Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 12/504,464 filed on Jul. 16, 2009, which was allowed on Apr. 10, 2012, and which claimed the benefit of provisional application No. 61/082,555 filed on Jul. 22, 2008, both of which were filed by the same inventor. These applications are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to hot mix asphalt (HMA) plants used in road paving. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In recent years, attempts have been made to improve the efficiency of hot mix asphalt (HMA) plants. Conventional direct-fired prior art drum hot mix asphalt plants often utilize a mixture of virgin aggregate material and recycled asphalt products (RAP). This virgin aggregate is generally stockpiled until it is needed. It is often exposed to the atmosphere and to rain, snow, etc. The moisture content of virgin aggregate can vary, but it is often not insignificant. As a constituent of HMA, the virgin aggregate is necessarily heated far above the boiling point of water during the asphalt production process. This heating across the vaporization point (which also dries the virgin aggregate) consumes a large amount of energy. Much of the total energy supplied to a drum heater in an asphalt plant is consumed in heating and drying the constituents of HMA, including virgin aggregate material. 
     Consequently, there exists a need for improved methods and systems for cost effectively heating and drying virgin aggregate material used in asphalt production. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for producing asphalt in an efficient manner. 
     It is a feature of the present invention to utilize a virgin aggregate feed bin with an integrated dryer. 
     It is another feature of the present invention to use atmospheric or heated air to pre-dry/heat virgin aggregate material. 
     It is another feature of the present invention to include capturing exhaust and other wasted heat from various portions of an asphalt plant and using it to dry and pre-heat virgin material. 
     It is another feature of the present invention to use a heat exchanger to convert humid exhaust air to heat air to dry virgin aggregate material. 
     It is yet another feature of the present invention to reduce the emission of gaseous and liquid sulfuric and other acids by maintaining separation between exhaust gases used to heat the HMA to a point above the boiling point of water and moisture given off by the HMA mixture when it is heated above the boiling point of water, while both are used separately to heat the air used to heat the virgin aggregate. 
     It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a relatively high efficiency HMA plant. 
     The present invention is designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features, and achieve the already articulated advantages. 
     Accordingly, the present invention is an asphalt plant comprising: 
     an asphalt mixer; 
     a supply of aggregate material; 
     a structure constructed for enclosing and containing aggregate material and protecting said aggregate material from precipitation and further comprising components configured to allow air to flow through the aggregate material for the purpose of drying said aggregate material with at least one of atmospheric air and artificially heated and propelled atmospheric air; and 
     a conveyor to move said aggregate material from said structure into said asphalt mixer. 
     The present invention is also a method of making hot mix asphalt comprising the steps of: 
     providing an asphalt mixer; 
     providing a supply of aggregate material; 
     providing a structure configured for enclosing and containing aggregate material in a substantially stationary arrangement and protecting said aggregate material from precipitation and further causing air to flow through the aggregate material for the purpose of drying said aggregate material with artificially heated and propelled atmospheric air; and 
     causing said aggregate material to move from said structure into said asphalt mixer. 
     The present invention is further an asphalt plant comprising: 
     means for reclaiming heat from a heated metal object and using reclaimed heat for artificially heating air which is propelled into the structure and blown through interstices in the aggregate material. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention may be more fully understood by reading the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of an HMA plant of the present invention where the long dashed line arrow represents direction of flow of various bulk materials through the plant. The dotted lines represent flow of gaseous matter with suspended small particulate matter. The solid arrowed lines represent a connection between portions of a pipe, etc. which is not drawn to reduce potentially confusing clutter in the drawings. The double-arrowed line A-A is a line along which the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 2  was taken. The intermittent lines without arrowheads show otherwise hidden internal components. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the virgin aggregate feeder bin with integrated heater/dryer unit of the present invention taken on line A-A of  FIG. 1 . The solid arrows represent airflow. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a virgin aggregate feed bin with integrated heater/dryer unit of the present invention taken on line A-A of  FIG. 1 . The solid arrows represent airflow. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Now referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like matter throughout, and more specifically to  FIG. 1 , there is shown energy efficient HMA plant  1000  which can be generally constructed of the same types of materials and in the same general manner as prior art HMA plants. Energy efficient HMA plant  1000  is shown as including a drive-over truck dump  10 , or the like, which can be used for receiving virgin aggregates from trucks or end loaders, etc. Note: throughout this description, virgin aggregate products are mentioned as HMA components which benefit from preheating. It should be understood that virgin aggregate is used as an example, and the present invention is intended to cover recycled or reclaimed aggregate material and any other non-RAP dry bulk component of HMA. Although this invention is described as related to HMA, it should be understood that it could be used with warm mix asphalt, etc. Drive-over truck dump  10  feeds the virgin aggregate material onto bin supplying conveyor  20  which may be an inclined conveyor carrying virgin aggregate material to the top of virgin aggregate feed bins  40 . Reversing translating conveyor  30  can move virgin aggregate material either left or right to feed the various virgin aggregate feed bins  40 . Aggregate feed bins  40  can be from a small size to very large, on the order of approximately 10 tons to a thousand ton or more capacity. 
