Ask for a pumping temperature. “Liquid” on a label is not a promise at 5 °C.
Liquid is a temperature word
Coco monoethanolamide 3EO and 5EO are listed as liquid alternatives to flake. They still have a viscosity curve. A tank that is easy in July can stop a pump in January. The purchase order should carry the site’s minimum temperature.
Flake CMEA has the opposite problem: it must be melted. Do not write one handling SOP for both packs.
Heat without damage
Hot spots darken amides and raise complaints in clear shampoos that have nothing to do with the formula. Heat the drum evenly. If the plant cannot, a higher-EO grade or a warmer store is the real fix.
Dose by mass or by a temperature-corrected volume. A thick morning drum that is metered by a cold flow meter will under-dose the shampoo.
Warehouse check
Color after heating should be compared with the certificate. A jump in color is a handling defect.
Return a sample to Esteem if a lot will not reliquefy. Do not cut it with solvent in the tank.
| Condition | Risk | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Above the pump range | Normal liquid | Dose on activity |
| Cold but flowing | Slow pump, wrong volume | Warm or correct the meter |
| Frozen or split | Uncertain activity | Warm, mix, recheck |
| Flake in the same SOP | Scorch or no melt | Separate instructions |
“Liquid” is a temperature claim
Coco monoethanolamide with 3 or 5 moles of EO is listed as a liquid alternative to flake because the EO chain depresses the melting point. It still has a viscosity–temperature curve. A tank that meters easily in July can stall a pump in January, and a cold flow meter then under-doses the batch because a thick liquid moves less volume per count.
Five moles generally stays more fluid than three moles at the same low temperature. That is a reason to choose 5EO when the warehouse is cold, and it is still not a promise. Ask for a pumping range against the site’s minimum temperature. Flake CMEA has the opposite handling rule: it must be melted. One SOP cannot cover both packs.
Heat the drum, do not scorch it
Gentle, even heat brings a cold EO-amide back to a pumpable viscosity. The high-heat practice used to melt a flake overheats a liquid, darkens it, and that color shows up in a clear shampoo that was not reformulated. If the plant cannot heat evenly, a higher-EO grade or a warmer store is the fix, not a hotter lance.
Dose by mass, or by volume corrected for temperature. A thick morning drum and a warm afternoon drum are not the same volumetric dose. Compare color after heating with the certificate. A jump in color is a handling defect, not a new lot.
After a freeze
If a drum froze or split, warm it slowly, mix it, and check clarity and activity before it goes into a batch. Do not assume the freeze left the assay unchanged, and do not cut it with water or solvent in the tank to make it move. Water changes activity for every batch drawn from that drum.
A lot that will not reliquefy should be sampled back to Esteem rather than adjusted on the floor. Filter only after it is fully mixed and clear, if a haze has left particles. The finished shampoo cannot tell a handling fault from a weak amide until the raw-material activity is known.
How to Specify with Esteem
- Record the coldest warehouse temperature.
- Choose 3EO or 5EO with that temperature in mind.
- Set a drum or tank heat method that does not scorch.
- Filter after a freeze if the grade hazed.
- Do not dilute with water on the plant floor to make it pump.
Grade identity stays on viscosity builders as CMEA 3EO/5EO.