Manual cleaning of the process plant is very demanding and can be costly, time-consuming, and can result in ineffective cleaning. This blog will walk you through the steps involved during CIP cleaning and help you understand how does a clean-in-place module work.

What is CIP Cleaning System?

An automated Clean-in-place (CIP) System is a method of cleaning carried out mechanically to remove residues from the whole process plant, fittings, tanks, and piping circuits. This automated process of the Clean-in-place (CIP) System takes place without disassembling or opening the equipment. It’s a cleaning system developed to be quick, efficient, and consistent.

The main purpose of the Clean-in-place (CIP) System is to wash the product contact surfaces to a specified level of cleanliness by passing chemical (detergent and disinfectant) solutions and rinsing water through them. CIP system ensures no direct contact with harmful chemicals or operator entry into confined areas.

How Does the CIP System work?

The CIP system is an effective combination of high solution temperature (thermal energy) and chemical activity of the detergent/chemicals (chemical energy). Along with the mechanical action caused by the turbulent flow and impact of the cleaning solution sprays/jets on the equipment surfaces (mechanical energy).

The CIP cycles are based on the distribution of these energies. The CIP process steps are performed after a processing run that causes normal soiling or when a processing line is transitioned from one product to another.

To conduct a clean-in-place activity, there are 7 pre-defined steps involved for an effective CIP:

Pre-Rinse

This strategic phase of the CIP process steps includes flushing the lines, fittings, and tanks’ internal surfaces. Its objective is to remove the majority of leftover residue i.e., the dissolved sugars and partially melted fats.

The CIP flow channel is of non-chemical pressure test. Potable plant water, de-ionized water, and reverse osmosis water should be used. Or the final rinse water from the last CIP phase can be reused.

Caustic Wash

The purpose of the caustic wash is to soften the fats to help them remove easily.

The caustic wash can be returned to its tank and recovered numerous times. This can save you a lot of water, chemicals, and energy.

Intermediate Wash

This washing cycle wipes off any detergent residue left from the caustic wash. The levels of the wash tank and rinse tank are monitored using level transmitters and probes.

Flow transmitters allow precise management of the wash and rinse processes. Whereas, the conductivity transmitters ensure the chemical levels are in the given range.

Final Wash

Any leftover material or chemical residue is removed with a final rinse of deionized, reverse osmosis, or potable water. Recovering and reusing the final rinse water as the pre-rinse solution for the following cleaning cycle is an economical choice.

Sanitizing Rinse

This final step of the CIP process steps assists in the killing of any microorganisms or pathogens. It ensures food safety and hygiene before beginning the next production batch.

Although, the CIP Process Steps are common, the combination of these steps varies with the nature of the processing line. Depending upon the requirements of the cleaning process, these optional CIP process steps can be also employed in the CIP system:

Components, Fittings, and Accessories Used in CIP Cleaning System Design

For the Clean-in-place (CIP) System – heating cleaning solutions, lye/acid cleaning, sanitization, or rinses with the cleaning fluid in between are the brief operations.

The fundamental components used for the operational design of a CIP system are:

Furthermore, the tank spray cleaning systems can consist of rotary spray heads, jet heads, static spray balls, extension lances, and pumping systems.

Here are the advantages that you can reap from the CIP Cleaning System:

The main advantage of the Automated CIP Cleaning System is the increased production time due to less time wasted on labor-intensive cleaning.

Features of the Neologic Engineers’ Automated CIP Cleaning System

Being one of the most reputed & globally preferred CIP System Manufacturer, we offer Automated Clean in Place Systems with features like:

With Neologic Engineers CIP system you only get the best quality cleaning that results in high-quality output.
To understand how our CIP cleaning system can help your production enquire with us now

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Industry Applications of Clean-in-place (CIP) System

Food, Beverage, and CIP Cleaning in the Dairy Industry

Food and Dairy Products come in the highly perishable category. Although packaging and storage conditions protect the food and dairy products from spoilage. If processing conditions allow entry of any microbes or impurities, the product’s shelf life is at stake. For cleaning of the food, beverage processing line and CIP cleaning in the dairy industry, the storage tanks, process equipment, and piping are included. CIP systems for the food industry is done to remove any debris and bacterial build-up on the product contact surfaces from the last processing batch.

Also, having a CIP system for the food industry assists in meeting the FDA Regulations for your food product.

Brewery

Often the breweries are largely automated closed systems, hence utilizing CIP Tank Cleaning System becomes essential. Brewing tanks and vessels are huge in size, hence manual cleaning is not feasible. For breweries, CIP systems have high-capacity spray units for advanced cleaning. In some cases, a phosphoric acid wash may be needed to wash off beer stone accumulation.

