Improving energy efficiency
Asphalt plant manufacturers and operators are understandably placing great emphasis on higher productivity.
Highway construction in India increased at 17 per cent CAGR between FY16-FY21. Despite pandemic and lockdown, India has constructed 13,298 km of highways in FY21. The Government has allocated Rs 111 lakh crore under the National Infrastructure Pipeline for FY 2019-25. The roads sector is likely to account for 18 per cent capital expenditure over FY 2019-25. As most of the roads will be asphalt laid, this is expected to be a demand growth for asphalt plants in the future. In addition, the government plans to develop 100 airports across the country in 15 years. With the runways and parking areas being constructed using asphalt, there is a considerable amount of it required, which will accelerate the sales of asphalt plants.
Current market trends
Said Anand Sundaresan, Managing Director, Ammann India, 鈥淭he growing economy, urbanisation, government spending on public infrastructure, rising sale of commercial and passenger vehicles, improved logistics and raising scale of status of roads 鈥� state, highways, super expressways, and village roads are key growth drivers for asphalt mix plants. Further road renewal, strengthening, extension depending on the traffic density (MAL) induces the type, capacity and processes, which primarily is used, derive the longevity of roads and highways, which is only accomplished by asphalt plants. The size of the project with JMF (recipe) helps in zero in the type of asphalt mixing plants - batch mix, continuous and cold mix.鈥�
Shift from batch to continuous
Asphalt batch plants have been more prevalent because of the apparent flexibility that they offer in terms of the required variations in the mix and quality of each batch of output, and the regulations in India. However, over the last couple of decades, continuous technology has evolved in asphalt plants, with many countries adopting this technology in view of the inherent benefits with respect to initial and operating costs, and portability.
Ajay Tripathi, Managing Director, Nilang Asphalt Equipments, explains 鈥淎sphalt batch-mix plant is the widespread type of asphalt plant in the world, which guarantees the highest level of flexibility in production and quality of the finished product. However, a continuous asphalt drum mix/hot mix plant provides an uninterrupted production cycle as the rhythm of production is not broken into batches. The mixing of the material takes place inside the dryer drum, which is elongated, as it dries and mixes the material at the same time.鈥�
He adds, 鈥淏atch mix plant is the most widespread type of asphalt plant in the world, which guarantees the highest level of flexibility in production and quality of the finished product. The batches depend on the type of production: In every 40-50 seconds, a complete batch is produced, after all the individual components have been weighed and metered separately.鈥�
Product mix batch and continuous plants
Batch-mix and continuous drum mix are the two major types in the hot-mix asphalt plants. In India, the trend is slowly changing from batch-mix plant to continuous plant. TIL, under strategic alliance with Astec Inc, USA, offers a range of hot mix asphalt plants in India. Astec鈥檚 superior understanding of the requirements in this segment enables it to provide its customers with some excellent asphalt plants. Apart from being energy efficient, they can utilise up to 50 per cent recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). Faster set-up, by virtue of their modular design, ensures higher uptime and availability of the plants. These plants can be towed away and installed at ease.
The Astec-TIL range of asphalt plants are equipped with a host of important features that improve efficiency, enhance productivity, help in conserving the environment and also provide a significant advantage on total cost of ownership. TIL offers state-of-the-art six-pack double barrel asphalt plant, available in three variants - 200 tph, 300 tph and 400 tph, which brings with it phenomenal savings, in terms of transportation, dismantling and installation costs, and enhances customer profitability manifold.
The standard set-up comes with the double barrel drum mixer, cold feed, scalping screen with inclined conveyor, baghouse, surge bin, drag conveyor and control house. The baghouse load also holds the inertial dust collector. One load handles the SEB and drag conveyor. All ships complete with duct-work, dust screws, electrical switchgear, cables, and plant controls. The company also supplies RAP bins, fuel tanks, lime mixers and AC tanks.
Adds Tripathi, 鈥淚n continuous asphalt drum mix/hot mix plant, there is no interruption in the production cycle as the rhythm of production is not broken into batches. The mixing of the material takes place inside the dryer drum which is elongated, as it dries and mixes the material at the same time. Since there are no mixing towers or elevators, the system is therefore considerably simplified, with a consequent reduction in the cost of maintenance. The absence of the screen however makes it necessary to have precise controls at the beginning of the production cycle, before the aggregates are fed into the dryer and before they are consequently discharged from the dryer as asphalt mix.鈥�
Emerging opportunities
India needs to address the huge infrastructure deficit that has existed since independence. Apart from more national highways under the Bharatmala programme, the demand for all-weather roads for better port-hinterland connectivity, as well for linking them with major highways, border roads, coastal roads, etc., will drive the demand for asphalt plants. Then there are some big-ticket projects in new airport construction and modernisation of some others, which will involve a substantial outlay of asphalt roads.
Earlier, policy makers favoured concrete roads because the longevity of concrete roads was considered high. Now, they have realised that asphalt roads are equally good. In the US, they are used because asphalt can be recycled better than concrete. Greater energy efficiency and automation. Environment-friendliness and lower cost of operations, as offered by asphalt plants, are expected to find very good acceptance in the market going forward.
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