Application of Mobile Asphalt Tanks: On-Site Oil Supply Process for Road Maintenance, Lightweight Tank Design, and Safety Transportation (Anti-Sway/Anti-Leakage) Specifications

Mobile asphalt tanks are core equipment for road maintenance projects—unlike fixed asphalt tanks (which are limited to stationary storage), their mobility enables on-demand asphalt supply for scattered maintenance sites (e.g., pothole patching, crack sealing, and emergency road repairs). This not only eliminates the need for long-distance asphalt transportation via tank trucks (reducing heat loss by 30%-50%) but also improves the timeliness of road maintenance. To fully leverage their advantages, three key aspects must be optimized: on-site oil supply process adaptation (matching maintenance efficiency), lightweight tank design (ensuring mobility without compromising structural strength), and safety transportation specifications (preventing asphalt sway and leakage). This article details the technical points and implementation standards of these three aspects, providing a practical guide for the application of mobile asphalt tanks in road maintenance.

1. On-Site Oil Supply Process for Road Maintenance: Matching Efficiency and Asphalt Quality

Road maintenance (especially emergency repairs) requires "fast supply, stable temperature, and accurate dosage" of asphalt—traditional manual oil supply (e.g., transferring asphalt from tank trucks to maintenance machinery via buckets) often leads to temperature drop (≥10℃/hour) and dosage waste (15%-20%). The on-site oil supply process of mobile asphalt tanks integrates "heat preservation, metering, and direct feeding," which can reduce asphalt temperature loss to ≤3℃/hour and improve dosage accuracy to ±2%. The process design should focus on three links: pre-supply preparation, on-site feeding, and post-supply insulation.

1.1 Pre-Supply Preparation: Ensuring Asphalt Temperature and System Readiness

Asphalt Temperature Pre-Control:Mobile asphalt tanks are equipped with independent heating systems (typically diesel-fired heating or electric heating, with a heating rate of 5-8℃/hour). Before transporting to the maintenance site, the asphalt in the tank should be preheated to the required construction temperature:

For pothole patching (using hot-mix asphalt): Preheat to 150-180℃ (consistent with the mixing temperature of hot-mix asphalt);

For crack sealing (using modified asphalt): Preheat to 180-200℃ (to ensure fluidity and bonding performance).

A temperature sensor (accuracy ±1℃) should be installed in the tank to monitor the asphalt temperature in real time—if the temperature drops below the lower limit during transportation, the heating system will automatically start to avoid asphalt solidification.

System Inspection and Pipeline Priming:Before on-site supply, inspect the key components of the oil supply system:

Check the integrity of the discharge pipeline (usually DN50-DN80 heat-preserving hoses, with a working temperature of up to 250℃) to ensure no cracks or aging;

Test the metering pump (e.g., gear pumps with a flow rate of 5-20 m³/h) for leakage and calibrate the flowmeter (accuracy ≥0.5% FS) to ensure dosage accuracy;

Prime the pipeline with hot asphalt (50-100L) to eliminate air in the pipeline—air entrainment can cause unstable flow and inaccurate metering, and even damage the pump if it runs dry.

1.2 On-Site Feeding: Adapting to Different Maintenance Machinery and Scenarios

Direct Feeding to Maintenance Machinery:According to the type of maintenance equipment, adopt matching feeding methods to minimize intermediate links:

For small maintenance machinery (e.g., hand-held crack sealers, small pothole patchers): Use a flexible heat-preserving hose (length 5-10m) to connect the tank’s discharge port to the machinery’s asphalt inlet, and control the feeding speed via a solenoid valve (adjustable within 0.5-5 m³/h) to avoid overflow;

For large equipment (e.g., self-propelled asphalt pavers for road resurfacing): Use a fixed pipeline with a quick connector (compatible with the paver’s standard interface) for continuous feeding—set the feeding flow rate to match the paver’s consumption (e.g., a paver with a working width of 3m consumes 8-12 m³/h of asphalt, so the tank’s feeding flow rate is set to 10-14 m³/h to reserve a 20% margin).

Adaptive Adjustment for Emergency Scenarios:In emergency repair scenarios (e.g., post-storm road pothole patching), the oil supply process should be simplified to shorten the preparation time:

Use a "one-key start" function to activate the heating, pumping, and metering systems simultaneously (reducing preparation time from 30 minutes to 10 minutes);

Equip a backup power supply (diesel generator, power 10-20kW) to ensure the system operates normally even in areas with no external power supply;

Prepare a portable asphalt temperature detector to spot-check the asphalt temperature at the machinery inlet (ensuring it meets construction requirements) to avoid quality problems caused by temperature fluctuations.

1.3 Post-Supply Insulation and Residue Treatment

Residual Asphalt Insulation:After on-site supply, if there is residual asphalt in the tank (typically ≥5% of the tank volume to prevent pipeline blockage), activate the heat preservation system (insulation layer + auxiliary heating) to maintain the asphalt temperature at 120-150℃ (preventing solidification while reducing energy consumption compared to construction temperature). The insulation system should meet the requirement of "temperature drop ≤2℃/hour" (tested in an environment of 10℃).

Pipeline Residue Cleaning:After the maintenance work is completed, clean the residual asphalt in the pipeline immediately to avoid blockage (solidified asphalt is difficult to remove and may damage the pipeline):

For short pipelines (≤10m): Use compressed air (pressure 0.6-0.8MPa) to blow out residual asphalt (collect the blown asphalt for reuse to reduce waste);

For long pipelines (>10m) or pipelines with complex structures: Use hot oil (temperature 180-200℃, typically thermal oil) for flushing—circulate the hot oil in the pipeline for 10-15 minutes to melt and discharge residual asphalt, then blow dry the pipeline with compressed air.