Sources and Types Bitumen Guide

Definitions Sources Properties Types of Bitumen Bitumen Handling

Definitions
Bitumen is a non-crystalline viscous material, black or dark brown, which is substantially soluble in carbon disulphide (CS 2 ), possessing adhesive and water-proofing qualities. It consists essentially of hydrocarbons and would typically comprise at least 80% carbon and 15% hydrogen, the remainder being oxygen, sulphur, nitrogen and traces of various metals. Asphalt is a word with different meanings. In American usage asphalt, or, in full, asphalt cement, is used to mean bitumen (or bitumen binder). In the term 'rock asphalt' it defines a mineral substance that may be impregnated with bitumen or pitch. Outside America the word asphalt means a mixture of bitumen and mineral aggregates laid as a road surface.

Sources
Bitumen does occur naturally, but for all intents and purposes it is petroleum on which the world relies for its supplies of bitumen today. The bitumen content of crude can vary between 15% and 80%, but the more normal range is 25% to 40%. In fact the three broad classifications for crude oils are: bitumen based paraffin based bitumen and paraffin based

Depending on the type of crude, bitumen is present either in the form of colloidally dispersed particles or in a true solution. During the refining process, as petroleum oils are taken away by distillation, the proportion of oil to bitumen particles changes. Instead of being dispersed and relatively few in number, the particles become closer to one another and the size of the particles increases. At the point when the distillation process is usually stopped, the petroleum bitumen is a colloidial dispersion of black solids (hydrocarbons), known as asphaltenes, in a dispersion medium, which is an oily brown yellow liquid known as malthene fraction. Also present to act as a stabilizing agent to keep the asphaltenes in suspension are another group of hydrocarbons known as resins. Bitumen is found in nature in several forms, from the hard, easily crumbled bitumen in rock asphalt to the softer, more viscous material found in tar sands and asphalt 'lakes'. It is commonly mixed with varying proportions of mineral or vegetable impurities that need to be extracted before it can be used effectively as an engineering material. However it may be found as an asphaltite, a natural bitumen without impurities that varies in the extent to which it is soluble in carbon disulphide. Natural bitumen occurs, as does petroleum, as the result of the special decomposition of marine debris. It will have been moved over many thousands of years through porous rocks such as limestone or sandstone, often by volcanic action. In some areas notable for their petroleum resources, for example the Middle East, semi-fluid bitumen can be found oozing out of fissures near hot springs or seeping out of the ground. Rock asphalt, with its variable and relatively low content of bitumen, tends to be found away from the places where bitumen is needed. It is costly to move around and to process.

It is important to draw the distinction between bitumen and coal tar. The latter is obtained from the carbonisation of coal and, although it is black and viscous in appearance, it has very different chemical properties. Engineering projects in every part of the world, from the construction of transcontinental highways to the waterproofing of flat roof surfaces, rely on the particular properties of bitumen. Crude oil processed by the petroleum industry provides all but a small percentage of this vital material.

Properties
Bitumen's main property is that of a very strong and durable adhesive that binds together a very wide variety of other materials without affecting their properties. Its durability is essential to major engineering projects such as roads and waterways where it must do its job for 20 years or more. Bitumen is insoluble in water but is soluble in numerous organic solvents. As it is highly waterproof, it can act as an effective sealant. It also resists action by most acids, alkalis and salts. It does not contaminate water so it can be used to line watercourses. It is a thermoplastic material: it softens and becomes liquid with the application of heat and hardens as it cools. Bitumen can be spread relatively easily in the areas where it is required because it can readily be liquefied by one of three methods: applying beat dissolving it in petroleum solvents dispersing with water (emulsification).

Bitumen gives controlled flexibility to mixtures of mineral aggregates which is why so much of the total annual production is used in road building. It is available at an economic cost virtually all over the world.

