Oil-in-Water Transfer Plate Lubrication for Open Container Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transfer plates used in commercial container filling operations face challenges in lubricating open containers moving at high speeds, leading to product spillage, machine jamming, and misalignment due to high friction and non-planar container geometries, requiring excessive lubricant concentrations that cause waste and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
Aqueous lubricant compositions with suspended or emulsified oil are applied to stationary transfer plates, reducing friction and minimizing spillage and machine jams by maintaining a hydrodynamic lubrication layer with reduced surfactant concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If conventional lubricant compositions are used on transfer plates, then friction is reduced, but lubricant consumption increases and environmental impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the lubricant by incorporating water-insoluble oil compounds (0.001-5% by weight) into the aqueous composition. This parameter change allows the lubricant to provide effective friction reduction while requiring lower overall concentrations, thereby reducing lubricant consumption and environmental impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite lubricant composition by combining aqueous phases with water-insoluble oil compounds. This composite structure leverages the benefits of both phases: the aqueous base provides lubrication while the oil compounds enhance friction reduction efficiency, allowing effective operation at lower total lubricant concentrations.
2Reliability
If high concentrations of lubricant are used to prevent spillage and misalignment, then container transport reliability improves, but lubricant waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the composition parameters by adding water-insoluble oil compounds to the aqueous lubricant. This changes the lubrication mechanism to be more efficient, allowing reliable container transport (preventing spillage and misalignment) at lower lubricant concentrations, thus reducing lubricant waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a lubricant composition that is highly efficient at low concentrations, effectively treating the lubricant as a short-lived but highly potent agent. The water-insoluble oil compounds provide intense lubrication at very low levels (0.001-5% by weight), allowing the system to use small amounts of lubricant that can be quickly replenished rather than relying on large volumes.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If aqueous lubricant compositions are used, then environmental impact is reduced, but friction reduction effectiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite aqueous lubricant containing water-insoluble oil compounds. This composite structure maintains the environmental benefits of aqueous-based lubricants while the incorporated oil compounds (0.001-5% by weight) provide enhanced friction reduction effectiveness, resolving the contradiction between environmental friendliness and lubrication performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the compositional parameters of aqueous lubricants by incorporating small amounts of water-insoluble oil. This parameter modification transforms the lubricant's friction reduction capability while maintaining its environmentally friendly aqueous base, achieving both low environmental impact and high effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively reduces friction and prevents container contact with the transfer plate, minimizing spillage and machine jams while significantly reducing lubricant usage and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
transfer plates can be lubricated using a substantially aqueous lubricant composition that comprises an oil or an oil in water emulsion
Implementation Method 2
the presence of dispersed water-insoluble compounds greatly reduces the amount of surfactant normally required for adequate lubrication of transfer plates
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
This disclosure relates to transfer plate lubricant compositions and methods of transporting open containers across stationary transfer plates.