Technical Session 15: Cleaning & Packaging Session
Chad A Thompson, Ecolab
Co-author(s): Don Rich, New Belgium Brewing, USA
ABSTRACT: Conveyor lubricants designed to save lubricant
dilution water have become known as “dry lubricants.” Over the last 10
years the industry has seen the successful development of dry lubricants
for plastic conveyor chains, and the use of these dry lubricants has
grown substantially in that application. Stainless steel conveyors,
however, present unique challenges for dry lubricant application,
including persistence to chain material, cleanliness, microbiological
growth, and cost-effectiveness. This presentation will discuss the
development process of dry lubricants for steel and how these hurdles
are addressed. It will discuss the laboratory and field testing, data
collection, test method development, and new analytical methods. The
presentation will also include how one brewery analyzed the dry
lubricant offerings in the marketplace and the decision-making process
they went through when starting a new product. It will conclude with
results (water savings, drier floors, foam level, performance) from an
installation at New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Chad
Thompson has over 19 years of experience in brewing, and in 2007 joined
the Brewery group in the Food & Beverage Division of Ecolab, Inc.
His responsibilities include the development and commercialization of
conveyor lubrication products. He has been brewing for 14 years and has
been with Ecolab for 7 years. During his time at Ecolab he has
contributed to numerous business segments within the corporation. Chad
is a contributing member to the Master Brewers Association of the
Americas (MBAA) and received an Honorable Mention for Best Paper in
2009. He received a degree from Michigan State University in packaging
engineering and has been granted three patents for his work.
VIEW PRESENTATION 51
