Reducing Operating Costs and Improving CO2 Footprint in the Food-Processing Industry

Brewery Example
"Reducing energy consumption is an important requirement for manufacturers and operators, as energy costs make up a significant part total operating costs”, says Michael Stirnweiß, Head of Central Technical Sales at Klüber Lubrication. "However, energy does not only incur costs for the user; energy generation is also one of the main sources of climate-damaging CO2 emissions. Reducing the energy consumption of a brewery is therefore also a marked contribution to environmental protection.”

Saving costs with synthetic compressor oils
The energy consumption of air compressors constitutes a sizable proportion of operating costs. By reducing friction and offering better gap sealing, an appropriately formulated synthetic compressor oil contributes both to higher efficiency and a reduction of energy consumption. Synthetic compressor oils turn out more cost-efficient when considering compressor operation as a whole.

Further factors impacting on the operational reliability of compressors are the lifetime of a compressor oil, its tendency to form residues, relubrication intervals and any oil vapour in the air. Compared with conventional mineral oils, high-quality synthetic compressor oils are characterised by a high resistance to oxidation. Synthetic hydrocarbon based compressor oils, of the Klüber Summit FG series, are highly resistant to oxidation, leading to a clear reduction of residues. Additionally, longer oil change intervals enable longer filter and oil separator lifetimes, enabling in turn a reduction of maintenance and operating costs.

The operation of refrigeration compressors also benefits from the use of high-performance products. Synthetic refrigeration compressor oils of the Klüber Summit R series, enable refrigerators to operate with high efficiency due to reduced residues and oil carry-over. With these oils, refrigerators can be used for a wide range of applications with evaporator temperatures down to -50 °C.

Both Klüber Summit FG oils and Klüber Summit R oils are registered as NSF H1 and certified to ISO 21469, making the obvious choices for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Gear oils for the food industry
Similarly, high process reliability and reduced energy consumption are contributed by synthetic gear oils which are likewise registered as NSF H1 and certified to ISO 21469. As their synthetic base oils are extremely resistant to ageing and oxidation, these lubricants offer a much longer service life and increase gear efficiency considerably. Their excellent viscosity-temperature behaviour means that in many applications a single viscosity class can be used for both high and low temperatures. Klüberoil 4 UH1…N oils are gear oils for a normal temperature range and normal loads that even enable lifetime lubrication in certain applications. For high temperatures and high loads, the use of Klübersynth UH1 6 oils is recommendable as the optimised friction behaviour of the polyglycol base oil reduces power loss and clearly improves gear efficiency.