Cooking oils are derived from oilseeds and include soybean oil, olive oil, canola (rapeseed) oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and cottonseed oil, to name but a few. They are used for deep fat frying of vegetables and meats, as well as feedstocks for biofuels, oleochemicals and soaps and detergents. The viscosity is extremely temperature dependent, with some oils solidifying at room temperatures, but typically water-thin at higher temperatures.
Positive displacement pumps are ideal for manufacturing cooking oils because they can handle viscous fluids, provide a consistent and controlled flow rate, and maintain product integrity without causing shear or damage. These pumps are efficient at transferring oils across various stages of production, ensuring precise flow control and minimizing waste. Additionally, they can handle high-pressure applications and are capable of pumping oils with solid particles or varying viscosities, which is essential in the processing of different types of cooking oils.
Viking cast iron internal gear pumps are used for oilseed processing, including transfer from press to filtration as well as solvent extraction processes, along with deodorization, storage and packaging. They are used for downstream applications including tank and railcar unloading, biodiesel and oleochemical processing and soap and detergent manufacturing. Jacketed models may be required for oils that solidify at ambient temperatures. Hygienic designs are typically not required because oils do not support bacterial growth. They are also used in hot oil applications on large industrial food fryers such as in potato chip manufacturing where they recirculate hot oil through filtration.
Viking external gear pumps, due to their lower flow rates, are used in restaurant hot oil fryers to recirculate and filter the hot oil.