JPS6346802B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to packaging or storage containers and methods for bitumen products.

The transportation of bulk bitumen products is usually carried out by sea in transport tanker ships and by land transport in large rail or road tanker vehicles. These tankers are often insulated to conserve thermal energy and are equipped with heating tubes and pump gear. Small quantities are usually shipped in 150 or 200 steel drums or similar containers that must be broken open or heated by the end user to remove the bitumen.

Packaging and shipping costs for bitumen products are particularly high when the packaging container is not suitable for reuse once the bitumen product is removed, or when the container must be returned empty for reloading. For example, it is possible to provide packaging methods and means in which a conventional shipping container can be used to transport the bityumen product to its destination, and the container can then be reused or used for other purposes. desired. For lightweight or small quantities of bitiumen products, it is desirable to have a packaging method or means in which the bitiumen contents are readily available and the packaging means are hassle-free.

Although many and various attempts have been made to devise packaging containers capable of containing bityumen products, one of the main problems to be solved is to provide a method to prevent bityumen from adhering to the packaging material. be. For example, it is known to provide a cardboard container that can be filled with bityumen, and to coat the inside of the container with a material to which bityumen does not adhere, thereby preventing bityumen from adhering to the container. Alternatively, it is known to make the inner liner from a material that adheres to the bitumen but not to the outer surface of the cardboard. This form of liner material is a material that is compatible with the bitumen and can be melted into the bitumen before use.

Although these known packaging containers are generally not successful, some limited success has been achieved in the case of high melting temperature bitumens. With road grade bitumens, problems arise with casing migration, which is one of the main reasons for the packaging failures mentioned above. Yet another reason is that the above materials, which are compatible with the bityumen and have a viscosity that allows them to melt and be used with the bityumen when heated, have sufficient tensile strength to contain the bityumen on their own. This arises from the fact that the casing has a tendency to burst, since it has no strength. for example,
This can occur when filling such casings with bitumen or at high ambient temperatures during storage or transportation.

It is known from prior US Pat. No. 3,366,233 to package bitumen in monolayer or multilayer containers of polyethylene and/or polypropylene film. The purpose of such containers is such that when heated to spray or application temperatures, the film of the container melts and mixes with the bitumen product itself.
Our goal is to provide packaging for bicyumen products.
A disadvantage of using polypropylene is that the viscosity of polypropylene is not sufficiently similar to the viscosity of bitumen at the spraying temperature, so that polypropylene cannot be sprayed with bitumen at the temperatures at which bitumen is used.

As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,233, problems arise with the migration of the bitumen component of the polyethylene film. To solve this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,233 recommends the use of multilayer containers, which involve the use of such polyethylene and polypropylene films as the actual container or in the lining of cardboard or kraft paper containers. , Another problem of insufficient strength remains unsolved.

Polyethylene with the required low melting point properties does not have high tensile strength, and thus the polyethylene film container itself is not strong enough to contain the bitumen in a single layer or thin multilayer arrangement. Tensile strength decreases rapidly as the temperature of polyethylene increases, and in climates where the ambient temperature rises to 30-40°C, the polyethylene film weakens, forcing the container to peel. Regardless of temperature/strength issues, polyethylene film containers do not have sufficient strength for satisfactory stacking for storage or transportation. Polypropylene has only a slightly higher tensile strength than polyethylene, but it also cannot address the temperature issues mentioned above.

In order for the bitumen to flow into the packaging container, the temperature of the bitumen must be raised to a point where it can flow. When using films such as those proposed in US Pat. No. 3,366,233, filling with such bitumen also increases the temperature of the film, thereby reducing its strength. Once filled, the container cannot be moved until the temperature has cooled sufficiently to once again be strong enough to prevent the container from bursting. However, as mentioned above, polyethylene film itself does not provide a sufficiently strong container even at temperatures after cooling of the bitumen. To solve this problem, it is recommended in GB 1299161 to keep the packaging container in a water bath to prevent the temperature of the container from increasing to a level where the strength is reduced.
This method requires high capital costs and is slow and inefficient.

