Uni-wing lobe keeps the olive oil flowing

Tucked away in Mendoza, Argentina, the Gabutti family is skilled at producing grape oil, varietal wines, olives in brine and not least extra-virgin olive oil.
In the production of olive oil, the yield is maximised by utilising the olive stone. However, moving the crushed olives and olive stones requires a robust pump that won’t jam.

The Situation
After cleaning and washing, the whole olives are crushed and pressed to a paste consisting of the oil, vegetation water and pulp. This is the media that is pumped to the decanter where the different phases are separated. Water is added to assist in this process. Previously, Gabutti used progressive cavity pumps to pump the media to the decanter. However, the stators on these pumps were subject to high wear, causing Gabutt to explore alternative solutions.

The Grundfos Solution
The challenge to overcome at Gabutti was to supply a sanitary pump that could handle the olive stones without jamming. The modular construction of the Grundfos NOVAlobe offers a number of options.
Relevant in this case is the design of the rotor case as it can accommodate a choice of lobe shapes. To cater to the special nature of the olive paste and stones, a uni-wing lobe was fitted to the NOVAlobe.
Again in view of the demanding medium, the design of the NOVAlobe makes for a more robust and reliable solution. For example, the shaft overhang is kept to a minimum as is the play in the pump.
The NOVAlobe is designed to meet hygienic design standards as laid down in the 3A sanitary standard, the QHD and the recommendations
of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group
(EHEDG).