WO2007075078A1

WO2007075078A1 - Lubricant for conveyor chains for packaged products

Info

Publication number: WO2007075078A1
Application number: PCT/MX2006/000123
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fabiola Morales Arriaga; Miguel Ángel ARANGUA MORALES; Samuel Serrano Salinas
Original assignee: Quimiproductos, S.A. De C.V.
Priority date: 2005-11-18
Filing date: 2006-11-10
Publication date: 2007-07-05
Also published as: BRPI0618758A2; US20080300156A1; MXNL05000087A

Abstract

The invention relates to a lubricant for conveyor chains which are used to convey packaged products. For lubrication purposes, the lubricant is applied directly, without being diluted, in a non-continuous manner for prolonged periods of time, such as to leave a layer or film on the surface of the conveyor chain. The inventive lubricant consists of a homogenous mixture comprising: one or more silicon fluids, such as emulsified polydimethylsiloxane; one or more fatty acids, such as oleic acid; one or more amines, such as the surface-active product derived from an ethoxylated amine; one or more hydrocarbons, such as white mineral oils; one or more emulsifiers, such as sorbitan monooleate; and one or more polyglycols, such as polyalkylene glycol or alternatively a microbicide.

Description

LUBRICANT FOR PRODUCT CONVEYOR CHAINS

PACKAGED

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a liquid lubricant that is applied directly without dilution, capable of producing a layer of lubricant whose convenient use is to lubricate, prevent the proliferation of germs and not react with spilled products, plant materials, as well as with the Container materials used in packaged products.

The lubricant is applied in plastic and particularly metallic conveyor chains where the chain bolts are efficiently lubricated. These chains are generally used in the industrial sector, to transport glass, plastic, plasticized containers, as well as metal cans used to pack drinks, food or other products that can be packaged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present, beverages, food or packaged products are available in various types of containers, such as bottles made of glass, plastic or PET, plasticized containers, as well as metal cans, etc. that during its preparation and filling process it is necessary that empty and / or full containers be transported from one place to another by the different stages of the industrial process to which they are subject, by using conveyor chains generally made of stainless steel or plastic, which causes a constant friction effect that occurs between the chains Conveyors and containers, between the components of the conveyor chains, as well as the mutual clash between the containers at the time of being transported.

Based on the above, an uncontrolled friction effect, product of inadequate lubrication of the conveyor chain facilities, can cause a number of unfavorable situations, such as the containers tip over or obstruct the passage between them (even and when the conveyor chains continue to operate), or on the other hand, also cause increased noise and discontinuity in the feeding or supply of containers to the subsequent stages in the process, for example, in the filling or labeling stages. Therefore, these situations lead to losses in the efficiency of the stages of the process, propitiate an accelerated wear on the conveyor chains and force the capacity of the engines; all of the above due to inadequate lubrication.

Currently, in order to control the effect of friction, it is common to use lubricants that are applied on the conveyor chains, which are divided in principle into two main groups: 1. Lubricants based on soap and

2. Lubricants based on fatty amines.

The common and characteristic disadvantage of each of these groups of lubricants, is that to be applied in the conveyor chains, they must be previously diluted in large quantities of water, in concentrations ranging from 0.1% to 1.0% of lubricant being water 99.0% to the remaining 99.9%; Therefore, high water consumption results in a high operating cost. Another common disadvantage of both groups of lubricants, is their low permanence on the surface of the conveyor chains, that is, they form a layer of lubricant that tends to disappear too quickly because of what they need to be applied constantly or very frequently on the chains conveyors; This is due among other causes that are diluted in high concentrations of water.

In addition to the above, for the specific case of lubricants based on soap, these can be applied relatively smoothly, but they have disadvantages such as their sensitivity to water hardness, which causes plugging of the spikes of the application system of the lubricant, so that they have to be used preferably with softened water and / or alternatively use complexing agents in their composition, for example, EDTA (ethylene diamino tetra-acetic acid or its salts). In addition to the above, the use of these complexing agents causes an environmental impact as they are not very biodegradable.

Another disadvantage present in the lubricants on the basis of soap is the excessive formation of foam that can spill on the floor and consequently be a risk of accident for the personnel, in addition to giving bad appearance to the facilities, floors and the transported product.

An additional disadvantage, of this type of lubricants, is that they promote the proliferation of microorganisms and biomass in the conveyor chains, floors and drainage, which requires frequent cleaning and sanitation of the facilities.

In relation to the second type of lubricants based on fatty amines, we find lubricants based on neutralized primary fatty amines, secondary or tertiary amines and those of polyamines. The lubricants on the basis of amines have an additional disadvantage that their lubricating effect is affected if they are applied in high speed conveyor chains, so that their application is limited to low or medium speed conveyor chains.

