Bitumen Facilities

Bitumen is stored hot, moved hot through pipework and loaded hot into tank trucks. European industry guidance states that paving grades are loaded at up to 200 °C and oxidized grades at up to 230 °C, and recommends the same figures as maximum safe handling and storage temperatures. Loading, metering and safety requirements at a bitumen facility therefore come down to three questions: how to keep the product fluid along the whole chain, how to determine quantity reliably in a hot, sticky product, and how to control the interaction between hot product, water, gas and people.

What sets bitumen apart from other liquid products

·         Temperature comes with a ceiling: The maximum handling temperatures exist primarily to prevent flammable atmospheres in heated tanks, and temperature also drives the amount and composition of emissions. Operating above them calls for a task-specific risk assessment.

·         It stops flowing when it cools: Piping, pumps, valves and the loading arm must be heated and insulated from tank to truck, and idle lines are protected against blockage by circulation, trace heating or draining.

·         Water contact is a major accident hazard: Water in a truck or line can flash to steam on contact with hot bitumen and cause violent foaming and boil-over, so loading never starts until the vehicle is confirmed water-free for that load.

·         Hydrogen sulfide can be present in the headspace: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a flammable, toxic gas commonly found in the vapor space of tanks and trucks holding liquid bitumen, which makes the area around the loading hatch critical.

·         Burns are a constant hazard: Splashes, drips and hot surfaces make personal protective equipment, emergency showers and eyewash stations part of the facility design.

Solution areas at a bitumen facility

Metering and transfer needs at bitumen facilities are covered in the following application pages:

·         Truck loading: Top loading from heated tanks, vehicle acceptance, flow control and loading safety.

·         Truck unloading: Unloading at asphalt plants and depots, temperature management and receipt checks.

·         Metering skids: Meter technology for hot, viscous product, heated meter bodies and density monitoring.

·         Heated loading: Heating the loading arm and valves, temperature control and end-of-load draining.

·         Jacketed piping and loading arms: Jacketed lines heated by thermal oil or steam, and heat continuity through swivel joints.

·         High-viscosity transfer: Jacketed positive displacement pumps, cold starts and line clearing.

Quantity determination: weighbridge or meter?

Loaded quantity can be established with a truck weighbridge or with a meter in the loading line. Whichever method is used, industry guidance recommends integrating it with the product pumps, with an electronic quantity preset and automatic shut-off. When metering, the high viscosity of the product, the need for a heated meter body and, particularly with modified bitumens, the effect of gas coming out of the product on the measurement all need to be assessed. The international recommendation for dynamic measuring systems for liquids also places high-viscosity liquids in accuracy classes with wider error limits than the default class. Which legal requirements apply to billing-grade measurement depends on national legislation and the contract.

How safety shapes the design

Where TLY Enerji fits

On bitumen facility projects, TLY Enerji can provide engineering support for selecting metering technology to suit process conditions, supplying equipment such as meters, valves and pumps, integrating the loading and metering system with PLC and SCADA-based control, and site installation, testing and commissioning. The boundaries of scopes such as the heating system, loading gantry and civil works are agreed project by project.

Related pages

·         Bitumen truck loading systems: Steps and interlocks for safe top loading of tank trucks.

·         Bitumen metering skids: Meter selection and temperature management for hot, viscous bitumen.

·         Jacketed piping and loading arm systems: The piping and arm side of the heating chain.

·         High-viscosity bitumen transfer systems: Pump and line selection.

·         Heavy oil and fuel oil facilities: Similar temperature management challenges at lower temperatures.

Frequently asked questions

At what temperature is bitumen handled and loaded?

European industry guidance recommends maximum handling and storage temperatures of 200 °C for paving and air-rectified bitumen and 230 °C for severely oxidized bitumen, and notes that loading takes place at up to these temperatures. The actual operating temperature is set by product grade and supplier recommendation, and exceeding these limits requires a separate risk assessment.

Why is water in a bitumen truck so dangerous?

Water that meets hot bitumen turns to steam almost instantly and can make the product foam and boil over. That creates a major accident potential for burns and fire. Industry guidance therefore requires the driver to confirm the vehicle is water-free before every load, and loading must not start if that confirmation is not given.

Should bitumen be measured by weighbridge or by meter?

Both are used; the choice depends on the contractual quantity basis, regulations and the layout of the site. A weighbridge gives a result independent of product properties but requires weighing the vehicle empty and full. A meter integrates directly with preset loading and automatic shut-off, but must be selected with temperature, viscosity and gas release from the product in mind.