Pharmaceuticals and Drug Industry

For CIP System used in Pharmaceutical Industry, the water should be of the highest quality possible. CIP Process helps remove the inorganic, organic, microorganisms, and biological residues from the vessels, reactors, piping, and fittings. The water treatment for CIP in Pharmaceutical Industry goes through three steps viz –Pretreatment, Final Treatment, and Polishing.

The pumps, valves, and fittings used in the CIP system of the Pharmaceutical and Drugs Industry are of the highest efficiency. It is designed to have greater capabilities of cleaning in order to easily clean hard-to-reach and hidden surfaces.

Most Commonly Used CIP Cleaning Chemicals

Caustic

In the CIP Cleaning System, usually, a detergent is used to easily remove the product residue. Caustic soda, sodium hydroxide, or NaOH at a concentration of 0.5 to 2% is used (TEMP-140°F to 150°F) are used. For heavy-duty cleaning of very oily surfaces, the concentrations may go up to 4%. Normally, caustic soda is used as a primary detergent.

Acid

Acid is used for brightening up discolored stainless-steel surfaces. Acid wash stabilizes pH after caustic wash and helps in removing calcified mineral stains. In the dairy industry, these CIP Cleaning Chemicals are frequently used for dairy equipment cleaning to remove milk stone buildups. Nitric acid is most commonly used while Phosphoric acid is used less in comparison.

The acid concentration used for the acid wash is 0.5% at a lesser temperature as compared to caustic wash.

Sanitizers/Disinfectants

These CIP Cleaning Chemicals reduce the risk of food hazards by killing the microbes on the product’s contact surfaces. The commonly used CIP Cleaning Chemicals are various hypochlorite solutions (potassium, sodium, or calcium), generally known as "hypo," as sanitizers. Chlorine (bleach) is the active ingredient in a sanitizing rinse.

It’s a great sanitizing rinse for soils prone to bacterial growth, such as dairy products. Due to its corrosive activity on stainless steel, Peracetic acid (PAA) is used. It is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid and has become a popular alternative to bleach-based sanitizers.

Chlorine dioxide is used as an alternative to hypochlorite solutions in CIP Cleaning System. Especially for surfaces with high organic loads surfaces for meat and fruit processing.

Sterilizers

These CIP Cleaning Chemicals are utilized as a final step to completely remove any remaining microbes. The sterilizers used in the CIP System are used with high-pressure steam. They are employed for ensuring the safety of pharmaceutical products and the long shelf life of food products.

Which Processing Equipment Can Be Cleaned Using CIP Cleaning System?

An automated CIP Cleaning System can be used to efficiently clean areas that are confined and hard to reach. It will save you time and energy and create safe conditions for both the human resources and product.

Clean-in-place (CIP) System can be used to clean internal surfaces of:

Making the Right Choice Among the Types of CIP Systems is a Very Substantial Decision.

Here are some types of CIP Systems that are used according to the requirements and nature of the processing lines:

Traditional Cleaning Methods v/s Automated CIP Cleaning System

Cleaning the product contact surfaces of process systems was done manually until the 1950s. The manual cleaning procedures included the dismantling of all piping, vessels, and equipment, and hand-washing all components and surfaces. Then the whole processing setup had to be reassembled before the next production cycle.

Every segment of piping was either hand cleaned or washed in a COP (clean-out-of-place) tank. Likewise, every pump and valve had to be disassembled, cleaned by hand, and reinstalled. To maintain a safe, hygienic process system and minimize product cross-contamination this process had to be repeated. Also, this time and the energy-consuming process didn’t ensure optimal cleaning.

Later, when Clean-In-Place (CIP) solutions progressed, it became a reliable method of cleaning. An automated CIP System that didn’t require the dismantling of processing equipment and pipelines.

A fully programmed and dedicated process with functional tanks, programmable logic controllers, highly accurate sensors, spray devices, heat exchangers, and automatic valves. Product lines were re-engineered to accommodate the functionality of the CIP System.

Adopting a CIP tank cleaning system over manual cleaning might seem like a huge investment. But in reality, CIP Cleaning System has many economic benefits such as

In conclusion, the Clean-in-Place (CIP) system offers a highly efficient and automated solution to cleaning complex process systems, enhancing both productivity and safety in processing industries. By eliminating the need for manual disassembly, it ensures consistent, thorough cleaning while significantly reducing downtime, labor, and utility costs. The flexibility of CIP systems is designed for specific production needs, ensuring compliance with stringent hygiene standards and boosting product quality. Investing in an automated CIP system ultimately delivers long-term operational benefits, driving both cost savings and improved product outcomes, making it an indispensable tool for modern industrial processes.