Asphalt Flow Meter
Asphalt Flow Meter
Asphalt and bitumen are among the most challenging fluids to meter accurately. They're viscous — often 1,000 to 10,000+ cP at operating temperature — hot (typically 150-200°C at transfer), and prone to solidifying if temperature drops. Most flow meter technologies simply can't handle these conditions.
Coriolis flow meters are the practical choice for asphalt and bitumen measurement. They handle extreme viscosity without accuracy loss, tolerate the high operating temperatures, and measure mass flow and density directly — giving you accurate batch quantities regardless of temperature-driven density changes.
Why Coriolis for asphalt?
Viscosity-dependent technologies like turbine meters and paddlewheels lose accuracy rapidly as viscosity increases and are impractical above a few hundred cP. Differential pressure devices can't handle the pressure drops involved. Coriolis meters measure mass flow by detecting tube vibration frequency changes — a measurement that's independent of viscosity. They work as accurately on 10,000 cP bitumen as on water.
High temperature is the other challenge. Our Coriolis meters are rated for the temperature ranges encountered in asphalt handling. The tube material, seals, and transmitter enclosure are all selected for high-temperature service. Heat tracing compatibility is available to maintain fluid temperature during low-flow or standby periods.
Common asphalt flow meter applications
• Asphalt plant batch control — measure binder addition to hot mix asphalt batches for recipe control and quality documentation
• Tanker loading and unloading — measure asphalt transferred to and from tanker trucks for custody transfer and billing
• Tank to tank transfer — measure bitumen transferred between storage tanks for inventory management
• Emulsion production — measure asphalt emulsion batching in emulsion manufacturing plants
• Polymer modified bitumen (PMB) — measure high-viscosity modified binder in PMB production
• Road tanker metering — onboard flow measurement for delivery ticket generation
What to look for when selecting an asphalt flow meter
Temperature rating is the first check. Confirm the meter is rated for your maximum transfer temperature, including any startup or upset conditions where temperature could be higher than normal operating.
Heat tracing — asphalt solidifies if allowed to cool in the meter. Plan for external heat tracing on the meter and adjacent piping, or specify a steam-jacketed meter configuration for continuous high-temperature service.
Pipe size and flow range — specify your actual transfer rates in kg/hr or tons/hr at operating temperature. Coriolis meters are available from 3/8" to 10" to cover the range from small batch operations to large tanker transfers.
Density output — Coriolis meters simultaneously output density, which is useful for quality control on asphalt (penetration grade verification) and for accurate volume-to-mass conversion.
|
Application |
Recommended Meter |
Why |
|
Asphalt binder, batch control |
Coriolis Flow Meter |
Mass flow + density, viscosity-independent, high temp rated |
|
Tanker loading, custody transfer |
Coriolis Flow Meter |
±0.1% accuracy, legally approvable for custody transfer |
|
High-viscosity PMB |
Coriolis Flow Meter (large bore) |
Only practical technology for extreme viscosity applications |
In stock and ready to ship
Coriolis flow meters for asphalt applications ship from Salinas, CA. Contact us with your pipe size, operating temperature, viscosity at operating temperature, and flow range. High-temperature configurations are available — specify your requirements when ordering.
Call us at (831) 244-8080 to talk through your application, or go straight to the product page to configure and order.