CONCRETE BATCH PLANTS

CE 579
GRADUATE SEMINAR

Prof. Dr. S. Semih TEZCAN

Uğur KARAHAN
2010706030
 Agenda
What is Concrete?

Classifications of Batch Plants

The Concrete Production Process at a

Stationary Batch Plant

Environmental Objectives and Performance

of Batch Plants

Batch Plant Certification

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 WHAT IS CONCRETE?

Concrete is manufactured by mixing

carefully controlled proportions of
portland cement, coarse aggregates
(gravel, crushed stone or slag), fine
aggregates (sand) and water.

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 BATCH PLANTS

Concrete batch plants are used in the

preparation of ready mixed concrete. Such
plants typically include a supply of
cement, water, aggregates and admixtures.
At the batch plant these mix ingredients
are measured by either mass or volume
and introduced in the mixer. To produce
concrete of uniform quality, the
ingredients must be measured accurately
for each batch.
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 CLASSIFICATION OF BATCH PLANTS
 Classification By Mobility
 Permanent Plants
Ready mix concrete batch
plants can be either
permanent or portable.
Permanent plants do their
production from a central
location and transport the
concrete produced in
transit truck mixers to the
construction site.
These plants operate from the same location for a
relatively long period of time.
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 Classification By Mobility
 Portable Plants
Portable plants as the name
suggests are able to be
relocated relatively easily.
In general, they have a
cement silo and an
overhead bin for one or
two aggregates. They
typically move to the
construction site in cases
where the distance the
trans-mixers have to
These plants
travel is toooperate
far. from the same location for a
relatively long period of time.
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 Classification By Mobility
 High profile
The traditional stack up plant is a tall plant
that has aggregate and cement storage
bins that feed into batchers or weigh
hoppers by gravity.
 Low profile

The aggregate weigh hoppers are near

the ground with belts to elevate the
aggregate to load the mixer. The
aggregate material is stored on the
ground.
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 Classification by Mix
 Central Mixing or Wet Batching
The dry batch process differs
from wet batching only in that
the constituent materials are
weighed and then discharged
"dry" into the drum of the
vehicle used to transport the
mix.
Water and any admixture are added
simultaneously with the dry materials, and then
the mixing process takes place in the transport
vehicle.

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 Classification by Mix
 Central Mixing or Wet Batching
Mixing in the transit vehicle can be done in three
ways:
•1) Concrete mixed at the job site - While traveling to

the job site the drum is turned at agitating speed

(slow speed).
•2) Concrete mixed in the yard - The drum is turned

at high speed or 12-15 rpm for 50 revolutions.

•3) Concrete mixed in transit - The drum is turned at

medium speed or about 8 rpm for 70 revolutions

while driving to the job site.

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 Classification by Mix
 Shrink Mixed Concrete
Concrete that is partially mixed in a plant mixer
and then discharged into the drum of the truck
mixer for completion of the mixing is called
shrink mixed concrete. The amount of mixing
that is needed in the truck mixer varies and
should be determined via mixer uniformity
tests. Generally, about thirty turns in the truck
drum, or about two minutes at mixing speed, is
sufficient to completely mix shrink-mixed
concrete.

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 Classification by Mix
 Slurry Mixing
The slurry mixer is a relative newcomer to concrete
mixing technology. It can be added onto a dry-
batch plant and works by mixing cement and water
that is then loaded as slurry into a truck mixer
along with the aggregates. It is reported to benefit
from high-energy mixing

 Mobile Volumetric Mixer

Mobile volumetric mixers are special trucks that
batch by volume and continuously mix
concrete as the dry concrete ingredients, water, and
admixtures are continuously fed into a mixing
trough which is typically composed of an auger
system. The concrete is proportioned and mixed at
the jobsite in the quantities needed.
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 THE CONCRETE PRODUCTION PROCESS AT
A STATIONARY BATCH PLANT

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 THE CONCRETE PRODUCTION PROCESS AT
A STATIONARY BATCH PLANT

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 ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND
PERFORMANCE OF BATCH PLANTS
Batch plant operators should be cognizant of
the environmental impact of their plants. At a well-
managed concrete production plant, the main areas
of environmental significance are kept under
constant review to ensure that local and national
laws are being followed.
 External appearance:

The aim here is to ensure that plant operations

are landscaped and screened from the
surrounding industrial, commercial, residential
or rural community so that the impact on the
local environment is reduced.

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 ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND
PERFORMANCE OF BATCH PLANTS
 Plant, office buildings and staff facilities:
All buildings, plant and machinery are to be
maintained regularly and repaired as necessary.
Office buildings are cleaned and cared for
internally and have adequate toilet facilities for
staff and visitors.
 Traffic Control and Cleanliness:
The aims here are to ensure that traffic will avoid
sensitive areas, vehicles are maintained in a clean
condition and that concrete spillage on public
highways is avoided.

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 ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND
PERFORMANCE OF BATCH PLANTS
 Dust Control:
Batch plant operators must use appropriate
technology to ensure that dust emissions are in
line with local and national regulations. Where
required, dust monitoring should be undertaken
for environmental, health and safety purposes.
Guidelines should be provided to staff on the
procedures that must be followed to reduce dust
production. The batch plant can also be
retrofitted with filters and other equipment to
reduce the amount of dust that escapes from
both cement and aggregates in the batching
process.
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 ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND
PERFORMANCE OF BATCH PLANTS
 Noise and vibration:
Batch plant operators should try to ensure
that plant, vehicle noise and vibrations are kept
to a minimum. This can be achieved through
either plant design or the use of appropriate
technology.
 Water management:
Here the aims are to improve the quality of
effluent discharge, reduce volumes of discharge,
and restrict water usage and wastage.
Procedures should be adopted for controlling
the use and wastage of water at the plant.

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 ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND
PERFORMANCE OF BATCH PLANTS
 Fuel, oil and admixture storage:
The goal here should be preventing the
pollution of surrounding surface and ground
waters from accidental spillage of fuel, oil or
admixtures from storage tanks either above or
below grade. Routine inspections are to be made
for leaks or spillage from these storage facilities.
 Waste management:
The goal here is to introduce procedures and
working practices which reduce the production of
waste. In cases where waste production cannot be
avoided, the plant operator should try to provide
environmentally sound treatment and disposal
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 ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND
PERFORMANCE OF BATCH PLANTS
 Communication:
Employees should be fully aware of their
responsibility to the environment. All employees
should receive training to increase their
awareness of their responsibility to the
environment. They should also be encouraged to
give high priority to site care and good
housekeeping.

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 BATCH PLANT CERTIFICATION
To achieve certification, a licensed
professional engineer must inspect each plant for
compliance with the requirements of a designated
checklist. Certification goes beyond the workings of
the actual plant, covering proper aggregate storage
to avoid contamination, water for batching,
admixtures, etc.
Scale calibration is very important, and
certification requires the scales to be accurate
within 0.20% of scale capacity throughout the
range of measurement. Certification also extends
to record keeping and proper ticketing for each
load.

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 BATCH PLANT CERTIFICATION
 Specifications for Ready Mixed Concrete:
*all pertinent information must be on each load
ticket,
*such as the mix number,
*the truck number,
*the job address,
*the name of the contractor or purchaser,
*the time the truck was loaded,
*the mix design being supplied with a
description, etc.

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 THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION…

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 Boğaziçi University

QUESTIONS & VISIONS

Civil Engineering Department

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