InfraStructures - November 2005 - Super-Portable Plant Packs a More Powerful Production Punch

Super-Portable Plant Packs a More Powerful Production Punch

The new Terex E225P portable counter-flow plant, the latest addition to Terex Roadbuilding's line of super-portable asphalt plants, features 204 t/h (225 tons/h) production capacities. Built for quick, low-cost portability, the plant's base configuration can be moved in only five loads: 1) counter-flow drum mixer; 2) baghouse; 3) self-erect silo; 4) four cold-feed bins with scalping screen; and 5) liquid AC tank/control house/fuel tank. "Building on producer feedback, we designed each self-contained load for quick set-up and tear-down," says Ed Montgomery, Director of engineering.

At the heart of this super-portable design lies a new counter-flow drum mixer that blends the technologies of more than 100 years of asphalt production experience from the former CMI and Cedarapids brands. The drum's new flight arrangement offers more efficient aggregate heating and asphalt mixing. The new E225P drum is capable of making a wide variety of mix designs, including Stone Matrix Asphalts and Superpave.

The drum is pitched at operating angle on its triple-axle chassis and has all ductwork pre installed, significantly reducing set-up and tear-down times. A powerful SJ-360 Hauck burner delivers 75 million BTUs of energy for dependable, efficient aggregate heating. Its patented adjustable slinger increases/decreases drum length to tailor drying and mixing time to the producer's needs.

The base plant includes the necessary electronic connections to accept recycled asphalt, and its counter-flow technology enables the E225P drum to run higher percentages of RAP than parallel flow designs, while still meeting tough environmental regulations. With its 1981 mm diameter and 12,3 m length, the self-contained drum can be quickly moved with standard "O.D." permits.

Featuring a 40 000 CFM capacity and a 4.5:1 air-to-cloth ratio, the plant's field-proven, Roto-Aire RA218 baghouse has ample capacity to match drum mixer production. Integral to the baghouse, the fines return auger hydraulically pivots into position to interconnect the baghouse to the drum.

A self-contained 45 t self-erect and self-weighing silo comes standard in the base plant configuration. Complete with on-board air compressor and gas tank, the silo quickly sets into operating position hydraulically. For ticketing purposes, the silo is suspended on load cells that accurately weigh the amount of stored asphalt before and after a truck is loaded.

Plant operation and asphalt mix designs are managed by the field-proven Terex Impulse X control system. Featuring big plant operation in a smaller plant controls package, Impulse X is capable of making any mix design for which the plant is configured.

The foundation of the E225P plant concept is portability. "The E225P has only 20 plug-and-play cable connections, which is significantly less than traditional portable plants," says Mark Spicer, Director of asphalt plant sales for Terex Roadbuilding's Asphalt Plant Group. The plant is set-up without the aid of a crane. All the plant's components fit together with as little hand work as possible and most major connections are completed with the aid of hydraulics. This super-portable plant is designed to be transported and completely set up over a weekend.

Source: Terex