What additional equipment is required at the HMA plant to produce LEA?
The LEA process is controlled by four parameters in the plant – cold sand (or RAP) moisture content; heated aggregate temperature; mix discharge temperature; and additive flow rate. A microwave moisture must be installed on the wet sand (RAP) feed belt along with a shower if additional water is required. A readout for the heated aggregate temperature is desired however this is often not possible – so the inlet baghouse temperature can be used to help guide the process. A contact probe to measure mix discharge temperature is added to insure proper temperatures. And finally, a simple pump and metering system to insure the proper dosage of additive is injected directly into the asphalt line. The entire system is connected to a control module which monitors these parameters during LEA production. All of this equipment is provided by McConnaughay.
