In this post a From the first time a pump was used to move chocolate, people struggled with the fact of the chocolate leaking along the axis of the pump. Although expensive, high-tech solutions have been tried over the years, Viking Pump has developed a new, more effective and inexpensive way to seal chocolate shafts.
Packing BOX LEAKS BY DEFINITION
Traditionally, the use of a packing box as a shaft seal has been the simplest and most commonly used means. But in order for the seal to cool and lubricate, it must be loose enough for some of the chocolate to leak out. However, in addition to hygiene and cleaning problems, this leakage also causes product loss. As a result, users overtighten the packing box to reduce leakage. This results in burnt chocolate, incised ashes and pumps seizing.
Viking's Chocolate Pump uses reliable food grade double O-Ring seals for the shaft seal, possibly with food grade grease between the O-rings. The O-rings keep the chocolate in the pump and out of the plain bearing housing, preventing the pump from seizing or leaking. Cleaning problems and product loss are thus eliminated.
INNOVATIVE DOUBLE O-RING DESIGN
The design of Viking's double O-Ring seals uses a patented removable slide bearing housing with two sets of O-rings to trap food grade grease in the bearing space. This prevents chocolate from leaking along the shaft and keeps the chocolate in the pump section.
The slide bearing housing is thus lubricated by clean grease instead of chocolate and no special free space is required. O-Ring seals are quite easy to install and do not require periodic inspection, as is the case with the stuffing box version.O-Rings exhibit high resistance to wear and resistance to chocolate liqueurs and can handle a wide range of viscosities. From thin cocoa butter to very thick chocolate paste. Unlike lip seals, which are only designed for low pressure, O-Ring seals can withstand very high pressures. In fact, they are used as dynamic seals on hydraulic cylinders. And when they need to be replaced, the cost of the four O-rings is negligible compared to the cost of mechanical seals.
Reliable choice Viking's Chocolate Series pumps offer a number of other standard features to ensure reliability: a heatable lid and bracket to melt chocolate before start-up, flushing grooves that prevent chocolate build-up behind the rotor, drilled through idler with hardened iron bushings to to prevent caramelization of the chocolate, hardened iron shafts and steel or ductile iron impellers for high viscosity. All materials are also food grade and the pumps are certified in accordance with EC-1935.
