In November, 7 members of the 2023-2024 LEAP Class were hosted by Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions and Paragon Technical Services.  The group started the day by getting an overview of the lab at Paragon Technical Services.  Jennifer Sasser showcased some of Ergon Armor’s asphalt-based coatings and Shelly Cowley discussed particle size and emulsion stability.

After the Paragon tour, the group made their way to the Ergon Refinery.  Jeremy Kyser and Andrew Kronfol started the tour by giving a presentation on Refinery 101, discussing the process of refining naphthenic base and process oils.  They were then guided on a van tour through the refinery.  The group got to see the atmospheric and vacuum distillation columns, the propane deasphalting unit, control room, and lab.  One of the stops was at the pilot plant where small quantities of crude are used to determine the various fractions before large scale processing.  The tour was complete after driving through the emulsion facility adjacent to the refinery