Types of Bitumen
There are five major classifications of petroleum bitumen produced by the refining and manufacturing process: Paving grade bitumen (or asphalt cement in American usage) is refined and blended to meet road engineering and industrial specifications that take into account different climatic conditions. As a product it is the most widely used bitumen. It may also be considered as the parent bitumen from which the other types, listed below, are produced. Cutback bitumens consist basically of bitumen that has been diluted in order to make it more fluid for application, mainly in road making. Their fluidity depends on the degree of hardness of the bitumen base and the proportion of diluent (or flux) to bitumen. They are classified according to the time it takes them to become solid, as rapid curing (RC), medium curing (MC) or slow curing (SC) cutbacks. The cutback varies according to the flux, white spirit commonly being used for RC grades, kerosene for MC and diesel for SC. They set as the flux evaporates. This evaporation is currently regarded as a potentially undesirable characteristic from the point of view of the environment and health and safety, so cutback bitumens are looked upon less favourably than the more modem bitumen emulsions. In bitumen emulsions the basic bitumen has also been diluted in order to facilitate application. Hot bitumen, water and emulsifier are processed in a high-speed colloid mill that disperses the bitumen in the water in the form of globules that are normally in the 5-10 micrometre size range but may be even smaller. The emulsifier produces a system in which fine droplets of bitumen, of between 30% and 80% of the volume, are held in suspension. if they separate in storage, the emulsion can easily be restored by agitation. Bitumen emulsions have a low viscosity and can be workable at ambient temperatures, which makes them ideal for use in roadbuilding. This application requires controlled breaking and

setting. The emulsion must not break before it is laid on the road surface but, once in place, it should break quickly so that the road can be in service again without delay. Particles of bitumen are dispersed in water to make bitumen emulsions are usually between 5 and 10 micrometres in size. This diagram gives an indication of relative size

The mechanical performance of bitumen emulsions can be tailored like that of other construction materials. Bitumen emulsions are divided into three categories: Anionic with negatively charged globules Cationic with positively charged globules Non-ionic with neutral globules.

The main grades for bitumen emulsions are classified as follows: Anionic ARS AMS ASS Cationic CRS CMS CSS Rapid setting Medium setting Slow setting

The development of bitumen emulsions is an area where technological progress is still being made to meet engineering demands. The first emulsions were the anionics. They are currently less favoured than the cationics because the positively charged globules of bitumen coat the aggregates more thoroughly and have greater adhesion. Use of cationic emulsions is therefore increasing. Industrial bitumen (or oxidized bitumens) are made by blowing air through hot paving grade bitumen. The result is a product that softens at a higher temperature than that at which paving grade bitumen softens. It also has more rubberlike properties and its viscosity is much less affected by changes in temperature than is the case with paving grade bitumen. Modified bitumens are formulated with additives to improve their service performance by changing such properties as their durability, resistance to ageing, elasticity and/or plasticity. As well as natural rubbers, polymers such as styrene butadiene styrene (SBS), thermoplastic rubbers and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) are commonly used to modify bitumen and some companies, including BP, have their own proprietary technology using special polymers or polymer blends. This is an exciting development of growing importance due to the ability of modem technology to satisfy the demands of the bitumen market internationally. For example, polymers that extend the range of temperatures at which bitumen is worked will enable roadbuilders to work effectively for more months of the year. A modified bitumen that increases the extent to which a road 'bounces back' after being subjected to heavy traffic, in terms of weight and volume, will contribute towards a longer road life and lower maintenance costs.

Bitumen Handling
The four major factors involved in handling bitumen are: the the the the high handling temperatures and the need for purpose-designed vessels flammable nature of certain grades need to safeguard the health and safety of personnel training of personnel

Owing to their high viscosity, most bitumens have to be heated to make them sufficiently fluid for bulk distribution and for application. Contact with bitumen or the equipment involved in transporting, storing or applying it can cause severe skin burns at the recommended handling temperatures. For example, even a fleeting touch at 80C can be expected to burn unprotected skin.