Conveyor lubricants for use in the food and beverage industries

Abstract

A lubricant concentrate comprising an effective lubricating amount of at least one ether carboxylate and at least one foam destabilizer, and methods of using the same. The lubricant concentrate may be diluted with water prior to use.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 294851 filed Nov. 14, 2002, now allowed.[0002] The present invention relates to lubricant concentrates and lubricant use compositions, and in particular to lubricant compositions which are employed as conveyor lubricants for use in the food and beverage industries, and to methods of using the same.[0003] In most packaging operations, including beverage operations, containers are moved along mechanized conveyor systems in an upright position from station to station wherein various operations including filling, labeling, sealing, capping, and the like are performed on the containers. During some of the operations, the containers are open. In particular in the beverage industry, it is important that the containers move without hindrance along the conveyor such that no liquid is spilled onto the conveyor. This is particularly important for dairy based beverages such as milk because milk ca...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] The lubricating compositions according to the present invention exhibit excellent lubricating properties, particularly in hard water conditions such as with well water, are noncorrosive, are non-pitting to both soft metals, steel and concrete, and do not coagulate dairy products such as milk. This superior combination of properties makes the inventive lubricants highly desirable for use as lubricants in food and beverage operations.

Problems solved by technology

These precipitates can cause clogging of nozzles and subsequent loss of lubricant flow to conveyor surfaces.

However, strong chelating agents such as EDTA are also known for leaching calcium out of concrete which causes pitting in the concrete floor surfaces which are commonly found in beverage plants and dairy operations.

However, amine based lubricants tend to form precipitates with polyvalent anions such as carbonates and sulfates which are also present in hard water.

This can lead to clouding of the lubricant solution.

Furthermore, amine-based lubricants have been known to cause coagulation of milk which is a disadvantage for use in dairy conveyor operations.

The coagulation of milk results in soil build-up on equipment and environmental surfaces.

This soil is aesthetically unappealing, difficult to clean and may, for a thorough cleaning, require dismantling of the equipment.

Soil build-up can also cause fouling of moving parts on container filling equipment.

Such fouling can become a harbor for bacterial growth and subsequently lead to problems with product quality.