Clean-In-Place (CIP) Systems Designed to Automate your Cleaning, Provide Reliable Cleaning Consistency, and Improve Quality
Any manufacturing plant or facility manager is well aware that efficiency is key, especially when that involves keeping equipment and production lines clean. Not only is efficiency important for production speeds but it is also crucial for consistently high quality products that are shelf stable and delicious. Sometimes this cleaning is done manually, but more often there is a Clean-In-Place system implemented to bring quick and consistent cleaning practices that are up to the standard practices and leave little room for human error.
Clean-In-Place (CIP) is a cleaning methodology involving process piping, tanks, process vessels, vats, mixers, blenders, separators, pasteurizers, heat exchangers, and other sanitary equipment that are cleanable within process plants. The CIP process involves the movement of cleaning fluid across an enclosed surface to remove contaminants and soils after the production run is completed. It can be performed in between batches or SKUs, after a certain period of production or idle time, or when your system is ready for the sanitation team to complete its cleaning routine. Unlike the manual cleaning process or clean-out-of-place (COP), CIP can be done without equipment removal or disassembly allowing your process to be up and running more quickly.
Tailored CIP Systems for Food, Beverage, Dairy, Cheese, Beer, Wine, Cannabis, Specialty Foods, & More
Placer Process team is well versed and experienced in building a variety of state-of-the-art Clean in Place, or CIP systems for food and beverage, chemical, winery, brewery, dairy, cheese, high-acid foods, home and personal care, processed foods, alternative specialty foods, and the cannabis industry. We have designed, built, assembled, and installed CIP systems throughout the nation for a wide variety of process applications.
While there are many applications for CIP systems such as in a food & beverage production facility or a milk and dairy plant, all CIP systems are made up of the similar components with application-specific nuances designed to fit the need of the production lines or the equipment to be cleaned.
Types of Clean-In-Place Systems
We offer several options for CIP systems to clean and sanitize your process piping, tanks, and equipment. These options allow us to provide a variety of CIP systems for sanitary process environments, such as:
Compact CIP
Compact CIP Systems are cost effective, compact, and mobile. Common uses for these systems are:
- Portable CIP system for winery tank cleaning
- Cart CIP system for small food processing plants
- 1-Tank CIP system for temporary filler hot water cleaning
Standard CIP
Standard CIP Systems are designed and built for a particular industry and may include multiple tank options. Our basic two-tank model is designed to get your new CIP system up and running quickly. This model offers flow rate options from 40 to 145 gpm to provide sufficient flow and pressure to remove residue and thoroughly rinse piping.
This type of system is suitable for:
- Food & Beverage Production Facilities
- Most Breweries
- Most Wineries
Custom CIP
Custom CIP Systems are most often used for specific production needs, hard-to-clean products, or complex facilities with multiple production lines. The custom design can give you the freedom to add or install custom equipment, sensors, and specialized programs or recipes.
Proper design and fabrication allows a customized CIP solution to be more efficient than a standard design due to our engineers holistic approach to CIP System design. Some examples of these designs are:
- 4-Tank CIP system for vegan cheese and yogurt application
- 3-Tank CIP system for dairy milk, flavored milk, dairy, and cheese producers
- 3-Tank CIP system for gluten-free cookie application
- Single and dual CIP system for winery application
The Fundamental of Clean-In-Place (CIP) System Design
To allow the Clean-In-Place process and distribution of the cleaning solution across various systems, lines, piping, equipment, and fillers, a CIP skid is commonly utilized to service the various cleaning circuits across the plant. The CIP skid supplies all cleaning circuits with the necessary flow, temperature, and conductivity for a controlled amount of time through automated control systems.
CIP skid design may vary depending on the industry, quality standards, and other requirements, such as a CIP system for dairy may look different from food and beverage or winery application. However, the vital components within CIP systems are similar from one industry to another. CIP system may include one or more tanks for various chemicals and recovery options, pumps, flow meters, heat exchange, temperature transmitter, conductivity transmitter, and associated valves, valve manifold, or transfer panel, CIP supply piping, as well as CIP return piping.
