FAQ
Equipment Questions
What are the dimensions of the Benedetti equipment?The pre heater is 37’ (11.2m) long by 10’ (3m) wide and weighs 42,000 lbs (19.1mt). it is 9’ (2.7m) high at the highest point. The Recycler is 68,500 lbs. (30.9mt) and is 40’ (12.1m) long by 10’ (3m) wide and 10’ (3m) high at the highest point. It is possible to partially disassemble parts of the machines if necessary to lower the height and/or weights for transport purposes.
The power train is supplied by Caterpillar and the hydraulics are supplied by Sun Source whose parent company is Poclain. These companies have significant support bases globally.
A spare set of blades and augers come with the original purchase. The originals and the spare set will likely last the first year of operation. Additional sets will be supplied at a marginal cost.
The equipment comes with a full bumper to bumper warranty for the first year. There are manufacturer warranties that are above and beyond the one year ABI warranty for the pumps and drive train components.
The lead time for the build is approximately twenty seven weeks from the time of order to the delivery.
Benedetti offers financing through the construction period. To purchase would require a 25% down payment to begin construction, another 50% of the remaining balance would be do upon 50% completion of the build, 100% of the remaining balance or (payment in full) would be due upon completion and prior to export.
The standard maintenance cost should be less than $10,000 however a conservative estimate of $25,000 annually can be made for projection purposes. The daily maintenance consist of some cleaning and greasing that will take fifteen to twenty minutes. The service section of the owners manual specifies service intervals for various parts on the machines. We can provide you a copy of the operators manual if you would like.
Benedetti would be happy to negotiate training your own service team. We would also support that team directly.
There are very few generic parts, however CAT, Poclain and other brands associated with the equipment have a substantial world wide base.
The recycler has a heated, vibratory screed that tamps the mix prior to compaction.
We have both US and Mexican Patents, and are currently “pending” on a global patent. One patent covering 22 different areas of the machine.
The most commonly used components on the equipment are the blades. You will receive an extra set with your order of equipment for replacement to last the full 12 months. The old blade is not disposed of, but reusable by applying another hard surfacing treatment. We can teach the end user how to re-apply the hard surface and get many years out of the blade system.
Re-Heat Process Questions
Road recycled per day is 3,000 to 6,000 yd2 (2,500 m2 to 5,000 m2). This is working an eight to ten hour shift and it is possible to work night shift.
Yes the Benedetti equipment can operate a second shift and the refuelling time between shifts is 1.5 hours.
The factors that determine whether you can produce 3,000 or 6,000 yd2 (2,500 to 5,000 m2) a day are the number of obstacles in the roadway to be recycled, ambient temperatures below 450F (70C), rain soaked roadway (heavy moisture). The experience of the crew of course can impact the productivity.
One of the emulsifiers that can be used is a product called Cyclogen. This product is sold internationally through Tricor Refining, LLC which is partners with Ergon, Inc. We can research the availability of this product for your area and/or a substitute product that is available in your area. There are no others additives required.
The rate of consumption for the propane is 800 gal (3,028 ℓ) per day for the pre heater and 200 gal (757 ℓ) for the recycler. The diesel fuel is 10 gal/day (38 ℓ/day) for the pre heater and 50 gal/day (190 ℓ/day) for the recycler. The emulsifier is applied at 1/10 of a gal/yd2 (0.4 ℓ) or approximately 0.45 ℓ /m2. As an example, should you complete 3,000 yd2 (2500 m2) in a given day you would use 300 gal of emulsifier (1150 ℓ).
In the US the cost is currently at $2.83 per gallon ($0.75 per ℓ). The usage is calculated at 1/10 of a gal/yd2 (0.45 ℓ /m2).
The cost of propane is currently at $2.04 a gallon ($0.54 per ℓ).
The diesel grade is that of non road diesel fuel.
Each site will have its own constraints and these need to be looked at individually.
The crew size needed is seven people. Three of those individuals are considered heavy equipment operators, those would be the individuals that would operate the equipment and the other four would be considered laborers.
Currently US contractors are generating $8.00-$9.00 a square yard. This could vary from state to state. With labour and material cost running less than $2.75 a square yard, you can see that the profitability is strong. Assuming that the contractor can produce 500,000 yd2 (420,000 m2) in a year, they would easily exceed the amount needed for a complete return on investment. When you look into the second year and beyond the return is even stronger.
Average Paving Costs (Traditional Method) = $211,500.00 US per Mile. Average Recycling Costs = $98,500 US per Mile. This translates to a greater than 55% savings! This is based on amortization of the entire cost of the machinery within the first year. This would increase dramatically if the period of amortization is increased.
The cutter blades are independent, they lift and tilt to work around manholes and other obstacles. This provides for a nice finish around manholes. There is a little bit of hand work as with traditional paving machines.
How would we structure the costs of flights, accommodation, meals and local transportation?
Benedetti would plan to send four to five people for three to four weeks. We would estimate this cost at approximately $50,000. We will look at this closer to try to provide you with a more accurate cost figure. This currently would be an up charge to the cost of the purchase of the machine.
The contractor is usually responsible for the design.
Yes, that is most often the case.
A sample is easily taken from the existing roadway by removing a 1 ft x 1 ft square section of the surface.
Simple extraction, gradation and asphalt content tests.
Technical Questions
Pavement seals do not normally affect the stability of the mix since most of them either burn off or liquefy during the heating process. This is all taken into consideration and the operation may require the addition or sand or aggregate depending on the amount and type of seal present. This is not usually a concern.
