There are two types of Iraqi bitumen, including Iraq Bitumen with SPOT Test Positive and Iraq Bitumen with SPOT Test Negative.
If the vacuum bottom is extracted from heavy crude oil, the bitumen SPOT Test will be positive, which means the bitumen’s sulfur amount is higher than the other types.
High sulfur means the bitumen will slightly burn during the melting process leading to unfavorable odor and low-quality pavement for highways.
Additionally, based on the Test Method of measuring ASTM D70, which is something around 1.06 to 1.07, the specific gravity of SPOT Test Positive Iraqi bitumen is much more than SPOT Test Negative.
Conventionally, a New Steel Drum with regular volume (980 mm Height and 500 mm Diameter) contains 180 ± 2.5 Kg of bitumen.
While with Iraqi bitumen, this can rise to 185 ± 1 kg.
The only type of bitumen derived from SPOT Test Positive Iraq bitumen is 60/70 Bitumen Grade.
SPOT Test Negative Iraq bitumen is much like Prime bitumen including Iran bitumen and Bahrain bitumen with the same quality. In terms of specific gravity, it is also the same as standard bitumen.
Crystal Bitumen
Crystal Bitumen is also the bottom residue of the vacuum distillation tower, and it is stiff and brittle.The acceptable penetration ranges of Crystal Bitumen, based on ASTM D5, lay between 1 to 30.
The penetration range gets determined by the quality of the crude oil, which the bitumen derived from.
Crystal Bitumen has no elasticity, and according to the Test Method of ASTM D113, it is quite dry, and the Ductility is below 10 cm.
Crystal Bitumen also has a higher flash point than Iraqi bitumen and prime bitumen.
Due to the brittleness of the crystal bitumen, the softening point is about three times more than the Prime bitumen, which shows it is not a soft product at all.
Price-wise, Crystal bitumen is cheaper than the Prime bitumen.
It has particular applications; and more economically efficient.
Solid and brittle Crystal bitumen packed in one-ton jumbo bags, is mostly used in China to improve the quality of Penetration bitumen.
Unlike Prime and Iraqi bitumen, Crystal bitumen does not require inspection during the export process.