     Virgin aggregate feed bins  40  can be circular, rectangular or other shapes. Virgin aggregate feed bins  40  are designed so that heated air can enter from the bottom and pass through the virgin aggregate material therein and heat and dry the virgin aggregate material. Depending on the moisture content of the virgin aggregate material and the humidity, either ambient air or heated air is moved through the virgin aggregate material. Virgin aggregate feed bins  40 , as well as every other portion of the present invention that contains or carries heated matter, could be thermally insulated. 
     Gathering conveyor  50  is disposed below virgin aggregate feed bin  40  (more clearly shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). Also, see discussion of  FIGS. 2 and 3  below. The heated and dried virgin aggregate material is delivered by gathering conveyor  50  to vibrating screen  60  which may be a single or multi-deck screen which removes oversize or foreign objects from the supply of virgin aggregate material. Grizzly bars, trommels and other material sorting devices could be used with or instead of vibrating screen  60 . 
     Once the virgin aggregate material is processed, it is supplied on weigh conveyor  70  which weighs the virgin aggregate material as it is delivered to slinger  80 , other high speed conveyor or feed slide chute which propels or provides the virgin aggregate material into the virgin aggregate material intake end of drum dryer/mixer  90 . (While no electronic data or control lines are shown connecting the various components of the present invention, it should be understood that various wired or wireless connections may be preferred in some applications.) A counter-flow mixer is shown, but a parallel flow mixer or suitable substitute could be used as well. Discharge and burner housing  100  is shown disposed over the HMA discharge end of drum dryer/mixer  90 . Burner head  110  is shown, with phantom lines, centrally disposed inside drum dryer/mixer  90  as is commonly done with prior art counter-flow mixers. RAP entry collar  120  is shown in a similar manner. Dust return auger system  130  is shown in a typical manner. Drum heat collecting hood  140  is disposed over the heating and drying portion of drum dryer/mixer  90  as well as the mixing portion. A single or multiple heat collecting hoods could be used. Drum heat collecting hood outlet duct  150  is shown as the sole, non-exhaust, heated air removing duct from drum dryer/mixer  90 . The drum heat collecting hood outlet duct  150  and the hood itself are incidentally heated. The term “incidentally heated” should be understood to mean that the hood receives heat as the result of a process other than intentionally heating the hood for pre-drying and pre-heating aggregate material before it is introduced into a mixer. Here the drum heat collecting hood outlet duct  150  and hood are indirectly and incidentally heated as a result of the burner head  110  within the drum dryer/mixer  90  in its normal operation of creating HMA. Due to low pressure, the heated air is sucked from drum heat collecting hood outlet duct  150  to valve ducting  380 . 
     Drum dryer/mixer exhaust gas hood and ducting  160  removes the heated exhaust fumes of drum dryer/mixer  90  and provides it to course collector  170 , which removes the courser portion of the airborne or air-blown fines and dust suspended or otherwise combined within the gaseous exhaust. 
     Course collector  170  is coupled directly to filterhouse  180  and coupled back to drum dryer/mixer  90  via dust return auger system  130 . Filterhouse  180 , also known as a baghouse, filters dust and finer matter from the exhaust airstream exiting course collector  170 . Course collector and filterhouse heat collecting hood  190  is disposed over both course collector  170  and filterhouse  180 , and it collects heat which otherwise would be lost to the atmosphere. Collector or collector hood  200  gathers the heated air from course collector and filterhouse heat collecting hood  190  and combines it with the heated air from drum heat collecting hood outlet duct  150  via a tee (shown symbolically as a mere line abutting another line) in drum heat collecting hood to valve ducting  380 . Duct dampers allow the heated air from course collector and filterhouse heat collecting hood  190  and drum heat collecting hood outlet duct  150  to be balanced. 
     The recycled asphalt products (RAP) enter the system via RAP feed bin  210  which is coupled to vibrating screen  220  and RAP weigh conveyor  230  which weighs the RAP to be provided into RAP pre-heater/dryer  240  which could be similar to a RAP pre-heater as described in co-pending U.S. patent application having Ser. No. 12/138,204 filed by the same inventor and assigned to the same assignee, which application was published on Dec. 18, 2008 with number US-2008-0310249-A1, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. RAP pre-heater/dryer  240  heats and dries the RAP and provides the same on pre-heated RAP supplying conveyor into RAP entry collar  120 . RAP dryer exhaust stack  420  is also shown. 
     Drum dryer/mixer  90  outputs HMA on HMA outputting conveyor  260  which carries the HMA to reversing HMA transfer conveyor  270  (similar in operation to reversing translating conveyor  30 , but with appropriate changes owing to the temperature and consistency of HMA) to HMA storage silos  280 , which may be disposed over top of a scale  290  for weighing trucks being loaded with the HMA. 
     It should be noted that not all aspects of a typical counter-flow HMA mixer are shown, such as the asphalt cement storage and metered delivery apparatus, as well as other heating means, etc. This description assumes the use of typical prior art systems and methods unless alternate ways are suggested. 