This type of lubricants does not have the disadvantages of reacting with water hardness or of favoring the proliferation of microorganisms or biomass compared with soap-based lubricants, but because of their composition they have low biodegradability and combined with the previous one, particularly those Polyamine-based lubricants, due to their composition, tend to react with the content of the spilled product on the conveyor chain.

Among proposed solutions to the limitations described above, we find those that use polyalkylene glycol as the basis for the lubricant composition. Some examples of current solutions are described below:

Minyu Li, Person Hei Kim and Amy Haupert, in US Pat. No. 6,855,676 B2, describe a lubricating composition for conveyor chains consisting of polyalkylene glycol, fatty acid and neutralizing agents.

Minyu Li, Person Hei Kim and Amy Haupert, in the patent application publication of the United States of America US-2004/0053793, describe a lubricating composition for conveyor chains consisting of polyalkylene glycol, fatty acid, anionic surfactant and neutralizing agents. s. Minyu Li, Person Hei Kim and Amy Haupert, in U.S. Patent Application Publication US-2005/0059564, describe a lubricating composition for conveyor chains consisting of polyalkylene glycol, fatty acid, monomeric polyol and neutralizing agents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of what has been described above, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of direct application without dilution forming a layer or film of lubricant on the surface of the conveyor chain, where the application is so discontinued at prolonged intervals of time between applications, such that the lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products is formed by one or more silicone fluids; one or more fatty acids; one or more amines; one or more hydrocarbons; one or more emulsifiers; and one or more polyglycols.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The characteristic details and composition of the lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products are described in the following paragraphs, which are for the purpose of defining the characteristics and composition of said lubricant without limiting its scope.

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products according to the invention shows components that in turn could consist of multiple components.

The components are described individually below, without necessarily be described in an order of importance.

COMPONENT I

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products contains a component I, which is one or more silicone fluids. Silicone fluids, silicones or silicones terms designate all entirely synthetic products whose molecules are constituted by alternating atoms of silicon and oxygen to which several organic radicals can be attached, in fact, silicone molecules are chains of atoms silicon and oxygen, so the possibility of overlap appears immediately. Therefore, it is understood that said structure allows the construction of very varied polymers.

In the case of the lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of the present invention, a silico-organic polymer structure with a liquid-oily appearance is established that allows the lubrication of metallic elements without dissociation of molecules without affecting temperature variations. Within the silicone fluids used, we have those provided by General Electric ®, such as the I-Iids of the SF-96, SF-78350 series; the aquylphenyl fluids of the SF-1147, SF-8843, SF-1154 and SF-1550 series; the organ-functional fluids of the SF-1705, SF-1708, SF-1923 and SF-1921 series; hydroxy fluids and methoxy fluids. Preferably alkylphenyl fluids are used in the present invention to be applied on metal conveyor chains and in order to penetrate into hard-to-reach areas.

Other silicone fluids that can be used as component I are polydimethylsiloxane, dimethylsiloxane, alkylsiloxane, phenylsiloxane, chlorosilanes as well as silicone emulsions formed of methyldimethylsilicon, alkylsiloxanes, arylsiloxane and chlorosilanes which, due to their chemical characteristics, contribute to the lubricant. the properties of easy application, low surface tension, excellent water repellency, high temperature stability, good lubrication as well as being used in low concentrations.

COMPONENT II

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products contains a component II, which is one or more fatty acids, which increases the lubricity of the lubricant of the present invention, so that it can be used in containers of various materials such as metal, glass, plasticized plastic packaging, etc.

The fatty acid consists of an alkyl chain with a terminal carboxylic group, the simplest configuration being that of a completely saturated linear chain. The fatty acids are classified into short, medium and long chain fatty acids, and by their degree of saturation they are divided into saturated and unsaturated, the latter being divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products uses fatty acids of 8 to 22 carbon atoms, whether saturated, unsaturated or substituted. Among the saturated fatty acids may be, for example, caprylic acid of 8 carbon atoms, capric acid of 10 carbon atoms, undecylic acid of 11 carbon atoms, lauric acid of 12 carbon atoms, tridecyl acid of 13 carbon atoms, myristic acid of 14 carbon atoms, palmitic acid of 16 carbon atoms, stearic acid of 18 carbon atoms; monounsaturated fatty acids may include, for example, lauroleic acid of 12 carbon atoms, myristoleic acid of 14 carbon atoms, palmitoleic acid of 16 carbon atoms and preferably oleic acid of 18 carbon atoms; between fatty acids polyunsaturated can be, for example, linoleic acid (diunsaturated) of 18 carbon atoms and linolenic acid (triunsaturated) of 18 carbon atoms and among the substituted fatty acids can be, for example, ricinololic acid of 18 carbon atoms replaced by hydroxide.

