Cleaning In Place System

Overview
Cleaning In Place System

TechQu Cleaning in Place (CIP) refers to the use of a mix of chemicals, heat and water used to clean machinery, vessels or pipe work without dismantling the plant. CIP has been around for about 50 years and is used in hygiene critical industries, including food, beverage, biotechnology and pharmaceutical, to clean primary (and some ancillary) plant lines. The process can be one shot, where everything goes to drain, or recovery, which recycles most of the liquid. Overall, CIP can be a very efficient way of cleaning.

CIP should be used in any industry and plant where hygiene is critical; the process is usually an integral part of established automation systems. The CIP system is composed of a series of tanks containing various solutions needed for cleaning: alkaline solutions base on caustic soda and acid (usually nitric acid) to neutralize.

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Cleaning in Place System is a method of cleaning the interior surfaces of pipes, vessels, process equipment and other associated fittings, without disassembly. CIP is generally carried out with chemical solutions like caustic soda and nitric acid, to clean the organic and inorganic solid deposits on the tube surfaces. The chemical cleaning is followed by flushing with neutral water to wash out any traces of the bases or acids.

CIP is principally concerned with soil removal; however soil refers to anything that should not be present in a clean vessel and is therefore ‘soiling’ the vessel. Soil can cause tainting and can often be smelled. It may be visible (scale, foreign bodies,) or invisible in the form of bacteria, such as E Coli, or yeast spores. A CIP process of at least 15 minutes of a suitable chemical (strength dependent on chemical supplier and product) is required to remove vessel soiling. The CIP process should optimally run between 50° Celsius and 75° Celsius, as there is no cleaning advantage to heating beyond 75° Celsius.