While the straight up grease cost is an important consideration, maintenance engineers recognize the importance of high quality lubricants and correct lubrication practices for effective plant maintenance and a reliable process. Factors such as grease consumption, replacement of spares, production downtime, manpower for re-lubrication exercise etc. can impact process parameters and reduce long-term expenses. This holistic approach not only enhances lifespan and reliability of machinery but also contributes to overall productivity and cost-effective operations.
Why consider high performance greases in animal feed pellet mills ?
The feed mill is a fully mechanized process and bearings play a key role. Besides enabling the grinding and pelleting of feed ingredients, bearings support the rotating shafts in feed mixers. However, during pellet production these pelletizing machines operate under extreme conditions including high temperature, pressure, water vapor and contaminants, which can impact bearing performance and consequently, the process efficiency.
Also the method of grease application, amount of grease applied can affect functionality of the roller bearings. For example over lubrication bearings can result in grease leakage and risk of feed contamination.
Regular lubricants and challenges for effective lubrication of bearings in pellet presses
Selection of grease with an appropriate formulation for pellet presses is critical to mitigate maintenance expenses and productivity losses. Grease suitable for bearings operating in extremely dusty and moist environments must offer effective sealing in addition to lubrication.
Customer : A leading Indian manufacturer of pellet and crumble feed, with a production capacity exceeding 20 TPH, also operates poultry breeding farms and hatcheries. The fully automated, state-of-the-art facility is designed to meet extensive in-house requirements.
Operation conditions of the pellet press:
No of machine -2
Machine Type PM615XW
Application- Main drive shaft of press roller bearings
Bearing Type – Single row taper roller bearing no. 32220
Bearing Speed- 540 RPM
Operating temperature – 110˚ C
Greasing method – Single line automatic lubrication system
Grease flow time- 2 mins once for every 10 mins of idle time
Quantity of grease flow – 6.81 grams in 2 mins
Customer was using a lithium complex grease from a reputed brand “X”.
Issues faced by the customer:
Having assessed the above issues, the Bechem team recommended the specially formulated polyurea thickened high temperature grease, Berutemp M2 KN, designed for superior performance of the pellet roller bearings.
Trial result :
| Sl.No | Process details | Brand ‘X’ | Berutemp M 2 KN |
| 1 | Grease flow time for every 10 minutes | 2 min | 1 min 10 sec |
| 2 | Total quantity of grease flow for every 10 min of idle pump time. | 6.81 g. | 3.85 g. |
| 3 | No. of times Pump On / day | 121 | 130 |
| 4 | Total quantity of grease flow / day | 824 g. | 500.5 g. |
Why Berutemp M 2 KN?
After monitoring an extended two-month trial, no bearing failures were observed and substantial cost savings was achieved, the customer switched to Berutemp M2 KN.
For further details of the product, comparison chart and trial samples, write to us at [email protected]
Support response: Median email response time of less than 3 hours.
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]]>Food and pharma processing industries adhere to a highly systematized process workflow having strict hygiene standards and food safety regulations. Methodical cleaning and regular sanitization of equipments are part of the standard operating procedures.
The mechanical components are exposed to water, steam, cleaning agents and acidic mediums as well as high and low operating temperatures. Effective lubrication of these mechanical components (such as chain drives, conveyor chains, roll support bearings, open gear drives etc.) is critical for continuous production run. Special food grade greases that can perform in challenging operating conditions are required to lubricate the mechanical equipment’s in the food processing industry.
Development of food grade greases and oils are complex as ingredients and additives that would be typically used in regular performance lubricants cannot be considered as they do not meet the safety criteria set by the approval authorities.
Food-grade greases and oils need to provide efficient lubrication to mechanical components while contending the operating factors that are detrimental to the health of the lubricant.
Bechem’s wide range of food grade lubricants (oils and greases) certified by global standards of NSF and ISO 21469, are designed for critical applications in the food processing industry.
Customer: A reputed international brand in frozen food industry, well known for its nutritious and delicious assortment of fried food (potato based) products. The company with multiple production facilities in India and across the globe, follows stringent manufacturing protocols.
The maintenance team intended to improve reliability of the auger equipment by reducing frequent bearing failures which was creating unwanted downtime and associated costs.
Application: Auger is a mechanism that uses a rotating helical screw blade, within a tube to move and prepare the raw material. The auger within the plant was used for processing of steamed potatoes into paste by meshing and preparation
Bearing details:
Bearing number: 3212, double row angular contact bearing
Operating conditions:
| Maximum Operating temperature: | 100 ˚C (recorded during operation) |
| Speed: | Medium |
| Load: | High combined load |
| Grease: | Synthetic food grade grease of Brand ‘X’ based on Aluminium complex soap |
| Re-lubrication frequency with ‘Brand X’ grease: | Every 15 days |
| Concern: | Regular failure of bearings in the auger leading to production downtime |
The BECHEM application engineering team had a chance to monitor the auger operation and noted the following operational parameters for the bearing,
Considering these operational parameters, the Bechem team recommended a trial with food grade grease, Berulub FG H2 SL. During the trial period, Bechem Berulub FG H2 SL was applied to both ‘drive end’ (DE) and ‘non-drive end’ (NDE) bearings of the auger.
Berulub FG-H 2 SL , a high-performance food grade grease designed to enhance equipment reliability.
Consistent results were achieved with Berulub FG-H 2 SL resulting in,
Having observed performance of the product during the trial period with no breakdowns of the augur equipment, customer was happy to switch over to Berulub FG-H 2 SL. Further, the maintenance team recommended Berulub FG-H 2 SL for other applications including the potato peeler machine, freezer equipment.
