A Thermodynamic Based Framework to Determine Mix-Specific Burner Fuel Consumption Rates at Asphalt Plants.

This report develops the body of knowledge to support a robust assessment of the environmental gains associated with the use of warm-mix asphalt technologies.

Authored by Surendra Chowdari Gatiganti and Benjamin F. Bowers, the study develops a thermodynamics-based method to allocate burner energy according to a mix's actual production temperature. The framework is built on the core thermal processes at an asphalt plant — drying and heating virgin aggregate and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), stack gas heat losses, and casing losses — and estimates how fuel use changes as production temperature changes.