A method for installing hot asphalt pavement includes heating an aggregate to a temperature of from about 350 F. to about 400 F. using an emitter comprising a birefringent material, the emitter generating electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength of from 2 microns to 1 millimeter, wherein the aggregate is a recycled asphalt pavement; adding the aggregate to an asphalt in a mill to yield a mixture of aggregate with baked-on asphalt; laying the mixture down over a base to form a first layer of lift; and compacting the first layer.

A carbon precursor material characterized by a flashpoint above 290 C. and a softening point between 110 and 300 C. Mettler is provided that includes petroleum-derived pitch product derived from a petroleum-based raw material having a concentration of less than 40% by weight of asphaltenes as measured by SARA analysis. The use of such carbon precursor material in in the production of graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces used in steel/ferro-alloy/silicon production or in carbon electrodes for aluminum production and/or manufacture of graphite particles for the manufacturing of battery electrodes. A process for producing a coating and/or binding and/or impregnation carbon precursor material is also provided.

The present invention discloses systems and methods for supplying hot water for primary extraction in the oil sands bitumen extraction process. Direct contact process and method for producing hot water using mature fine tailings are provided by employing a double staged submerge arrangement with a thickener vessel containing a submerged fuel burner and a hot water vessel containing a submerged fuel burner, a flash submerged arrangement with a flash concentrator vessel containing or adjacent to a fuel burner and a hot water vessel containing a submerged fuel burner or a triple cascade arrangement with a flash concentrator vessel, a thickener vessel containing a submerged fuel burner and a hot water vessel containing a submerged fuel burner.

Pitch products produced by systems and processes utilizing coal tar or decant oil for coal or petroleum based pitch are disclosed. Total pitch production yields are increased by heat treating distillate fractions from the pitch production process. A heat treatment system, process and products produced thereby are disclosed. The heaviest distillates having the highest molecular weights are subjected to heat treatment, though other embodiments contemplate heat treating a variety of combined distillate fractions. The heat treatment systems require heat soaking the distillate(s) at elevated temperatures of 459-535 C. at a near-constant temperature with near-uniform flow. A fraction of the heat-treated distillate may be reintroduced to the pitch production system as part of a continuous process.

A binder for making metallurgical coke and a process for making the binder. The binder is thermally hydrocracked pitch which has been de-ashed. The binder may be mixed with low rank bituminous coal, heated to make coke which is acceptable as a metallurgical coke. The thermally hydrocracked pitch may be de-ashed by mixing with a solvent, and separating the insoluble portions from the soluble portions using a centrifuge. The soluble portions may be separated from the solvent, for example, in a fractionating section, and used as the binder with poor coking coal to make metallurgical coke.

Methods are provided to prepare a low sulfur fuel from hydrocarbon sources, such as light tight oil and high sulfur fuel oil, often less desired by conventional refiners, who split crude into a wide range of differing products and may prefer presence of wide ranges (C3 or C5 to C20 or higher) of hydrocarbons. These fuels can be produced by separating feeds into untreated and treated streams, and then recombining them. Such fuels can also be formulated by combinations of light, middle and heavy range constituents in a selected manner as claimed. Not only low in sulfur, the fuels of this invention are also low in nitrogen and essentially metals free. Fuel use applications include on-board large marine transport vessels but also on-shore for large land based combustion gas turbines, boilers, fired heaters and transport vehicles and trains.

Methods are provided to prepare a low sulfur fuel from hydrocarbon sources, such as light tight oil and high sulfur fuel oil, often less desired by conventional refiners, who split crude into a wide range of differing products and may prefer presence of wide ranges (C3 or C5 to C20 or higher) of hydrocarbons. These fuels can be produced by separating feeds into untreated and treated streams, and then recombining them. Such fuels can also be formulated by combinations of light, middle and heavy range constituents in a selected manner as claimed. Not only low in sulfur, the fuels of this invention are also low in nitrogen and essentially metals free. Fuel use applications include on-board large marine transport vessels but also on-shore for large land based combustion gas turbines, boilers, fired heaters and transport vehicles and trains.

Methods are provided to prepare a low sulfur fuel from hydrocarbon sources, such as light tight oil and high sulfur fuel oil, often less desired by conventional refiners, who split crude into a wide range of differing products and may prefer presence of wide ranges (C3 or C5 to C20 or higher) of hydrocarbons. These fuels can be produced by separating feeds into untreated and treated streams, and then recombining them. Such fuels can also be formulated by combinations of light, middle and heavy range constituents in a selected manner as claimed. Not only low in sulfur, the fuels of this invention are also low in nitrogen and essentially metals free. Fuel use applications include on-board large marine transport vessels but also on-shore for large land based combustion gas turbines, boilers, fired heaters and transport vehicles and trains.

The present disclosure relates to a method of preparing an anisotropic pitch for carbon fiber, and more particularly, to a method of preparing an anisotropic pitch of preparing a pitch having a low softening point by thermally polymerizing heavy oil or residue oil generated in an oil refining process, extracting only a mesogen component, and then heat-treating at a high temperature for a short time. The anisotropic pitch prepared in the present disclosure has advantages of exhibiting the anisotropic content of 100% and controlling the anisotropic content only a simple temperature control as desired and may be used as a precursor of a high value-added carbon material such as carbon fiber and an anode material for a lithium secondary battery.

Process for the preparation of an asphalt mix composition, said process comprising: (1) heating an asphalt composition to a temperature in the range of from 110 to 190 C. to obtain a first input stream; (2) providing one or more thermosetting reactive compounds to obtain a second input stream; and (3) homogenizing the streams of (1) and (2) in at least a first tank fitted with a first impeller, wherein the impeller allows an axial velocity>0.4 m/s, a radial velocity>0.65 m/s, and a shear rate>3.5 s.sup.1; and wherein homogenization of (3) is carried out at a mixing power<3 W/kg.