Bitumen Blowing

Asphalt
• Obtained from
o Distillation of crude as the bottommost product
o Deasphalting units

• Used for
o Road construction
o Water proofing works
 Asphalt - Nature
• Black in colour
• Display agglutinating properties
• Show hydrophobic tendencies
 Asphalt – Composition
• Oil: 35 – 50%
• Rosins: 5 – 20%
• Asphaltenes: 20 – 30%
• Acids, etc: upto 10%

• Molecular weight varies from 900 to more

than 2000
 Need for bitumen blowing
• The necessary qualities like ductility,
penetration index, API gravity are not
available with raw stock of asphalt
• These qualities are enhanced by air
blowing of bitumen
• Product is called air blown bitumen
 Light oil Gases

A
1 2
3
Cooling coils

Air

Bitumen

1 : Flash Column 4 Cut Black Bitumen

2 : Reactor
3 : Heater B
A : Asphalt from Deasphalting unit
Solvent
B : Vacuum Residuums
 Process
• Batch process
• Asphalts are mixed and heated to a
temperature of 200 – 210 0C and sent into
a reactor (Capacity around 1000 tons)
• Reactor has air distributors at the bottom
and is also provided with heating and
cooling coils
 Process
• Air blowing rate is 0.5 to 1.5 m3/hr per ton
of charge
• Blowing time is 10 to 15 hrs
• Gases produced are flared
• Product is obtained from the bottom
• Time for blowing can be reduced by
adding chemicals like ferric chloride or
phosphorus pentoxide