A Response to the Paper Entitled “Transition to Superpave Performance Grades in Western Canada” Presented to the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association’s Annual Conference in 2012

摘要

In order to ensure that western Canadian road agencies receive the same quality asphalt they have in the past with penetration/viscosity specifications, the adoption of Performance Graded Asphalt Cement (PGAC) specifications require some adjustments. In this response, the Author provides a summary of Husky Energy’s position in regards to the adoption of PGAC specifications in western Canada. The asphalt properties from the different crudes have been evaluated. Relying on our expertise with asphalt evaluations from different crudes, we selected a number of asphalts based on the quality according to the PG, the temperature range between the high- and lowtemperature PG, and the A grade designations using current western Canadian penetration/viscosity specifications. These asphalts were also selected due to their resemblance to the properties of asphalts produced from Lloyd Blend and Cold Lake crudes, which are used for the majority of asphalt cement production in western Canada. From these evaluations, the adoption of specific PG specifications in western Canada are recommended. These specifications will increase the assurance that road agencies will receive the same quality of asphalts they have under the western Canadian penetration/viscosity specifications.