Apparatus for recycling asphalt materials

Apparatus for processing recyclable asphalt material received from the field in relatively large pieces for delivery in a mass containing desired smaller aggregate-sized pieces for reuse, the apparatus comprising:

• an elongate drum having a generally cylindrical wall, a central axis, and an interior with an inlet end and an outlet end;
• mounting means for mounting the drum for rotation about the central axis;
• a heating chamber adjacent one end of the interior of the drum and extending along the drum toward the other end of the interior of the drum over a first axial portion of the drum, the heating chamber having an interior;
• a plurality of breaker members connected to the heating chamber for the conduction of heat from the heating chamber to the breaker members, the breaker members being tubular and extending from the heating chamber along a second axial portion of the drum toward the other end of the interior of the drum, each breaker member having an interior extending along the axial length of the breaker member and each interior being in communication with the interior of the heating chamber;
• heating means for supplying heat to the interior of the heating chamber, such that heat is conducted to the breaker members connected to the heating chamber;
• feed means for feeding the large pieces of recyclable asphalt material received from the field into the drum, adjacent the inlet end of the interior of the drum;
• rotational means for rotating the drum about the central axis so as to tumble the large pieces of recyclable asphalt along the drum and the breaker members, thereby simultaneously reducing the size of the relatively large pieces to the desired aggregate-sized pieces and heating the mass containing the desired aggregate-sized pieces, which mass proceeds toward the outlet end for delivery at the outlet end of the interior of the drum;
• volatile organic compound oxidation means interposed between the heating means and the heating chamber, the volatile organic compound oxidation means having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet communicating with the heating means and the outlet communicating with the heating chamber;
• and
• gas conduction means interconnecting the interior of the drum with the inlet of the volatile organic compound oxidation means for conducting pollutants from the interior of the drum to the volatile organic compound oxidation means;
• whereby the pollutants conducted to the volatile organic compound oxidation means are oxidized in response to heat supplied by the heating means.

Apparatus for location at a site to process recyclable asphalt material received from the field in relatively large pieces for delivery in a mass containing desired smaller aggregate-sized pieces for reuse, the apparatus comprising:

• an elongate drum having a generally cylindrical wall, a central axis, and an interior with an inlet end and an outlet end;
• mounting means for mounting the drum for rotation about the central axis;
• a heating chamber adjacent one end of the interior of the drum and extending along the drum toward the other end of the interior of the drum over a first axial portion of the drum, the heating chamber having an interior;
• a plurality of breaker members connected to the heating chamber for the conduction of heat from the heating chamber to the breaker members, the breaker members being tubular and extending from the heating chamber along a second axial portion of the drum toward the other end of the interior of the drum, each breaker member having an interior extending along the axial length of the breaker member and each interior being in communication with the interior of the heating chamber;
• heating means for supplying heat to the interior of the heating chamber, such that heat is conducted to the breaker members connected to the heating chamber;
• feed means for feeding the large pieces of recyclable asphalt material received from the field into the drum, adjacent the inlet end of the interior of the drum;
• and
• rotational means for rotating the drum about the central axis so as to tumble the large pieces of recyclable asphalt along the drum and the breaker members, thereby simultaneously reducing the size of the relatively large pieces to the desired aggregate-sized pieces and heating the mass containing the desired aggregate-sized pieces, which mass proceeds toward the outlet end for delivery at the outlet end of the interior of the drum;
• the heating means comprising a heat-cycle operated engine having a heated exhaust for supplying heat to the interior of the heating chamber and an electric power generator operated by the engine for supplying electric power to the site.