Bardon Hill choose Benninghoven

Aggregate Industries have chosen six Benninghoven high-efficiency bitumen storage tanks for their new asphalt plant installation at Bardon Hill Quarry in Leicestershire.

The vertical tanks, which comprise four 150m3 and two 80m3 capacity units, will provide storage for the new Benninghoven coating plant currently being installed at the quarry. All the tanks feature a domed design and are the result of Benninghoven’s extensive research and development programme, designed to reach the highest thermal efficiency rating of any tanks on the market. This, they say, will provide long-term running-cost savings for asphalt plant operators.

The thermal efficiency is achieved by the tanks’ overall heat-retarding design, together with super-insulating properties and an efficient electrical ‘stepped’ heating system. This operates by maintaining a low background temperature that is boosted when necessary. In normal running conditions the heating system will not be required as delivered bitumen piped into the tanks will retain its temperature without the need for extra heating.

Another key feature of the storage tanks’ design is the inbuilt loading pump system. Bulk bitumen supply tankers can refill the tanks even during night-time deliveries by simply connecting the tanker outlet pipe to the pump system and switching on. When the tank has reached full capacity a high-level probe automatically stops the pump, thereby providing fail-safe operation and eliminating any possibility of spillage.

The constant monitoring of bitumen levels is via a PLC and Internet link. The level-switch program informs the bitumen supplier when the tanks need to be filled.