The use of the above-mentioned polyethylene film inside cardboard or the outer surface of the crust is also unsuccessful. This is because oil migration through the film still occurs and the inner film easily sticks to the outer container and the contents cannot be easily removed. Additionally, oil migration to or between external containers can lead to problems such as loss of container strength, handling contamination, contamination of other products, and fire hazards. Cardboard or crust containers are also susceptible to water damage and thus loss of strength unless otherwise protected. Also, such packaging techniques are economically inferior to the packaging of the present invention.

The present invention seeks to provide a packaging or storage container for bitumen products having the following characteristics. The container has a first internal flexible casing disposed in intimate contact with a second external flexible casing, the internal flexible casing being at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the bitumen product is loaded into the container; formed from a material having a softening temperature lower than the in-use temperature of the bitumen product, and the material of the internal flexible casing softens the bitumen product upon fusion with the bitumen product at the in-use temperature. The outer flexible casing is formed of a material having a viscosity that allows the product to be applied thereto, and the outer flexible casing is formed from a material that has strength properties that allow the inner flexible casing and the bituminous product to be accommodated during loading, transportation, and storage of the container. This is what I did.

The present invention also seeks to provide a method for packaging or storing bitumen products.
This method involves heating the bitumen product to be packaged to a flowable temperature, causing the contents of the bitumen product to flow into a first internal flexible casing for packaging; disposed in intimate contact with a second outer flexible casing, the inner flexible casing being formed from a material having a softening temperature higher than the temperature of the bitumen product and lower than the temperature at which the bitumen product is used; The external flexible casing has a viscosity that allows the bitumen product to be applied when fused with the bitumen product at the temperatures in use of the bitumen product, while the external flexible casing forming the internal flexible casing and the bitumen product from a material having strength properties that allow it to be accommodated during product inflow; It is characterized by being sealed.

According to the packaging or storage container for the bityumen product of the present invention, the outer flexible casing contains the constituents of the bityumen as well as other additives to the bityumen, such as kerosene, diesel oil (automotive gas oil) and mineral turpentine. prevent the movement of petroleum products.

In the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, bityumen products refer to bityumen,
It is to be understood that asphalt, pitch and bitumen and asphalt mastic are included. The present invention is particularly applicable to road or pavement grade bitumen.

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a container according to the present invention when filled with a bituminous product.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the - line.

FIG. 3 is a diagram similar to FIG. 2, showing another embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawings, the thickness of the film is exaggerated for clarity.

According to a preferred form, the inner and outer flexible casings 10 and 11 are each a seamless, tubular structure. Internal casing 1
0 consists of a material that is low density polyethylene with a density of 0.910 to 0.925, or other similar copolymer film, and the outer casing material is a high melting point polyamide film, such as polycaproamide (nylon 6). In a preferred form, the polyethylene thickness is between 20 and 70 microns (0.02
~0.07 mm), while polyamide films are 20-100 microns (0.02-0.1 mm) thick. These materials are for illustration purposes only (suitable for containing road or pavement grade bitumen). This is because other polymeric or copolymeric materials having the properties described below are also suitable. Preferably, the inner casing material has a softening temperature located in the range of 60-120°C. Temperatures at which paving grade Vitiumen products can be sprayed typically range from 100 to
In the temperature range of 180° C., and in this range, the material melts to a sufficiently low viscosity that it is possible to use the material and the product together when using a bitumen product. This material is also suitable for use with bityumen products in the proportions in which it is present, as it has a similar density, and is as thermally stable as bityumen products at the temperatures in which the bityumen products are used. can be,
It does not significantly alter the elasticity or adhesive strength of the bityumen, nor is it biodegradable. Polyethylene is neither toxic, corrosive nor explosive, nor does it emit volatile or harmful vapors when fused with bitumen.

The inner casing material is not strong enough to contain or allow safe transportation of the bitumen during loading, and the outer walls of the casing, which are of substantially the same diameter, are not strong enough to accommodate the inner casing. It can perform the function of storing bityumen. Nylon 6 material has high tensile strength, especially at the temperatures at which the bitumen enters the tube. Nylon's high melting point also
It is of value if it is accidentally filled into the tank of a spray applicator. Nylon is 195℃~220
It has a high melting point range of °C, so it does not melt at the spray temperatures at which bitumen products are applied. Therefore, it can be easily removed from the applicator or captured in the filter unit, which is a normal part in such spray machines.

