ELKALUB LFC 800
Optimised lubrication of hose pumps from a wide range of manufacturers – successful continuous use at first large brewery
Whether bottom-fermented or top-fermented, yeast is sensitive and needs to behandled carefully, especially in breweries. This is because it is a crucial ingredient not
only for fermentation and alcohol production, but also for the typical aroma of the beer it is used in. Brewers therefore need the unicellular micro-organisms to be in the very best condition. The hose pumps used for transport are gentle on the yeast, but due to their design they put a strain on the most important component: the hose. To minimise this wear, the lubricant manufacturer Chemie-Technik (Vöhringen/Baden-Württemberg) has developed a special oil. This has proven itself in test series for a wide variety of hose materials and has been in use at a large brewery for months. This offers users of hose pumps an attractive alternative to the pump manufacturers' lubricants.
In hose pumps, a hose guided in a semicircle is rolled by a rotating component on the inside of its bend in the direction of transport. The wandering cross-sectional constriction of the tube created in this way moves its contents. In this case, it is the yeast suspension, almost without any destructive shear force effects. The hose, as a costly wearing material, must last as long as possible. This is because the closed transport section must be opened when it is replaced. This is associated with the risk of contamination, which can disrupt the entire microbiology in the plant. Dr Stefan Schlomski, Head of Technical Sales at Chemie-Technik GmbH, reports: "Hose pumps are therefore filled with a food-grade oil that reduces the friction of the rollers or sliding shoes on the hose surface, transfers heat to the housing and thus significantly increases the hose's service life."
According to Dr Schlomski, the ELKALUB LFC 800 hose pump oil is an ideal substitute for the more expensive lubricants offered by hose pump manufacturers: "With our NSF-H1-registered ELKALUB LFC 800 special oil, we have an alternative for all common pump hoses used in the food sector, which are usually made of natural rubber, acrylonitrile rubber or thermoplastic elastomers. In intensive comparative tests, we treated hoses from different manufacturers with original oils and, in comparison, with our ELKALUB LFC 800 for many days at different temperatures. The test results show that our pump oil is fully compatible with hoses from the main suppliers."
A large brewery in southern Germany, which uses a double-digit number of yeast hose pumps, is already convinced of the advantages of the ELKALUB LFC 800. It has been using the oil successfully for months. "Of course, ELKALUB LFC 800 is also ideally suited for hose pumps in other food sectors, but also in general industrial applications" concludes Stefan Schlomski with satisfaction.