Rubbing it up the Right Way with Shell

Food-processing technologists will be all too familiar with H1 lubricants. They are the ‘safe’ option when it comes to making food with machinery, especially when machine health ranks as high as food hygiene on the company’s prerequisites.

H1 lubricants (designated HX-1) are deemed safe for use in situations where incidental contact with food can take place, especially where used as a release agent on seals or gaskets of tank closures, as lubricant for machine parts or to protect machinery from rust. Overall, they are the only lubricants that are allowed, when used in the right manner, to touch food ingredients during production.

Lubricants are mainly classified as either category H1 or H2 depending on their composition and intended application. Both categories must contain non-toxic ingredients and are designed to help food processors improve plant hygiene and food safety by reducing the risk of chemical contaminants.

The US Department of Agriculture originally classified H1 lubricants but its Food Safety and Inspection Service ceased trading in 1999. Following this, the independent, not-for-profit public health and safety organisation NSF International began registering lubricants as H1 and H2.

H1 lubricants are deemed suitable for incidental, technically unavoidable contact with food and beverage products. They must be developed using ingredients approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its 21 CFR 178.3570 or generally recognised as safe (GRAS) guidelines, which includes polyalphaolefins, linear, random polyalkalene glycols and some synthetic base fluids like silicones and perfluoroalkylethers.

To meet new market demand for H1 lubricants, Shell Lubricants has developed its H1 approved synthetic food grade lubricant range, Shell Cassida. The lubricants are formulated using a range of synthetic additives and base fluids to ensure they are colourless, tasteless and odourless. As well as minimising the risk of food contamination (in accordance with the US FDA’s maximum permitted level for NSF H1 lubricant contact), Shell Cassida provides fit-for-purpose viscosity and oxidation at a range of high and low operating temperatures and loads.

In the food industry, lubricants must meet exacting performance demands that are intensified by the need to maximise hygiene and food safety. Developing lubricants that successfully address this challenge requires specialist knowledge of lubrication, how equipment works, operational practices and requirements, the risks of incidental lubricant contact with food, and food safety guidelines and legislation. Understanding each of these factors is key to developing fit-for-purpose, high-performance food-grade lubricants.

This month, foodprocessing-technology.com caught up with production application specialist and local research and development leader of Shell Lubricants, Eddy Stempfel, to find out how such lubricants are developed to work in extreme conditions.

Foodprocessing-technology.com: So our readers know a little bit more, can you explain the kind of conditions H1 lubricants must work under and why they are so important to food processors today?

Eddy Stempfel: Food-processing equipment often operates at extreme high and/or low temperatures, high speeds and continuously for long periods of time. These operating conditions generate high levels of friction that can lead to accelerated component wear, equipment failure and unscheduled downtime. To prevent this, lubricants need to offer heat dissipation, wear protection, friction reduction and corrosion protection properties.

The necessary daily washing of machinery with aggressive cleaning products under high pressure increases the chance of lubricant contamination, while highly reactive substances such as fruit juice can degrade oils and greases. Lubricants can be developed using synthetic additives and base fluids that prevent acidic erosion of the protective lubricant film on equipment and components.

Many of the components used throughout food processing plants, including line lubricators, slide and roller bearings, chains, compressors, vacuum pumps, gears, heat transfer systems, hydraulics and pumps, are located in close proximity to foodstuffs. For this reason, H1 food-grade lubricants need to be used to maintain food safety and quality in the event of incidental lubricant contact with food.

High-performance food-grade lubricants are colourless, odourless and tasteless, and will not threaten food safety as long as they do not exceed the maximum permitted level of 10ppm (1ppm for silicone oils).

FPT: There is no current global legislation for the use of H1 or H2 lubricants, so why the current interest in using this more expensive option?

ES: There is no global legislation covering the use of H1 and H2 lubricants, but it has become industry standard to promote their use as a minimum in the correct applications. The vast majority of major food and beverage companies will avoid working with third-party suppliers that do not follow US FDA and NSF guidelines, as they endeavour to safeguard food hygiene and quality.