The bityumen may be mixed (such as by melting, post-dilution, blending or methods known as addition) with diesel oil (motor gas oil) or kerosene or turpentine or other petroleum products. Such additives or bitumen components do not pose problems due to migration through the outer nylon casing. Nylon does not corrode, just as metals are not subject to hydrolysis and microbial attack.

Water contamination of bityumen (other than emulsified bityumen) is a serious problem. This is because when the bityumen is heated for use, the water boils when the temperature reaches its boiling point and excessive foaming of the bityumen occurs. This foaming bitumen may overflow from the tank, with consequent danger to personnel, fire hazard and loss of product, and general soiling. The nylon outer casing is waterproof, minimizing such problems.

The inner and outer casings 10 and 11 are conveniently constructed into double-walled tubes of the required dimensions and shape; in use, one double-walled tube is sealed at one end and the bitumen product B is injected into the inner casing. be done. External tube 11
is in intimate contact with the inner tube 10 over its entire surface, so that the inner tube is supported during the loading operation. However, it is preferred that the external tube is supported within a rigid mold or former during the loading operation. Once the tube is loaded with Bityumen Product B, it can be sealed and then immediately transferred to a storage location and loaded or loaded into a small or large shipping container. Since the softening point of the internal tube is above the input temperature of the bitumen product, no adverse effects occur. The tensile strength of the inner tube decreases as the temperature increases to such an extent that the tube itself cannot contain the bitumen, but this means that the tensile strength of the outer tube is large enough to support the inner tube. Therefore, it is not a problem.

The packaged bitumen product can then be transported to the end user either in separate packaging or in containers. Packaging is not insulated or heated for transport. Typically, but not exclusively, the weight of the packaged product will be between 25Kg and 50Kg to facilitate ease of handling. Furthermore, both ends 1 of the casings 10 and 11
5 is approximately from the seal or clip 12 onwards.
It may extend to about 100mm, and both ends 15
serves as a handy handle.

The ends of the tube can be sealed by tying the ends together and clipping them with a leak tight tie or clamp 12. Alternatively, you can put the ends in a heat sealer,
Due to the incompatibility of nylon and polyethylene, only the polyethylene inner tube is sealed as seen at 13. To seal the outer tube, its ends are tied together and clipped as described above (see left end of container shown in Figure 2).

To remove the bitumen product, peel off the outer tube material and place the inner tube material containing the bitumen product into a heating device (which can also be a spray applicator for applying the product) to 100-180°C. The internal tube material and the bitumen product melt together. The resulting product can be applied in the usual manner by spraying onto the surface to be coated or by mixing with other products during the manufacturing process. In view of the nature of the internal tube material noted above and its minor proportion of less than 0.2% by weight to the contained product,
The presence of tube materials in a bitumen product does not significantly affect the physical properties or effectiveness of the bitumen product. Although low-density polyethylene has a higher viscosity than bitumen products at any temperature, its properties allow it to be dispersed into bitumen products in the normal service temperature range of 100-180°C, and the resulting product mixture is similar to normal It can be applied in any way.

For easy separation of the inner and outer casings, it is desirable that the casings not adhere to each other. To ensure that they do not stick to each other, release agents or slip agents can be introduced.

For example, the slip agent can be incorporated directly into the polyethylene inner casing or the nylon outer casing. In such an arrangement, the inner casing is, for example, 60 microns (0.06 mm) thick (including slip material), while the outer casing is 90 microns (0.09 mm) thick. These dimensions are for illustrative purposes only. The inner and outer casings may conveniently be formed by coextrusion methods.

In another embodiment (FIG. 3), the inner and outer casings can be formed in a triaxial extrusion process with a slip or mold release agent interposed as an intermediate layer between the casings. This kind of container is
For example outer and inner casings 11 and 10
can be obtained by triaxial extrusion of the intermediate film 14 of nylon 6 and low density polyethylene forming a low density polyethylene slip masterbatch. The compound used in the slip masterbatch is one that does not oxidize bitumen, such as eurycamide (Eu
-ricamide) or oleomide. For such three layer extrusions, the thickness of each layer is, by way of example, 60 microns (0.06 mm) of nylon, 20 microns (0.02 mm) of low density polyethylene slip masterbatch, and 20 microns (0.02 mm) of low density polyethylene.

