Cooling 270° oil for a food production plant

A food and beverage company was facing a mounting problem: one of the four heat exchangers used to refine its edible oil had failed, severely hampering production. With timelines tight and production demands high, there was no time to shut down operations for an extended period to replace the heat exchanger. But every moment that the heat exchanger was out of action drastically reduced the amount of oil the plant produced. They needed a new, food-grade heat exchanger that they could trust was safe, sanitary, and met their high standards for quality. Most importantly, they needed it to be installed quickly. As the only provider that can guarantee a temporary food-grade heat exchanger - and supply an expert team to install it without disruption - we stepped in to get production back to 100%.

The oil in the plant is heated to 270°F - hotter than the boiling point of water. Installing a heat exchanger to cool that oil to safe levels requires caution, industry knowledge, and chemical engineering expertise. We immediately engaged our experienced process engineers to assess the problem and understand how our equipment could help. Within three hours, we had made a full assessment of the challenge, designed an engineering package that would address the problem, and shipped out the correct equipment.

36 hours later, the heat exchanger was on site. We then worked closely with the customer’s on-site engineers to coordinate the installation, giving them the advice and support they needed to get the heat exchanger installed safely. The heat exchanger we delivered was certified exclusively for use by food and beverage facilities, giving our customer peace of mind that they were complying with regulations - as well as protecting the quality of their product.

As a result of this careful preparation and fast delivery, our customer was able to get a new heat exchanger installed and running quickly without falling behind on their production targets. The heat exchanger that we provided didn’t just fill in for the previous model; it’s also helping increase overall plant output. Production of oil has now increased by around 12% as a direct result.