How To Optimize Clean in Place (CIP) Processes

On average, a food and beverage plant spends 20% of its day cleaning equipment. Because  many manufacturers don't know how well their CIP system performs, they take unnecessary steps to ensure sanitation standards are met. This results in higher consumption of water, chemicals, and energy than necessary.

Many companies make slight changes to their CIP operations after installation. They might alter the chemical concentration or adjust the time required for each stage of the cleaning process. But, these minor adjustments don’t render a CIP process efficient. 

A “trial-and-error” approach is time-consuming and wasteful. Slight tweaks might help, but consider a holistic approach. Using software to automate performance makes the biggest impact on cost savings and safety. 

Optimizing the cleaning process while maintaining sanitary standards can be difficult to wrap your head around. By completing an initial audit of three CIP elements, operators can create a plan to gain efficiencies, and optimize the cleaning process. 

• Effective & efficient CIP design
• Energy efficiencies
• Automation optimization

EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT DESIGN

There are benefits to adding a small, decentralized CIP system to your process. Efficiencies are gained by reducing the amount of energy required to transport heated chemicals through long pipes. A shorter distance for detergent delivery saves time, water, and energy.

Improve productivity and save water by:

• Repairing leaks
• Removing “dead legs” (or stagnant water in pipes that could grow bacteria)
• Installing self-priming pumps to avoid cavitation
• Replacing static spray balls with rotating ones for tank cleaning

Here's an example of a rotating spray ball in action:

ENERGY EFFICIENCIES

Up to 30% in energy savings can be gained by making improvements to inefficient, outdated equipment components. For example, introduce a variable speed drive, so that operators can specify the flow rate within the CIP recipe parameters. 

AUTOMATION OPTIMIZATION

Controls, sensors, and alarms are all key elements of automation that monitor key performance indicators (or KPIs). KPIs might include water re-use percentages, amount of wastewater generated, or energy consumed. Automation improves the quality of information available and allows for tighter control of the cleaning process.

Four parameters make up an efficient cleaning recipe for CIP ( or “The 4 T rule”). The software calculates the best combination of settings. An automation system monitors and verifies them, resulting in decreased costs.

• Time – cleaning cycle duration
• Temperature – cleaning product temperature
• Titer – concentration of the cleaning products
• Turbulence – speed, and impact of liquids projected by cleaning products that need to be generated to perform the cleaning task

Optimize the system by understanding the pipework, valves, pumps, instrumentation, and PLCs, which enables the software to communicate within the system. 

Auditing your current CIP system setup is crucial for driving operational efficiencies and reducing costs. By addressing CIP system design and implementing advanced process automation, a high level of efficiency and cost savings can be achieved.

Do you want to reduce costs and energy consumption? CIP process optimization is a good start. Just ask us about it! Our team of experienced engineers provides technical assistance to businesses in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Upper Michigan.