dispersion are completed:
1. Elvaloy® pellets must be submerged as soon as they
come into contact with the asphalt.
2. Mixing should be sufficiently turbulent to distribute the
pellets around the tank.
3. Mixing energy must be adequate to break up and diffuse
the viscous melted terpolymer into the asphalt (not the
same as shear milling).
Consult with your tank and agitator supplier for specifics.
Key 1: Elvaloy® pellets must be submerged as soon as
they come into contact with the asphalt.
Elvaloy® RET is reactive and has lower density than asphalt.
If pellets are left floating on top of the asphalt, they can
melt together and eventually react, forming a skin or layer.
Successful Elvaloy® mixing starts with top-down mixer
using pitched-blade impellers turning fast enough to creat a
vortex and turbulence to distribute the pellets as they
melt. Tank baffles and mixer impellers should be designed to provide
a vortex to draw the RET pellets into the hot asphalt. Other addition
methods should be discussed with DuPont technical representative.
Key 2: Mixing should be sufficiently turbulent to distribute the
pellets around the tank.
Turbulence is estimated by calculating an impeller Reynolds Number
(NRE) which is based on the impeller speed and size and the particular
fluid viscosity. For mixing Elvaloy® RET pellets the Reynolds Number
should be higher than 20,000 for the unmodified asphalt.
NRE = r d2 h / µ
r is density of the asphalt liquid, g/cm3; (lb/ft3)
d is impeller diameter, cm; (ft)
h is impeller speed, revolutions per second; (RPM/60 seconds per
minute)
µ is viscosity, Poise; (lb/ft second)
Turbulence can be increased by increasing the impeller diameter
or speed (rpm) or reducing the viscosity of the asphalt (higher
temperature).
DUPONT™ ELVALOY® RET MXING DESIGN GUIDE

Key 3: Energy must be adequate to break up and diffuse Additional Information

the viscous melted terpolymer into the asphalt.
Mixing by the impeller as it shears the terpolymer and
asphalt, will reduce the pellet size and allow the Elvaloy®
RET molecules to stretch out and disperse with the
asphaltenes. To ensure adequate dispersion of higher
viscosity melted terpolymer into lower viscosity asphalt,
the mixer should be designed to draw at least 0.2 hp/ton
asphalt. The mixer designer should provide this information,
but it can be estimated by calculating about 75% of the total
impeller power draw:
The mixing should continue long enough to allow the
Elvaloy® to uniformly spread and disperse, typically 2-3
hours after all terpolymer has been added. (See DuPont
Technical Bulletin RET2.1 for further PMA production
information.) The reaction can continue aided by heat
or catalyst. See also DuPont Technical Bulletin RET1.1,
“Suggested Guidelines for Initial Screening of Elvaloy®
RET in Asphalt for Paving Applications.”

Power Draw = n Po r h3 d5/C

n is number of impeller sets (not blades)

Po is the power number of the impeller set (from
supplier)
r is density of the asphalt liquid, g/cm3 (lb/ft3)
h is impeller speed, revolutions per second; (RPM/60
seconds per minute)
d is diameter of the impeller, cm; (ft)
C = 7.457*109 [(g cm/sec2)*(cm/sec)] / hp; (C = 17,693.5
[lbmft2/sec3] / hp )

Mixer Examples

Vertical Mix Tank – 200 tons

Tank diameter: 270 inches

Liquid level: 270 inches
Mixer: 75 hp turning impellers @ 60 rpm
Impellers: 3 sets pitch blade, 4 blades/set, 66 inches
diameter.

Horizontal Mix Tank

Tank Volume: 25-30 cubic meters

Tank Diameter: 250 cm
Mixer: 2 mixers spaced 1/3 of the distance to
the end of the tank. 15 hp each turning
impellers @ 100-120 rpm
Impellers: 2 sets pitch blade, 3 blades/set, each
blade 50 cm long.
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ELVALOY® RET TECHNICAL BULLETIN RET2.2

Disclaimer

This information corresponds to our current knowledge on the REGIONAL CONTACT CENTERS
subject. It is offered solely to provide possible suggestions for DuPont™ Elvaloy® RET
for your own determinations. It is not intended, however, to asphalt modifiers
substitute for any testing you may need to conduct to determine
for yourself the suitability of our products for your particular DuPont Industrial Polymers
purposes. It is the user’s responsibility to determine the level Wilmington, Delaware U.S.A.
of risk and the proper protective equipment needed for the Telephone +1 302 992 4557
user’s particular purposes. This information may be subject to Toll-free (USA) 800 438 7225
revision as new knowledge and experience becomes available.
Since we cannot anticipate all variations in actual end-use DuPont do Brasil, S.A.
conditions, DUPONT MAKES NO WARRANTIES AND ASSUMES Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brasil
NO LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH ANY USE OF THIS Telephone +55 11 4166 8000
INFORMATION. Nothing in this publication is to be considered as
a license to operate under or a recommendation to infringe any DuPont China Holding Co., Ltd.
trademark or patent right. Pudong New District, Shanghai
Telephone +86 21 3862 2888

For additional information on safety and handling of DuPont™ DuPont de Nemours Int’l. S.A.
Elvaloy® RET, please read the Material Safety Data Sheet. If Geneva, Switzerland
further assistance is needed, contact DuPont Packaging and Telephone +41 22 717 51 11
Industrial Polymers at a regional office near you.

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While DuPont believes that the procedure set forth in this publication can be used to safely and The DuPont Oval, DuPont™, The miracles of science™ and Elvaloy are trademarks or registered
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effectively modify asphalt, DuPont does not warrant or guarantee the completeness, efficacy trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.
or safety of the process or its use. The information contained herein is intended for use only
by competent personnel in designing and operating a facility to modify asphalt, and the user Copyright © 2011 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved.
of this information accepts full responsibility for its use. Consistent with the foregoing, anyone
using this information shall indemnify and hold DuPont harmless from any loss, claim, damage, K-25332_1 (10/2011)
or injury to persons or property whatever the cause may be arising out of or pertaining to the
use of the information, unless the same is shown by the user to have been caused directly by
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taken as a license to operate under, or a recommendation to infringe, any patents.