A study revealed that by recycling, you are actually disrupting the cracked pavement from below the surface. For every 1″ (25mm) recycled, you are getting a thermal transfer into the existing surface of at least double the removal depth. That thermal transfer is bonding the underlying cracks back together, causing an interruption in the root of the distressed area. Conventional paving has no thermal transfer, and is solely relying on “gluing” a hot mix to a cold base. The only crack mitigation you get with paving lies only in the milled off surface. This is a GREAT statement to quote as a benefit because, you are in essence, getting double the product, for half the cost.
It is not necessary to simulate the process, as much as to design the “recipe” for the existing pavement, using a specified rejuvenating agent.
Yes, the equipment can recycle the most commonly used asphalt polymers and rubberizing agents.
No experience with concrete. Traditionally, concrete cannot be recycled.
Base problems can be addressed in a simple repair prior to the Re-HEAT recycling operation. This will fully correct any underlying problems and the end result will be a successful one, that repels water for many years to come.
To have a successful recycling operation, you must first be able to penetrate the existing pavement with sufficient heat to allow for adequate depth of removal. The Benedetti Re-HEAT equipment is the only radiant convection furnaces available on the market today. The Benedetti patented, forced-air furnace system, produces a thermal transfer into the existing roadway surface of up 6 inches in depth. The individually controlled burners are fully adjustable, so that the surface of the roadway does not burn or char, thus further deteriorating the asphalt. By having the ability to force the heat into the pavement, the surface temperature of the roadway is not exposed to the damaging effects of “super heating” and maintains a constant workable temperature of 350-4000F (177-2040C). If the roadway is not heated properly, it will not be able to be uniformly removed.
Secondly, you need to be able to remove the surface layer without damaging the structural integrity of the aggregate. Unlike all of the other Hot In-place Recycling operations that are in use, the Benedetti machines do not scarify or mill the surface to be recycled. When a road surface is milled, the aggregate used to solidify the mix is fractured. Once this happens, the structural integrity of the asphalt is lost. If the surface no longer has a uniform size of aggregate to support the traffic volume it was original designed to support, you create premature failure. This is one of the reasons that all other recycling operations require a driving surface be applied on top of it by a conventional paver. The Benedetti equipment has a patented, angular blade system, that lifts and rolls the existing heated surface without fracturing the aggregate. Think of it like peeling back the skin of an orange, only we are doing this to the roadway driving surface. Maintain the product going in, and you can maintain the product coming out.
Another problem associated with those types of recycling systems is segregation. Segregation takes place when a hot mix asphalt is not blended uniformly in a controlled environment. The other recycling operations do not provide any heated containment of the mix prior to the exposure of atmospheric conditions. They simply scarify the pavement, spray a rejuvenating oil on top, and allow for augers to mix the material before placement. If this is all occurring on the ground, or at best in a pug-mill, you have no control over the recycled material. There is no ability to control temperature loss (which may be as much as 1000F or 380C in just 20 ft or 6 m) or even ensure uniform coating of the rejuvenator. Also, they have no ability to retain a specific aggregate size. The fines (sand) of the asphalt are being left on the ground and not being incorporated back into the final mix. This produces a very open, or coarse looking product, that will allow moisture to penetrate back into the pavement. Yet another reason it needs to be “sealed” with a conventional overlay. With the Benedetti system, after the surface is “sheared” by the blades, the material is immediately loaded into our patented, on-board asphalt plant, never being exposed to any conditions that would interfere with homogenous blending. The plant is heat controlled to maintain a uniform temperature mix, and speed controlled, that ensures sufficient time is allowed for uniform coating to take place. The application of the rejuvenating agent is also controlled and monitored by sensors which determine the proper application rate based on production. Once the material exits the plant, it meets the same US specifications as new asphalt. Quality, from start to finish.
We have worked on a number of roadways in both tropical and desert climates with similar concerns. The roadways in Nevada and Mexico are exposed to consistent UV rays, as well as, average temperatures over 1050F. This type of exposure ages the pavement prematurely by drying the oils out of it, thus creating a hardened brittle surface that cracks open. Our process has the ability to rejuvenate this type of roadway very successfully. Our patented heating and recycling system will correct any permeability issues by heating below the surface, and fusing the mix together. Once fused and compacted, this thermal bond becomes impervious to water.
Any base problems can be addressed in a simple repair prior to the Re-HEAT recycling operation. This will fully correct any underlying problems and the end result will be a successful one, that repels water for many years to come.
This process cannot produce a warm mix asphalt, however, it can recycle a warm mix asphalt road.
Gradation should almost always be constant, however we have the ability to add either aggregates or supplement more asphalt mix. The rejuvenator contains all of the other chemicals that can be blended to make asphalt. This is not an issue.
Depending on the amount of AC still present in the seal. We have done these roadways with great success in the past. It does require one additional component, sand. The sand is spread out prior to heating, to absorb any excess liquified AC. It also prevents the pavement from flashing. Then the sand becomes the “fines” when mixed.
All of our joints are overlapped for 2 reasons. 1.) It produces a heated, fused joint that bonds far superior than traditional methods. 2.) This joint fusion prevents any moisture from being able to penetrate between the layers.
Cyclogen ME blended for Benedetti, product name B.A.R.E. (Benedetti Asphalt Recycling Emulsion) and any of the Cyclogen family of asphalt emulsions have over 30 years of historic success as a 100% restorative agent.