     Plant control house  300  is shown disposed centrally and without physical connection to the various segments of the overall system. Of course, both wired and/or wireless systems and components could be utilized. Power for each component of the present system could be provided via a power plant at each major unit or one or more power plants or electric generators which distribute power or electricity to the various system components. 
     First exhaust fan  310  draws or sucks air through the drum dryer/mixer  90 , course collector  170 , filterhouse  180  and pushes or blows air into heat exchanger  390  and RAP pre-heater/dryer  240 . First balancing valve  320  could be used to balance airflow between heat exchanger  390  and RAP pre-heater/dryer  240  or shut off flow via first fan to RAP dryer duct  340 . 
     Valve  350  can send dry pre-heated air to RAP pre-heater/dryer  240  instead of or in combination with air from first exhaust fan  310 . Valve to RAP dryer duct  360  carries hot dry air to RAP pre-heater/dryer  240 . Second exhaust fan  370  pulls or sucks air from drum heat collecting hood  140 , course collector and filterhouse heat collecting hood  190 , generator  440  and possibly from other sources of heat which are not mentioned or shown and also pushes or blows air into heat exchanger  390  where the air is further heated by exhaust air coming from first exhaust fan  310 . This heated dry air is then blown into virgin aggregate drying distribution duct  400  that distributes air to any and all of the virgin aggregate feed bins  40  and to the RAP pre-heater/dryer  240 . 
     Drum heat collecting hood to valve ducting  380  is the duct from the drum dryer/mixer  90  and its drum heat collecting hood  140  to second exhaust fan  370 . A balancing valve could be used at the inlet of second exhaust fan  370  to balance airflows from drum heat collecting hood to valve ducting  380  and generator to second exhaust fan heat carrying duct  430  as they enter second exhaust fan  370 . 
     Heat exchanger  390  takes heat from the airstream coming from the filterhouse  180  through first fan to heat exchanger duct  330 . This air, besides being hot (which normally may be between 212 degrees F. to 400 degrees F.) also contains high level of moisture. This moisture when cooled in the heat exchanger condenses and gives up a large amount of heat energy. Heat exchanger  390  will have a water drain. The sensible heat and the condensation heat given up by this airstream is transferred to air from second exhaust fan  370  in heat exchanger  390 . This heated dry air is sent or blown to and through virgin aggregate drying distribution duct  400  to heat and dry the virgin aggregate material or sent to the RAP pre-heater/dryer  240 . Additional fans could be deployed to increase the velocity of air which is blown through virgin aggregate drying distribution duct  400 . 
     It should be noted that second exhaust fan  370  could be left running when the rest of the plant is off for hours or days. This will use the heat in the thermal mass of the drum dryer/mixer  90 , course collector  170 , and course collector and filterhouse heat collecting hood  190  to continue to dry the virgin aggregate material in virgin aggregate feed bins  40 . Even after such items have cooled, ambient air alone will continue to remove surface and internal moisture from virgin aggregate material. 
     Virgin aggregate drying distribution duct  400  can have on/off and balancing valves to control where and how much air goes to each virgin aggregate feed bin  40 . 
     Also shown are heat exchanger exhaust stack  410  and RAP dryer exhaust stack  420 . 
     Generator to second exhaust fan heat carrying duct  430  carries wasted heat from the generator  440  to the second exhaust fan  370 . This heat can be from any source of heat associated with the generator  440 . In some embodiments, no generator  440  will be used as power lines are used to provide electricity from a utility. 
     Now referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , there is shown a distribution duct to feed bin metering valve  450  for controlling airflow to each virgin aggregate feed bin  40 . Below the virgin aggregate feed bin  40  is virgin aggregate feeder unit  460  which is used to control the rate of flow of material onto gathering conveyor  50 . 
     Heated airflow path  470  represent typical paths of heated air through the virgin aggregate material during the heating and drying process. Airflow permitting internal bin virgin aggregate barrier  480  forms the bottom and/or portions of the internal virgin aggregate material containing walls of virgin aggregate feed bin  40 . Airflow permitting internal bin virgin aggregate barrier  480  may be passageways or specially designed baffles, etc. which permit air to flow therethrough while containing the virgin aggregate material. 
     Post virgin aggregate airflow path  490  represents a typical airflow path of air carrying moisture after it has passed through the virgin aggregate material. This air passes through weatherproof bin vent  500 . 
     Below virgin aggregate feed bin  40  is access tunnel  510  which could be concrete or other suitable material. Deployable rain cover  520  is also shown atop of virgin aggregate feed bin  40  which can be opened when virgin aggregate material is being moved into the virgin aggregate feed bin  40  and closed at other times to prevent rain, snow, animals, etc. from entering the virgin aggregate feed bin  40 . 
     Virgin aggregate feed bin  40  could include therein one or more augers for the purpose of mixing the virgin aggregate material disposed therein so as to improve drying and uniformity of the drying of the virgin aggregate material. 
     It is thought that the method and apparatus of the present invention will be understood from the foregoing description and that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construct steps, and arrangement of the parts and steps thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of their material advantages. The form herein described is merely a preferred exemplary embodiment thereof.

Technology Category: 4