Depending on the industry, the CIP system designs are compliant with FDA, USDA, FSMA, and 3A standards. Data recording option is available for the quality requirements and the ability to validate the cleaning process. For a turnkey CIP solution, we provide planning, installation, start-up, and training.
The Importance of Clean-In-Place (CIP) Process and Parameters
The key to a successful and repeatable CIP process in a sanitary manufacturing environment is determined by the design of the CIP system to allow adjustments and provide flexibility. The combination of the following parameters is essential to a reliable CIP system:
Time
The contact and exposure time of the surface to the cleaning solution
Action
The level of turbulence and impingement on the surface driven by the liquid velocity and cleaning device chosen for the application
Concentration
The amount of active ingredients from the chemical used per specific volume. This can be determined by time or sensors such as conductivity as confirmation of target cleaning concentration.
Temperature
The heat involved in the cleaning process. Some chemicals are more effective when heat is involved.
There is a balance between temperature, time, and concentration of the chemical to achieve the optimum CIP routine for your specific process. Each product or application requires different combinations and levels of the parameters. For example, oily residues are more efficiently cleaned by increased temperature and chemical concentration, while action has little effect. Conversely, viscous and thick residues are more efficiently cleaned by increased action and time, but concentration may have little effect on cleaning. You may have to adjust the CIP routine depending on the type of product residue being cleaned and whether or not specialty requirement, such as an allergen or Kosher, is involved.
It is typical for process plants to have multiple tanks, process lines, process systems, pasteurizers, holding tanks, batching tanks, and fillers. While you may want to clean all the process within one circuit, it is more common for the various systems to be cleaned as multiple circuits to allow optimum cleaning of the equipment, time spent on cleaning the circuit, and balancing the production output and scheduling to allow the other systems to operate in production mode while the one other system is in sanitation/CIP mode.
The Advantages of a Clean-In-Place Solution in Your Sanitary Process Environment
We Specialize in CIP Systems for Dairy, Cheese, Milk, Wine, Beer, Food, Beverage, Cannabis, and Alternative Specialty Foods
The modular design of CIP systems is very common in sanitary process industries. While some customers may prefer a site-installed system, Placer Process can also offer a modular skid-mounted CIP system that can be fabricated off-site and deliver to your plant as a complete assembly ready to be installed and plugged into your existing process and utility systems. This CIP skid option is highly preferred due to the reduction of process interruption at the operating plant, can be factory tested off-site, has a shorter installation time, minimized tie-in downtime, and lowered overall cost resulting in the win-win solution for our customers.
By automating the cleaning routine, the plant can improve its efficiency and reliability that results in further optimization in production output utilizing the existing processes. Automating the cleaning processes in the plant also helps alleviate human errors or the risk involved in the prolonged handling of the chemicals manually. Our CIP systems automatically and reliably deliver cleaning solutions and rinse water through your process piping.
Benefits of Our CIP Systems
- Optimize Water Usage
- Speed up the cleaning process
- Increase efficiency
- Improve safety
- Avoid cross-contamination
- Provide higher product quality
Clean-In-Place System Upgrades
Unhappy with the results you’re getting from your existing CIP system? We also offer upgrades to existing systems that include:
- Control and automation
- Troubleshooting
- Tank repair or replacement
- Valve service or upgrade
- Automatic sensor addition
- System expansion
- Heating utility and efficiency upgrades
Clean-In-Place Audits
If you have an existing CIP system, it might be time for an energy or time consumption audit. Sometimes all it takes is a quick review of the PLC code and minor mechanical adjustments to improve cleaning efficiency and save thousands of dollars a year in utility bills.
Efficiency Improvements Can Include
- Energy savings
- Water and chemical usage reduction
- Overall cleaning time reduction
- Safety risk reduction
Whether you are thinking of purchasing a new CIP system or upgrading your existing CIP system, Placer Process team can help you every step of the way: from design, budgeting, system analysis, CIP audit, CIP improvements, manufacture a new CIP system, installation, controls integration, and start-up support. We can be your one-stop-shop design-builder or we can help you with a limited-scoped project to meet your financial model and business needs. Beyond CIP system provider, our in-house capabilities as a general engineering contractor will help you with a well-rounded practical approach to solve your most challenging process needs. Contact our team today to find out how we can collaborate on your next project.