An asphalt production facility required a natural gas compression solution to support a critical burner system. To ensure seamless, continuous operation, the plant needed a partner experienced in custom industrial compressed air and gas system design.
The pressure of utility-supplied natural gas was inadequate to meet the burner demand, requiring compression to 35 psig at the burner inlet.
Key project constraints included:
Variable and unpredictable burner flow demand, especially during high-fire operation
A 3,000-foot line pack already in place, with uncertainty on optimal compressor placement
Hazardous area requirements (Class I, Division 2)
Extreme outdoor operating conditions
An aggressive 12-week timeline to achieve operational readiness
The customer needed an engineered solution that balanced flexibility, speed, and reliability, without committing to a rigid or overbuilt system that could limit future site configurations.
Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy began the engagement by evaluating multiple system-level variables rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all compressor selection.
Key considerations included:
Positioning the industrial compressor either upstream or downstream of the existing line pack
Designing to accommodate a range of flow capacities rather than just a single design point
Managing transient high-flow events during burner high-fire cycles
Minimizing pressure drop and response lag across long piping runs
Ensuring compliance with hazardous area classifications
Reducing startup risk under a compressed project schedule
From there, a team of engineers applied their extensive expertise to begin designing an industrial compressor system to optimize every component for the specific environmental demands. Rather than focusing solely on compressor horsepower, Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy engineered the system based on actual operating behavior, recognizing that burner demand profiles are rarely static in asphalt applications.
Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy provided a complete natural gas compression system that is designed to meet immediate needs while remaining adaptable for future requirements and additional installations.
The solution included:
A highly efficient LeRoi natural gas rotary screw compressor system, sized at 200 HP
Designed and rated for Class I, Division 2 environments
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) control to manage fluctuating flow demand
Integrated gas receiver storage paired with inline filtration and separation solutions to support high-fire events without pressure instability
Fiberglass equipment enclosure to protect against extreme weather and improve system longevity
By leveraging existing equipment and performing focused engineering modifications, Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy met the aggressive startup timeline without compromising system integrity.
The combination of VFD control and receiver storage allowed the system to handle a wide operating envelope, accommodating variable burner demand rather than forcing operators into narrow control limits.
The packaged, enclosed solution minimized on-site integration risk and exposure to weather-related failures, improving long-term uptime.
The system design can be replicated or adapted for other asphalt plants with similar gas supply challenges, supporting fleet-wide deployment strategies.
Asphalt burner applications frequently experience performance issues when systems are designed for only average flow conditions. This can lead to inefficiencies and failures, since it does not account for the variability in flow rates that can occur during operation. For asphalt producers and utilities, understanding the importance of sizing systems for peak flow scenarios is essential to maintaining reliable performance and optimal efficiency.