Also mixed fatty acids such as those derived from fats and oils can be used in the lubricant of the invention, for example, coconut oil fatty acid or liquid resin fatty acid.

COMPONENT III

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products contains a component III, which acts as a surfactant, which is one or more amines derived from a fatty acid that is characterized by having alkylaliphatic groups of 8 to 22 carbon atoms having one or more groups polyethoxylated.

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products preferably uses a surfactant product derived from an ethoxylated amine, which has the function of acting as a surfactant and is associated with the fatty portion of the molecule to provide the lubricant with homogeneity, lubricity and serve as an emulsifying agent and moisturizer for it.

Among the aforementioned products we find, for example, the ethoxylated coconut amine, ethoxylated alkyl coconut amine, ethoxylated alkyl amine of oleic acid, ethoxylated alkyl amine of stearic acid, ethoxylated alkyl amine of bait and alkyl ethoxylated amine amine. COMPONENT IV

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products contains a component IV as a solvent, which may be one or more aliphatic or benzene mineral or hydrocarbon oils or mixtures thereof. With respect to saturated, linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon, they can be, for example, alkanes of the general formula C _n H _{2n + 2 such} as heptane, octane, nonane, decans, pentadecanes; alkenes of the general formula C _n H _{2n such} as ethene, propene, butene, pentene; and alkynes of the general formula C _n H _{2n-2 such} as ethyne, tip, butyne, pentino. Among the aliphatic hydrocarbons, white mineral oils of high purity are preferred, especially formulated for pharmaceutical processes and applications in the agriculture industry. Of the benzene hydrocarbons can be, for example, those of the general formula C _n H _{2n-6 such} as benzene, toluene, xylenes, and isomers.

COMPONENT V

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products contains, as component V, a non-ionic emulsifier with lipophilic characteristics, ideal for the preparation of water-in-oil emulsions with balanced lipophilic and hydrophilic performance. The type of emulsifier plays an important role here in the stability of the emulsion and it is advantageous to choose it in the group comprising the systems consisting of sorbitan esters and ethoxylated sorbitan esters. Ethoxylated agents include, among others, sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan triestearate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan trioleate with 14 to 40 moles of ethylene oxide, ethoxylated sorbitan monoolaurate with 11 to 40 moles of ethylene oxide, polyethylene glycol monooleate of molecular weight between 480 and 1200 and ethoxylated nonylphenol with 6 to 50 moles of ethylene oxide. COMPONENT VI

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products contains, as component VI, a polymer selected from polyglycol block copolymers, in particular polyalkylene glycol or any other water-soluble high molecular weight polyalkylene glycol oxide. Polyalkylene glycol has a general structure as indicated below:

R ₁ -O (CH ₂ -CHO) _n H

R ₂

in which:

Ri is hydrogen or Ci to C ₄ alkyl; R ₂ is hydrogen, methyl, or mixtures thereof; and n is an integer.

When R ₂ is hydrogen these materials are polymers of ethylene oxide are also known as polyethylene glycols. When R ₂ is methyl, these materials are polymers of propylene oxide, which are also known as polypropylene glycols. When R ₂ is methyl, it is also understood that several positional isomers of the resulting polymer may exist. Preferred for use in the lubricant of the invention are polyalkylene glycols, polyethylene glycols, polypropylene glycols and mixtures thereof.

OPTIONAL COMPONENT

As an optional component, the lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products contains a microbicide to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms both in the lubricant itself and in the conveyor chain. Among the microbicides used are isothiazolinones, formaldehyde, gluteraldehyde, etc.

MIXING The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products combines components I, II, III, IV, V and VI in the following concentrations of weight percent:

(a) from 1% to 50% of the silicone fluid (component I);

(b) 5% to 80% of the fatty acid (component II); (c) from 2% to 50% of the amine (component III);

(d) 5% to 50% of the hydrocarbon (component IV);

(e) 5% to 30% sorbitan monooleate (component V); Y

(f) from 10% to 80% polyalkylene glycol (component VI).

In an embodiment of the lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of the invention, the following content is shown in weight percent concentration:

(a) 1% to 10% polydimethylsiloxane (component I);

(b) 5% to 25% oleic acid (component II); (c) 2% to 15% of alkyl ethoxylated soy amine (component III); ^'

(d) 5% to 20% of the hydrocarbon (component IV);

(e) 5% to 15% sorbitan monooleate (component V); Y

(f) from 20% to 50% polyalkylene glycol (component VI).

Table 1 shows examples of the composition of the lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products showing the percentage by weight of each component:

Table 1

PREPARATION MODE

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products is prepared by first mixing the hydrocarbon (component IV) with the silicone fluid (component I), then stirring it; adding the fatty acid (component II) and the amine (component III). Finally, sorbitan monooleate (component V) and polyalkylene glycol (component VI) are added to the mixture, allowing it to stir for about 20 minutes or until the mixture is homogeneous.

