CPI Fluid Engineering has developed Comp Flush Food Grade, an NSF H1 (incidental food contact) compressor cleaner and has successfully trialed it in the field. The fluid is designed for use in rotary screw air compressors in food processing facilities, or other areas where a food-grade lubricant is required, and a cleaner is necessary. Comp Flush Food Grade reduces downtime and lowers maintenance costs by allowing the compressor unit to continue operation while the cleaner is being used. Continuous operation using a food-grade flush is preferred over taking a varnished compressor offline for cleaning or running a non-food grade cleaner. Taking the unit offline and/or using a non-food grade flush may compromise the food-grade integrity of the air system or risk a contamination issue.
Comp Flush Food Grade saves a compressor operator time and money in multiple ways. The NSF H1 registration – coupled with the ability to be run for several hundred hours as a compressor fluid – allows it to be added into a varnished compressor while normal operations continue. Once the unit has been verified as clean via oil analysis and visual inspection, a standard food-grade compressor fluid can be added to the unit and operations resumed. Conversely, in a scenario where a customer uses a non-food grade cleaner, the unit will need to be flushed after cleaning before a food-grade compressor oil can be put in. During cleaning with a non-food grade cleaner, the unit would also need to be vented to atmosphere, adding costly downtime.
To better demonstrate the impact of using Comp Flush Food Grade at a food processing plant, we designed a cost-savings model to illustrate the reduced labor hours, downtime, and expenses. Despite the initial higher purchase cost of CFFG, significant savings are realized from not needing to flush the unit before new food-grade compressor oil is put in. The largest cost savings come from being able to continue operating the compressor while it’s being cleaned. For a large food plant with multiple compressors per site, the savings would quickly add up to tens of thousands. The downtime and labor hours required to clean the compressor reduces from almost 40 to less than 10 hours per unit – helping keep the facility operating, and expensive equipment continuing to generate revenue.
*Financial figures used are for the purpose of the model and may not reflect actual pricing
