The Appropriate Temperature for the Transportation and the Storage of Hot Bitumen

As a matter of fact, the temperature of bitumen is an important parameter to the storage and transportation of this material.  Storage of bitumen in the appropriate temperature leads to maintaining the properties of bitumen for long time.  It means the properties of bitumen stand without change if it is stored in the appropriate temperature.  On the other hand storage of hot bitumen in contact with air leads to the oxidation of bitumen, consequently the bitumen will lose its properties.

In addition, the properties of bitumen depend on the following parameters:

The temperature of storage and transportation, the heating method and the Surface to volume ratio of the bitumen are some of the main parameters.  As a result bitumen shouldn’t be stored at high temperatures.  The temperature of bitumen should be 10 to 50 degree higher than the required temperature for bitumen pumping.  However the temperature of bitumen must be less than 230 degrees centigrade for transportation by tankers.  The temperature of bitumen in the transporting tanker must be 20 degree centigrade more than its softening point and all of bitumen should be at same temperature by circulation.  Heating the bitumen in the transporting tanker by a direct flame is not a good idea, because the temperature may rise to over 300 degree centigrade. This will consequently have negative effects on the bitumen properties and it’s also dangerous.