For more details on Berulub FG-H 2 SLor sample of the product, write to us at [email protected]
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]]>Berulub FG H 2 SL at Pellet feed mill: Case study of impact of food grade grease on performance and life of tapered roller bearings at food pellet press mill
The customer, a reputed international brand with diverse business interests ranging from agriculture and food processing to international logistics. The case study is specific to its plant involved in manufacturing products related to animal nutrition /feed.
Application : The purpose of food pelleting is to process finely divided (pulverised), nutrient feed ingredients by using heat, moisture and mechanical pressure to form larger particles (pellets). While the fine particles are dusty and difficult to handle, the end result of larger pellets with desired taste are easier to manage and find better acceptance with domestic pets and poultry.
The pellet mill is a critical equipment in the process where the conditioned mash ( balanced assortment of grain, bran or malt feed, fibre and protein ) from the mixer is fed into circular rollers in the die chamber. The rollers, press the soft mash in a circular die. Knives placed outside the circular die cut the pellets into required lengths.
The temperature at the die chamber was observed around 90- 120°C due to the mash that is conditioned with vapour, heat and continuous vibration in the mixer. The closed environment in which the pellet mill works does not allow for easy dissipation of the heat generated in the system.
| No. of rollers: | 2 |
| No. of bearings: | 4 nos. |
| Bearing type: | Tapered roller bearing, no. 33220 |
| Bearing rotational speed: | 200 rpm |
| Load on bearing: | High |
| Bearing temperature: | 110 °C (recorded during operation) |
| Grease type: | Brand O, synthetic food grade grease |
| Re-greasing frequency: | Once in 8 hours |
| Re-greasing quantity: | No specific quantity. Practice to pump in fresh grease until it oozed out of the roller |
| Greasing method: | Air gun |
| Bearing life with brand O grease: | 4 months approx. |
Pellet mill die chamber
The unusual rate of bearing failure was a cause of concern for the customer. Further it was observed that dust accumulation on the oozed grease was a recurring phenomenon at the pellet mill.
Discussing the instances of higher bearing failure, the Bechem Application Engineering team had a chance to observe the lubrication practices at the shop floor. The team then submitted its report to the Maintenance Dept., broadly attributing the failure causes to the following,
Analysis of failed bearings
Micro spalling was visible in the inner race of the bearings. The spalling was not extended throughout the contact surface, indicating only a portion of the load zone was exposed to severe fatigue stresses.
This phenomenon of micro spalling are typical to bearings rotating at low RPM’s and temperatures above 90°C. The lubricant plays a major role in avoiding such micro spalling. If the grease does not have adequate temperature resistance properties, lubricating film will rupture under low speeds, high loads and elevated temperature conditions.
Subsequently, industry best practices for lubrication and proper bearing assembly procedure was discussed with the maintenance team. BECHEM’s synthetic food grade grease, ‘Berulub FG H 2 SL’ was recommended as an effective alternative to the existing grease. Also, a calculated quantity was recommended for optimum re-lubrication of the bearings instead of the ‘continuous pump until purge’ method.
Based on special Calcium Complex Soap thickener,
EMCOR Test: The purpose of the test is to measure the ability of a grease to protect a bearing against corrosion in the presence of water. The procedure subjects a set of new, cleaned and lubricated bearings to partial immersion in water with no applied load at a constant speed (80 revolutions per minute), in a predetermined sequence of starting and stopping for a period of approximately one week. The results are recorded according to the following table:
| Rating | Designation | Description / Criteria |
| 0 | No corrosion | No corrosion |
| 1 | Trace | No more than three spots of corrosion, none with a diameter greater than 1 mm |
| 2 | Slight / light | Small areas of corrosion, covering not more than 1% of the surface but more or larger corrosion sites than for rating 1 |
| 3 | Moderate | Areas of corrosion covering between 1 and 5% of the surface |
| 4 | Heavy / Severe | Areas of corrosion covering between 5 and 10% of the surface |
| 5 | Very Severe | Areas of corrosion covering more than 10% of the surface |
Base oil – Synthetic PAO (Polyalphaolefin) Oil
Berulub FG H 2 SL is also food grade H1 certified by NSF.
Initial trial observations with Berulub FG H 2 SL
Based on initial trial results, the customer switched over to Berulub FG H 2 SL. The maintenance team was glad with the upkeep of pellet mill as there was no sign of oozed grease that generally attracted dust.
Extended trial observation revealed no bearing failure for over 8 months at the pellet mill, doubling the bearing life with Berulub FG H 2 SL compared to that of the earlier food grade grease.
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]]>Modern day food manufacturing involves complex machines and innovative technologies. With increased awareness on healthy diet, focus has been to produce food whilst retaining nutrition and quality consistently. The sophisticated machines used in the process need to be lubricated regularly to ensure their seamless operation. Although these machines are designed to have zero contact of lubricant with food items in process, possibility of contamination in PPM measure cannot be ruled out during the regular day to day operation. Hence the type of lubricant used is critical.
The evaluation programme for non food compounds adopted by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is the most widely industry accepted norm across the world to assess suitability of the items including lubricants used in the food manufacturing process.
NSF classifies lubricants for food industry based on intended use as well as its formulation into three segments,
For more details on NSF’s regulation and scope, visit http://www.nsf.org
BECHEM’s comprehensive range of high performance food grade lubricants comply to NSF guidelines and are recommended for a wide array of demanding applications. The ingredients comply to the requirements of Food and Drug Administration and is independently verified by NSF.
Additionally BECHEM’s food grade grease range are also Kosher and Halal certified to meet the customary and dietary regulations of various regions and cultures.
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