Through our work with some of the sector’s leading original equipment manufacturers and customers around the globe, Shell Lubricants has noticed a growing trend of operators completely switching to H1 lubricants. This decision is being driven by two factors; a growing awareness that it is almost impossible to guarantee incidental lubricant contact will not occur in supposedly lower-risk areas and the fact that the vast majority of synthetic H1 lubricants can significantly outperform their mineral oil-based (or standard) H2 counterparts.

FPT: So how can a food processor make sure they get the best performance out of, say a high-performance lubricant? How does Shell convince companies to spend that extra dollar?

ES: Lubrication is often a small part of an organisation’s overall operational spend but the impact of a lubricant-related failure can prove costly in terms of lost production time, replacement components and staff costs.

Selecting the correct lubricant for an application and investing in a high-performance product can go a long way to reducing these risks. To ensure that the very best is achieved from the investment, a proactive and informed approach to lubrication management needs to be implemented.

Once the correct lubricants are selected, regular oil analysis is required. This can save the company time and maintenance expense by highlighting the presence of contaminants or product degradation along with early signs of mechanical wear.

Empowering your teams through providing expert training and a forum for sharing knowledge will add value to any operation. A bespoke training programme, delivered on site over a period of time, can be an efficient and effective way of ensuring that lubrication is always front of mind during day-to-day operations. Passing on key expertise in the selection, application and troubleshooting of lubricants can help save time and expense in the long term.

You should ask your lubricant supplier about training for your maintenance staff and ongoing monitoring to ensure potential issues are addressed and preventative action taken before unscheduled downtime occurs.

FPT: Shell provides mineral and synthetic-based food lubricants. When is the time right to use either of these in the food-production chain?

ES: The debate around synthetic versus mineral lubricants has been raging for several years now; yet more and more operators are recognising the benefits of switching to synthetic.

While many mineral oil-based products meet NSF International’s food grade requirements, often they do not meet the more demanding temperature and load requirements of modern food, beverage and pharmaceutical processing equipment. The vast majority of general lubricants are made from mineral base oils – that is, oils obtained from crude oil by refining. Mineral oils have three important properties that make them suitable for use in lubricants including suitable viscosity, heat conduction and corrosion-protection characteristics.

Mineral-based H1 food-grade lubricants are derived from white mineral oils, such as 21CFR 178.3620 (b). These are blended with US FDA-approved ingredients to improve anti-wear capabilities and oxidation resistance as well as rust and corrosion-prevention properties. In addition, mineral oils are often relatively low priced, resistant to heat and chemical decomposition and compatible with most components used in lubricating systems.

Synthetic base fluids are also derived from crude oil but are highly processed and refined. Like their mineral oil-based equivalents, synthetic food-grade lubricants are non-toxic, odourless, colourless and tasteless. However, when compared to mineral oils, high-performance synthetic base stocks can tolerate higher flash points and lower pour points, offer improved oxidation resistance, more consistent lubrication and higher anti-wear properties. Furthermore, synthetic base stocks often outperform mineral oils in terms of the acceptable daily intake value, which helps reduce the health risk to consumers.

This improved performance can significantly offset the added investment in synthetic food-grade lubricants as equipment runs smoother and for longer. Financial savings can be realised through reduced unscheduled downtime, lower levels of component wear, extended maintenance and lubrication intervals, and increased production efficiency.

High-performance synthetic food-grade lubricants have been developed for application in equipment used throughout food processing plants including air compressors, oil recirculation systems, hydraulic systems and gearboxes.

It is important to note that synthetic lubricants are sometimes incompatible with one another and, more importantly in this case, mineral oils. They must not be mixed and it is important that your lubricant partner supports any switchover, helping to fully remove traces of the previous mineral lubricant – otherwise you will be unable to claim the new filling is synthetic H1 food grade.

FPT: So how do you suggest a company goes about changing to H1 for its operations?

ES: When choosing a lubricants supplier, you should look for a company that works closely with original equipment manufacturers during lubricant development and provides ongoing product and technical support. This will help ensure that the lubricants you use are developed in line with equipment requirements and offer optimal performance under a range of operating conditions.

An expert lubrication company will also be able to offer services to ensure that you are using the right lubricant for the right application, and monitor the lubricant condition on an ongoing basis to maximise performance.