EI-NQ Heavy/Light Oil Axial-Flow Burner for Asphalt Mixing Plants

Product Description

The EI-NQ is an axial-flow asphalt mixing plant burner series designed for aggregate drying in asphalt production. Six models provide published output capacities from 3,750 to 31,000 kW, with corresponding oil-consumption ratings from 300 to 2,800 kg/h.

The burner platform can be configured for approved heavy-oil or light-oil operation. Electronic proportional control regulates fuel delivery in response to the plant’s firing demand, helping coordinate burner output with aggregate drying and temperature control.

Final selection requires more than the nominal asphalt plant size. The dryer drum dimensions, aggregate throughput, incoming moisture, fuel properties, operating altitude, combustion-air system, exhaust draft, required discharge temperature, and local emission limit must all be reviewed.

Features & Customer Benefits

Wide Oil Consumption Range (300–2800 kg/h)

Ensures accurate matching with different asphalt plant capacities, preventing issues such as fuel oversupply in smaller plants or insufficient heating in larger units.

Heavy & Light Oil Dual Compatibility

Supports both heavy oil and light oil in a single burner platform, giving customers greater flexibility in fuel sourcing and reducing dependence on a single energy type.

Optimized Oil Atomization System

Generates finer oil mist for more complete combustion, delivering higher thermal output per unit of fuel and improving overall energy efficiency.

Electronic Proportional Oil Control

Automatically adjusts oil delivery based on real-time load demand, eliminating manual tuning errors and reducing unnecessary fuel consumption.

Ultra-Low NOx Oil Combustion Technology (VIC)

Achieves low-emission performance without the need for FGR, lowering compliance costs and simplifying environmental management.

Field-Verified Load Stability

Maintains steady oil consumption and consistent flame characteristics under continuous heavy-duty mixing operations, ensuring stable production cycles.

Heavy and Light Oil Operation

Light Oil Configuration

Light oil generally has lower viscosity and requires less preheating than heavy oil. The fuel system must still provide suitable filtration, stable inlet pressure, correct return conditions, and an approved shutoff arrangement.

Fuel quality should be checked for water, sediment, contamination, and variation between deliveries.

Heavy Oil Configuration

Heavy-oil operation normally requires controlled heating to bring the fuel within the viscosity range required by the selected atomization system. Depending on the project, the fuel installation may include:

• A heated storage or service tank

• Fuel circulation and return piping

• Insulated or heat-traced pipework

• Coarse and fine filtration

• Temperature and pressure monitoring

• A suitable oil pump and regulating valve

• Drainage and cleaning provisions

Heating the oil by temperature alone is not sufficient if the resulting viscosity remains outside the burner’s permitted range.

Fuel Changeover

Heavy oil and light oil should not be treated as interchangeable without adjustment. Fuel temperature, pressure, control parameters, atomization settings, ignition sequence, and combustion-air values may differ.

Where more than one fuel grade is required, the intended fuels and changeover procedure should be defined during burner configuration.

Technical Parameters

Application

• Oil-fired asphalt mixing plants in 500 / 1000 / 2000 / 3000 / 4000 / 5000 capacity

• High-duty highway & expressway paving projects

• Remote infrastructure sites without stable gas supply

• Oil-based energy regions (Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, South America)

• Mobile asphalt plants using diesel & heavy oil as main fuel

Maintenance

Maintenance intervals should reflect operating hours, fuel cleanliness, dust conditions, and burner duty.

Routine checks may include:

• Cleaning or replacing oil filters

• Inspecting the nozzle and atomization components

• Checking oil heaters and temperature sensors

• Testing fuel-pressure switches

• Inspecting pumps, valves, seals, and return lines

• Cleaning flame-detector sight paths

• Checking ignition electrodes or igniters

• Inspecting combustion-air passages

• Checking the burner refractory and mounting

• Verifying fan vibration and motor current

• Testing safety shutoff valves

• Reviewing fault and shutdown records

• Rechecking combustion after fuel-quality changes

A change in smoke, flame shape, exhaust oxygen, carbon monoxide, fuel pressure, or discharge-temperature stability should be investigated before it develops into an unplanned shutdown.

Safety and Interlocks

The burner must operate as part of a complete burner management and asphalt plant control system.

The safety sequence should address:

• Pre-purge and post-purge

• Flame establishment and supervision

• Ignition failure

• Flame loss during operation

• Low and high fuel pressure

• Fuel-temperature limits

• Combustion-air proving

• Dryer draft proving

• Fan and drum permissives

• Emergency stop

• Safety valve closure

• Controlled restart after a fault

The burner does not replace the plant’s fire protection, ventilation, fuel-storage protection, electrical isolation, or emergency procedures.

A safety shutdown should be investigated before reset. Repeatedly resetting the burner without identifying the fault may introduce unburned fuel or damage equipment.

Quality and Engineering Support

EBICO provides industrial burner systems together with combustion controls, fuel-supply systems, air-supply equipment, automation, and engineering services.

Project support can include:

• Burner capacity review

• Dryer and flame matching

• Heavy-oil system design

• Fuel-conditioning review

• Control and interlock definition

• Retrofit interface review

• Installation guidance

• Commissioning support

• Combustion adjustment

• Fault diagnosis

• Spare-parts planning

For an EI-NQ selection, provide the asphalt plant model, required production rate, dryer dimensions, aggregate moisture, target temperature, fuel specification, oil viscosity, fuel heating value, exhaust-system data, site altitude, and required emission limit.

FAQs

What does “300–2800 kg/h oil consumption” actually mean?

It refers to the real adjustable oil usage per hour, allowing the burner to operate efficiently across small to super-large asphalt plants without over-burning or under-heating.

Can EI-NQ run only on heavy oil?

No. It fully supports both heavy oil and light oil, and the system is designed to maintain stable atomization quality for both fuels.

How does precise oil consumption control help reduce cost?

By automatically matching oil supply to actual thermal demand, EI-NQ avoids excess fuel injection, directly reducing daily operating fuel expenses.

Is the oil consumption affected by asphalt output fluctuations?

The electronic proportional control system dynamically tracks load changes, so oil consumption adjusts in real time, keeping flame output stable.

Is EI-NQ suitable for markets with strict environmental rules?

Yes. With VIC ultra-low nitrogen oil combustion technology, NOx emissions can be kept within 30 mg, meeting multiple international standards.