Thus, the present invention provides a simple, useful and economical method and means for packaging bitumen products. Bitumen products can be easily handled and transported in conventional transportation such as containers. The outer casing material of the packaging provides a strong casing for the contained petroleum product that does not shift, and provides a packaging that can be packed, stacked, and does not coalesce. The outer casing can be easily peeled off from the inner casing containing the bitiumen. The inner casing material of the container containing the bityumen can be easily used with the bityumen at the temperatures in which the bityumen is used, which is a convenient alternative to conventional containers that require uneconomical and inefficient heating and handling. , eliminating the difficulty of taking out bitumen products.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a container according to the invention filled with a bitumen product. Figure 2 is the − of Figure 1.
FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of another container of the present invention. 10: inner casing, 11: outer casing, 12: clip, 13: sealed state of inner casing, 14: release agent intermediate film, 15: edge of container, B: bitumen product.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A first inner flexible casing is disposed in close contact with a second outer flexible casing, said inner flexible casing being at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the bitumen product is loaded into said container. is formed from a material having a softening temperature that is high and that is lower than the temperature at which the bitumen product is used; said outer flexible casing has a viscosity that allows said bitumen product to be applied to said containers,
A packaging or storage container for a bitumen product, characterized in that the inner flexible casing and the bityumen product are made of a material having strength properties that allow the product to be accommodated during transportation and storage. 2. A patent in which the inner and outer flexible casings are formed from a plastics material, the inner flexible casing material being different from the outer flexible casing material, and the inner and outer flexible casings not adhering to each other. Claim 1
Containers listed in section. 3. The internal flexible casing material has substantially the same density as the bitumen product contained therein at the temperature of use thereof, is not biodegradable, and is non-biodegradable and 3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, which is as thermally stable as bitumen when held at temperature. 4. A container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner and outer flexible casings are seamless tube-like structures and have substantially equal diameters. 5. The container of claim 4, wherein the inner flexible casing is formed from a low density polyethylene film while the outer flexible casing is formed from a high melting point polyamide film. 6 Thickness of low density polyethylene film is 0.02~
The container according to claim 5, wherein the thickness of the high melting point polyamide film is 0.02 to 0.1 mm. 7. Container according to claim 5, characterized in that a mold release agent or slip material is charged between the inner and outer flexible casings and in the inner and/or outer flexible casings. 8. A container according to claim 7, wherein the slip material is a low density polyethylene masterbatch containing a slip additive. 9. A patent claim in which either or both of the inner and outer flexible casings are filled with a low-density polyethylene masterbatch containing a slip additive to form a slip surface at the interface of these inner and outer flexible casings. The container according to item 7. 10 Claim 2 or 5 wherein the internal flexible casing has a softening temperature of about 60-120°C
Containers listed in section. 11. A container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the outer flexible casing is impervious to the passage of the contained bitumen product and the constituents of the bitumen product or other petroleum additives contained therein. . 12. The container of claim 11, wherein the outer flexible casing material has a softening temperature that does not result in melting at service temperatures. 13. Heating the bitumen product to be packaged to a flowable temperature, flowing the contents of the bitumen product into the first inner flexible casing for packaging, and transferring the inner flexible casing to the second inner flexible casing. disposed in intimate contact with an outer flexible casing of the bitumen product, the inner flexible casing being formed from a material having a softening temperature higher than the temperature of the bitumen product and lower than the temperature at which the bitumen product is used; wherein the external flexible casing has a viscosity that allows the bitumen product to be applied when fused with the bitumen product at temperatures of use of the inner flexible casing and the bitumen product are sometimes formed from a material having strength characteristics that allow the inner flexible casing and the bitumen product to be sealed, and the inner and outer flexible casings are sealed after the inner flexible casing is loaded with the bitumen product. A method for packaging or storing a Bithyumen product, characterized by: 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the inner and outer flexible casings are formed from a plastic material, and wherein the inner and outer flexible casings are not adhered to each other. 15. The inner and outer flexible casings are seamless tube-like structures and have substantially equal diameters, the inner flexible casing being formed from a low density polyethylene film while the outer flexible casing 15. The method of claim 14, wherein: is formed from a nylon film. 16 Claim 1 in which the bityumen product is road or pavement grade bityumen
The method according to item 4 or item 15.