Lubricant Manufacturer Cuts Waste and Boosts Efficiency with HPS Advanced Pigging Technology

The technology, from pigging specialists HPS Product Recovery Solutions, was deployed at Exol’s Rotherham blending plant.

By recovering valuable lubricant oils that would otherwise be lost during production, HPS technology has delivered substantial cost savings while supporting Exol’s environmental goals.

The systems have enabled Exol to recover up to 50,000 litres of product daily. In addition, it’s cut loading times by 50%, leading to a more streamlined and efficient production process.

What is Pigging?

Pigging is a process used in industries that transfer liquids through pipelines, such as food, beverages, lubricants, chemicals, paint and coatings manufacturing.

A “pig” is a specialist projectile that travels through pipelines, pushed by compressed air, other gases or water. The technology recovers up to 99.5% of residual liquid product left in pipelines after transfers, allowing it to be reused or packaged rather than being wasted during cleaning.

As well as recovering product and reducing waste, HPS pigging technology minimises the need for cleaning chemicals, and prevents cross-contamination between products.

Tackling Product Loss and Cross-Contamination

Prior to partnering with HPS, Exol faced major challenges with product loss and cross-contamination during the transfer of lubricants between storage, blending, and packaging.

To address these issues, Exol worked with HPS to install multiple pigging systems to recover nearly all of the valuable lubricant oils that remained in pipelines after transfers.

The result: a major reduction in product loss, less waste, and cleaner, more efficient product changeovers.

Simon Matthews, Product Development Manager at Exol, noted the impressive results:

“Since the initial commissioning, we’ve managed to recover process losses of up to 50,000 litres per day, with the streamlined process speeding up loading times by as much as 50%.

Supporting Environmental and Sustainability Goals

By significantly reducing waste and product loss, HPS pigging technology has helped Exol minimise the environmental impact of their production processes. Less waste means fewer resources consumed, less energy required for cleaning, and a lower overall carbon footprint.

Matthews emphasised the importance of these improvements for Exol’s sustainability goals:

“The reduction in waste from process streams is not only a financial responsibility but an environmental priority given the energy and CO2 emissions necessary to replace/reuse such losses.”

A Proven Solution for Long-Term Success

Exol has already seen impressive results and is now considering expanding the use of pigging technology across other areas of its operations.

Summarising the project, Matthews concludes:

“The pigging system project has been a success…… we are finding the systems easy to initiate with little training of staff due to full, touch screen automation. SCADA systems have been expanded to include pressure sensors, smaller loading to IBC’s, tank monitoring both raw materials and finished products allowing further future expansion of pigging across the site”.