A process for producing blown asphalt comprising the steps of mixing a heated hydrocarbon stream and a supercritical water in to produce a mixed stream, operating the supercritical water reactor to produce a reactor effluent, reducing the temperature of the reactor effluent in the cooler to produce a cooled effluent, feeding the cooled effluent through a depressurizing device to produce a depressurized stream, separating the depressurized stream in the flash drum to produce a light fraction stream and a heavy fraction stream, the heavy fraction stream contains a maltene fraction, an asphaltene fraction, and water, introducing the heavy fraction stream to a storage tank, withdrawing an oxidizing reactor feed from the storage tank, introducing the oxidizing reactor feed to an oxidation reactor, and operating the oxidation reactor at an oxidation temperature and an oxidation pressure to produce a product effluent that comprises an oxidized asphaltene fraction.

Disclosed are methods for preparing a high-viscosity non-hazardous bitumen composition for transportation in a railcar, wherein the method may include: (a) providing to a fractionator system a low-viscosity bitumen composition previously residing in a pipeline having a first viscosity and comprising a miscible blend of hydrocarbons, which blend was prepared by mixing a first diluent composition with a first bitumen composition; (b) heating the low-viscosity bitumen composition in the fractionator system at an operating temperature of from 170 C to 232 C to provide a first light fraction and a first heavy fraction; (c) removing at least a portion of the first heavy fraction from the fractionator system, wherein the first heavy fraction has a second viscosity that is higher than the first viscosity; (d) forming a high-viscosity non-hazardous bitumen composition from at least a portion of the first heavy fraction; and (e) directing the high-viscosity non-hazardous bitumen composition to a railcar.

In a system and method for processing recycled asphalt pavement or aggregate for asphalt production, a heating and drying unit includes a trough positioned within an external housing. A hollow auger is positioned in the trough, such that the recycled asphalt pavement or aggregate received at a first end of the trough is transported to a second end of the trough via rotation of the hollow auger. The trough is constructed of two or more sections to allow for thermal expansion, with only one end of each of the two or more sections connected to the external housing. Heated air is introduced into the trough via an inlet and exits the trough via an outlet. Heated oil is pumped through the hollow auger, entering via an inlet and exiting via an outlet. The heated air and heated oil raise the temperature of the recycled asphalt pavement or aggregate.

Methods are provided for predicting the properties of an asphalt fraction that contains two or more asphalt components based on measurements of the viscosity versus temperature profile for the components of the asphalt fraction. The viscosity versus temperature profile for each component can be used to determine characteristic (such as limiting) values for the viscosity and temperature for a components. Examples of characteristic values for an asphalt component are the asymptotic values of viscosity at infinite temperature (.sub.inf) and the finite temperature at which the viscosity diverges (T.sub.0). Once these characteristic values are determined, the characteristic values for each component can be combined in a weighted average to determine .sub.inf and T.sub.0 for the asphalt blend. Based on this ability to determine characteristic values for an asphalt blend based on the properties of individual blend components, appropriate blends of asphalts can be selected in order to arrive at an asphalt blend with desired properties.

Methods are provided for predicting the properties of an asphalt fraction that contains two or more asphalt components based on measurements of the viscosity versus temperature profile for the components of the asphalt fraction. The viscosity versus temperature profile for each component can be used to determine characteristic (such as limiting) values for the viscosity and temperature for a component. Based on this ability to determine characteristic values for an asphalt blend based on the properties of individual blend components, appropriate blends of asphalts can be selected in order to arrive at an asphalt blend with desired properties.

Disclosed are methods for preparing a high-viscosity non-hazardous bitumen composition for transportation in a railcar, wherein the method may include: (a) providing to a fractionator system a low-viscosity bitumen composition previously residing in a pipeline having a first viscosity and comprising a miscible blend of hydrocarbons, which blend was prepared by mixing a first diluent composition with a first bitumen composition; (b) heating the low-viscosity bitumen composition in the fractionator system at an operating temperature of from 170 C to 232 C to provide a first light fraction and a first heavy fraction; (c) removing at least a portion of the first heavy fraction from the fractionator system, wherein the first heavy fraction has a second viscosity that is higher than the first viscosity; (d) forming a high-viscosity non-hazardous bitumen composition from at least a portion of the first heavy fraction; and (e) directing the high-viscosity non-hazardous bitumen composition to a railcar.

Asphalt binders and methods and systems to produce an asphalt binder that has an increased resistance to fatigue cracking and thermal cracking. In embodiments, a method includes, operating a distillation tower to produce an asphalt binder and transporting the asphalt binder to storage. The method may include determining a phase angle of the asphalt binder. The method may include, in response to the phase angle of the asphalt binder being less than a selected threshold, adding one or more amounts of tower bottoms or gas oil to the asphalt binder to adjust the phase angle of the asphalt binder to and produce a fatigue and thermal cracking resistant asphalt binder and then releasing the asphalt binder from the storage. The method may include testing a sample of the asphalt binder aged for a selected number of hours in a pressure aging vessel to confirm the asphalt binder meets specification requirements.

The invention provides a method for enriching diluents with butane so as not to violate pre-defined limits for liquid hydrocarbon fuels with respect to density, volatility and low density hydrocarbon content.

The present disclosure provides a process that includes providing bitumen; performing thermal upgrading on the bitumen to form mildly upgraded bitumen; distilling the mildly upgraded bitumen to form streams of naphtha; distillates and/or gas oils; and residue; combining the naphtha and residue to form a naphtha/residue stream, which causes deasphalting to occur, and forming streams of deasphalted oil and high-carbon pitch comprising asphaltenes; and adding the distillates and/or gas oils to the deasphalted oil to form partially upgraded bitumen.

The invention relates to a composition formed of bitumen bases which comprises at least from 70% to 99% by weight of at least one bitumen base having a penetrability at 25 C. of less than or equal to 220.10-1 mm and a softening point of greater than or equal to 35 C. and from 1% to 30% by weight of at least one slurry residue resulting from a slurry-phase hydroconversion process. The slurry residue may have a penetrability at 25 C. of less than or equal to 50.10-1 mm and a softening point of greater than or equal to 50 C. Embodiments of the invention make it possible to upgrade a final vacuum residue slurry for use in the manufacture of a road bitumen.