Asphalt/Bitumen is a viscous, black, and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid petroleum substance with a black surface. Its high viscosity and good adhesion make it an important building material and industrial raw material.
For Asphalt/Bitumen, Sino-Inst provides customized solutions for pressure measurement, flow measurement, and level measurement.
Asphalt/Bitumen Applications
The versatile properties of asphalt make it widely used in infrastructure, construction, and industry. Its core applications include:
Roads and Transportation Infrastructure (approximately 70%)
Road Paving: Mixed with aggregates to form asphalt concrete, it creates a smooth, wear-resistant surface that can withstand repeated vehicle traffic while allowing for rapid rainwater drainage, minimizing cracks and potholes (over 40,000 miles of roads worldwide rely on asphalt).
Other Transportation Applications: Bike paths, sports fields, airport runways, bus stops, and train platforms all require wear resistance and slip resistance.
Waterproofing and Corrosion Protection (approximately 20%)
Asphalt can be used to manufacture waterproof materials such as asphalt paper and asphalt cloth, which have important applications in packaging, construction, and other fields.
Building Waterproofing: Roofs using asphalt waterproofing membranes (accounting for 10% of global asphalt production), if properly installed, can last for over 20 years, resisting UV rays, heavy rain, high temperatures, and other natural erosion.
Industrial corrosion protection: Applied to steel pipes, water tanks, railings, ship hulls, etc., forming a dense protective film to prevent rust and chemical corrosion (e.g., fire lanes, drainage ditches, dock revetments).
Industrial auxiliary applications (approximately 10%)
- Used as an adhesive for forming briquettes and charcoal.
- Added to paints and coatings to enhance adhesion and weather resistance;
- Temporary sealing material (e.g., pipe joints, construction gaps).
Asphalt Pressure Measurement
Asphalt has high viscosity and is mostly stored at high temperatures of 100-180℃. Therefore, a flat diaphragm pressure transmitter is required for pressure measurement. The flat diaphragm structure prevents clogging of the pressure inlet and isolates the sensor from high temperatures. This results in more stable and accurate pressure transmitter measurements.
Asphalt Flow Measurement
When selecting a flow meter for asphalt, the high complexity and high temperature of asphalt must also be considered. Most asphalt pipelines even have a heat-conducting oil insulation jacket.
Top Choice: Elliptical Gear Flow Meter
The elliptical gear flow meter is the preferred flow meter for measuring asphalt. It is suitable for measuring various viscous liquids, heavy oil, polyvinyl alcohol, resins, etc., and high-temperature models can be customized.
Advantages:
- High measurement accuracy: The basic error is generally ±0.5%R, and special models can reach ±0.2%R or higher.
- Measurement accuracy is not affected by the distortion of the flow field due to rotating flow and pipe obstructions, and there are no requirements for the upstream straight pipe section.
- The elliptical gear flow meter can be used to measure high-viscosity fluids with a wide flow range, generally 10:1 to 5:1, and special models can reach 30:1 or higher.
- It features direct on-site flow reading, requires no external power supply, can measure cumulative total volume, has a clear display, and is easy to operate. Digital display models can also be customized, configured with analog signals, pulse signals, and RS485 output.
- For high-temperature asphalt, an insulation jacket can be configured. This is used to introduce heat transfer oil and insulate the asphalt.
Target Flow Meter
Target flow meters are suitable for various nominal diameters, from DN15 to DN2000mm and larger. They are available in insertion and in-line structures. Suitable for high and low temperature media: -200℃ to +500℃; suitable for low, medium, and high pressure conditions: 0 to 42MPa (gauge pressure).
Coriolis Mass Flow Meter
Coriolis mass flow meters can directly measure the mass flow rate of asphalt. This measurement method is unaffected by changes in fluid density, temperature, pressure, and other parameters, thus possessing extremely high measurement accuracy and stability. For media with high viscosity and poor flowability, such as asphalt, Coriolis mass flow meters provide more accurate metering results.
Coriolis mass flow meters have a wide measurement range, meeting the asphalt metering requirements of different flow rates. Simultaneously, their measurement accuracy is as high as ±0.1%, meeting the requirements of high-precision metering. This is crucial for production processes that require precise control of asphalt usage.
Asphalt Level Measurement
Asphalt hardens at room temperature, so it must be stored in heated and insulated tanks—commonly known as asphalt tanks—with temperatures typically between 140°C and 180°C.
Traditional contact level instruments often suffer from mechanical wear, clogging, or inaccurate readings in this environment. Therefore, we recommend using 80G radar level gauges, dual-flange differential pressure level transmitters, or tuning fork level switches.
More Cases and Solutions
If you haven’t yet found the right asphalt measurement product, please feel free to contact our sales engineers. We support product customization!