Introduction
The term CIP stands for Cleaning in Place an enclosed automatic washing system for production facilities and pipelines.
The CIP process enables thorough, effective and safe cleaning without having to dismantle plant sections due to different levels of automation.
All this is done to ensure that production lines are cleansed of organic and inorganic contaminants.
For this reason, plant hygiene and cleanliness plays an important role in food and non-food companies.
CIP – Operating principle
The operating principle of CIP is simple: clean the entire plant of product residues and any dirt.
This is achieved by mechanical means or by chemical effect, together with an increase in temperature and contact time with the cleaning solution.
Although cleaning agents and execution details may vary, the CIP cleaning process essentially comprises the following steps:
- Pre-washing with water to remove product residues
- Flushing the system with specially prepared detergent in CIP tanks with the correct volume, temperature and concentration
- Intermediate rinse with water to remove the detergent
- Flushing the system with acid solution
- Rinsing with clear water
- Optional: disinfection, e.g., during plant shutdown.
At the end of production, at the weekend, the plant is filled with disinfectant for more thorough cleaning.
Benefits of using the CIP process
The CIP process is an essential if not almost obligatory step to achieve certain quality standards.
It also provides many advantages:
- It increases product quality: reliable and repeatable cleaning means product quality and consistency. Less contamination means fewer product recalls;
- increases the availability of production time: because less production time is lost to cleaning, more time can be spent on product production;
- saves on utilities: water and energy consumption is minimised;
- If automated, it minimises human errors, which can contribute to an unsafe product.
- Automation of the CIP system will help you detect changes in process conditions, minimise water and energy consumption, and increase plant availability.
INOX-FER plants
Inox-Fer plants can be equipped with this process, guaranteeing the customer a high-quality product where hygiene and cleanliness of the machinery also has an impact.
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