APPLICATION MODE

The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products is applied directly on the surface of the plastic and / or metal chain without extra solvent additions, this is done by using a wide plastic brush with nylon bristles (whose thickness is around 0.38 mm) which allows an adequate distribution of the lubricant along the conveyor chain to form a lasting layer or film of lubricant on the surface thereof. Another form of application is through the use of manual or automatic sprinklers that spray the surface of the conveyor chain with the lubricant.

In both cases the lubricant is applied directly without diluting on the conveyor chain to form a layer of lubricant that adheres to the surface of the conveyor chain for a period that can be up to 8 hours.

MEASUREMENT OF THE LABORATORY FRICTION COEFFICIENT The friction coefficient, defined as the force exerted by the containers against the movement of the conveyor chain divided by the weight of the containers, which was taken during laboratory tests in a dose of lubricant of 3 to 10 milliliters is 0.07 to 0.12. The coefficient of friction when applying the lubricant of the invention is obtained, at the laboratory level, by using a certain number of bottles filled on a conveyor chain to cause a tension force, which is measured with a dynamometer. The full bottles are fastened by means of a belt and this in turn to the dynamometer; the conveyor chain is operated after the direct application of the lubricant; readings on the dynamometer are taken every 5 or 10 minutes as required until the lubricant is consumed. The coefficient of friction is calculated by taking the average of the dynamometer readings, dividing it by the total weight in grams of the full bottles.

Laboratory lubrication tests were performed using the lubricant compositions of the present invention of Table 1 and whose results are shown in Tables 2, 3, and 4. Lubrication test conditions:

Stainless steel chain

Speed of 40.8 m / min

Coefficient of friction = value / total weight of bottles

Total weight of glass bottles = 2,898.7 g

Total weight of PET bottles = 4,212.1 g

Total steel weight = 3,000 g

Measuring equipment: EXTECH brand dynamometer

Table 2

Table 3

Table 4

Based on the compositional alternatives described above of the lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products, it is contemplated that the modifications of the described application and composition environments, as well as the alternative application and composition environments will be considered evident to a person skilled in the art of the technique under the description of the lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products. Therefore, it is contemplated that the claims cover said modifications and alternatives that are within the scope of the lubricant of the present invention.

Claims

REIVITION N DICATION EN

1. A lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of direct application without dilution that forms a layer or film of lubricant on the surface of the conveyor chain, where the application is discontinuously in prolonged intervals of time between applications, wherein said lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products comprises: one or more silicone fluids; one or more fatty acids; one or more amines; one or more hydrocarbons; one or more emulsifiers; and one or more polyglycols.

2. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein it also comprises a microbicide selected from the group consisting of isothiazolinones, formaldehyde, gluteraldehyde and mixtures thereof.

3. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said silicone fluid comprises a range of about 1% to about 10%.

4. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said silicone fluid is selected from the group consisting of polydimethylsiloxane, dimethylsiloxane, alkylsiloxane, phenylsiloxane, chlorosilanes, silicone emulsions formed of methyldimethylsilicon, alkylsiloxanes, arylsiloxane and chlorosilanes and mixtures thereof.

5. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 4, wherein said silicone fluid is polydimethylsiloxane with a range of about 1% to about 10%.

6. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said fatty acid comprises a range of about 5% to about 25%.

7. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said fatty acid is from 12 atoms to 22 carbon atoms.

8. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 7, wherein said fatty acid is oleic acid with a range of about 5% to about 25%.

9. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said amine comprises a range of about 2% to about 15%.

10. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said amine is a surfactant product derived from an ethoxylated amine with a range of about 2% to about 15%.

11. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 10, wherein said surfactant product derived from an ethoxylated amine is selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated coconut amine, alkyl coconut ethoxylated amine, ethoxylated alkyl oleic acid amine, alkyl ethoxylated stearic acid amine, alkyl ethoxylated bait amine, alkyl ethoxylated soy amine and mixtures thereof.

12. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbon comprises a range of about 5% to about 20%.

13. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbon is selected from the group consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons, benzene hydrocarbons, alcohols and mixtures thereof.

14. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said emulsifier is sorbitan monooleate with a range of about 5% to about 15%.

15. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 1, wherein said polyglycol is polyalkylene glycol with a range of about 20% to about 50%.

16. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 15, wherein said polyalkylene glycol is selected from the group consisting of polyalkylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and mixtures thereof.

17. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products according to claim 1, wherein said lubricant is applied directly without being diluted on the surface of the conveyor chain by using a plastic brush with bristles or by spraying with the use of spikes .

18. The lubricant for conveyor chains of packaged products of claim 17, wherein said bristles of the plastic brush are nylon.