What you need to know when considering a CIP system

Often a clean-in-place (CIP) system is chosen to automate some part of the cleaning process of brewery equipment. In some cases (such as large silos or long pipes), the design of the equipment leaves you no choice but to utilize CIP for cleaning. In other cases, CIP systems are installed to reduce cleaning time or labor costs. In recent years, CIP systems have been used more and more in conveyors, filling machines, and brewery equipment. A CIP system can be simple or complex and is an excellent tool to give breweries more opportunities.

Contents hide

1 Temperature measurement

2 Pressure measurement

3 Flow measurement

4 Conductivity measurement

Design

How well the CIP system works, the cost of installation, and the cost of running the CIP system in the future all depend on how well the CIP system is designed and programmed. The higher the degree of automation of the CIP system, and the stronger the failure-proof ability, the higher the installation cost. Over time, however, it reduces operating costs while reducing food safety concerns and environmental impact. Adequate utility systems are critical to the operation of a CIP system. A CIP system requires an adequate supply of on-demand water and steam without hindering the water supply required by other plants during operation. Designing a sound CIP system to accomplish cleaning goals is the key to success. CIP systems are usually closed, so you won’t know if the equipment is clean until the cleaning is done and inspected. Even so, depending on the design of the brewery equipment, the access points that can be checked can be very limited. While one area inspected may be clean, others may not and could cause food safety issues. The biggest difference in the design of the CIP system is the number of supply tanks. In many cases, the size and number of supply tanks are chosen based on the underlying location and the requirements of the business to be as efficient as possible. For example, if there is room for only one supply tank in the brewery, install only one, although a three-tank system may be more efficient and environmentally friendly. In a three-tank CIP system, there is one tank for the recovery wash and for the pre-rinse, one tank for washing and recovering part of the wash solution at the end of the cycle, one tank for the final rinse, and no return function.

The role of the CIP system in brewery equipment

Hygiene and daily cleaning of brewery equipment is arguably the biggest challenge for brewers, but a good cleaning-in-place system (CIP System) can help. It may not be an exciting topic, but cleanliness is as essential to brewing quality craft beer like hops, water, and malt. It doesn’t matter whether you brew beer at home or

Types of Brewery CIP Systems

CIP systems are a must for the craft beverage industry to deliver quality products to a competitive market. The need to produce the highest quality products in the craft beverage sector is only going to get stronger. Using food-grade stainless steel to manufacture equipment is an important step in ensuring high-quality product hygiene and preventing

CIP system related configuration

To maximize yields, the craft beer industry relies on a combination of clean-in-place (CIP) design, engineering, installation, control, monitoring, service, and repair expertise. Design and engineering expertise are especially valuable when upgrading CIP systems to improve water and chemical usage efficiency and optimize cleaning cycle duration and frequency. Therefore, it is important to understand the

FAQ to Know Before Designing a CIP System

For those unfamiliar with the word CIP, it’s a cleaning system. Beverage manufacturers (such as breweries) will utilize it to automatically clean and/or sanitize certain process equipment (such as pipes and tanks) without the need for disassembly. Many problems with these systems arise due to misinformation provided by “out of the box” CIP providers. These

CIP system

Maintaining a hygienic brewing environment to ensure beer quality is very important for any brewer. This is where a good clean-in-place (CIP) System comes in. A clean-in-place (CIP) is a combination of mechanical components and equipment for a solution that combines water, chemicals, and heat to clean brewery equipment. The chemical cleaning solution is pumped

Design principles for clean-in-place (CIP) systems

A clean-in-place (CIP) system is a combination of mechanical components and equipment used to combine water, chemicals, and heat to create a cleaning solution. These chemical cleaning solutions are pumped or circulated by the CIP system through other systems or equipment and clean the brewery equipment. A good clean-in-place (CIP) system starts with great design

The role of the CIP system in brewery equipment

Types of Brewery CIP Systems

CIP system related configuration

FAQ to Know Before Designing a CIP System

CIP system

Design principles for clean-in-place (CIP) systems

Technical skills and training

Proper technical skills are important for the design, programming, and operation of CIP systems. Engineers need to understand the goals of the equipment/system they are designed to ensure that the correct components and sizes are selected for the equipment and soil type to be cleaned. Components may include supply pumps, return pumps, filters, air valves, check valves, probes and sensors. Engineers need the right technical skills to understand what components are needed and how they work together throughout the system. To do this effectively, they need a good understanding of all the steps in an optimal cleaning procedure, taking into account not only system capabilities and equipment but also the type of soil to be cleaned. Programmers need to program the system so that all components work together to ensure that the CIP system operates as intended. Programmers must understand which components in a CIP system must be turned on or off when they are turned on, and for how many times. They need to identify when to alert the system or shut it down. Programmers also need to design a human-machine interface (HMI) that operators can understand and use. If you don’t know enough about these, then you can consult Micet Craft. Our engineers will design the CIP system that best suits your brewery. Last but not least, CIP system operators (end users) require the proper training and skill set to be able to use and successfully perform CIP system operations. Operators need to know how to properly troubleshoot when there is a problem/alarm in the system. Unfortunately, most operators tend to have very little training other than when to press the start button. When a CIP system fails and needs to be investigated, the operator needs to understand how the CIP system works and what to do about it. The importance of the operator role is often underestimated, but confirmation of their operational knowledge and system validation is critical to ensuring food safety.

Verify/Confirm

Validation verifies that the CIP system operates as intended and meets all target settings during circuit operation: time, temperature, chemical concentration, flow (mechanical action), etc. Verification methods vary by CIP system program. The highly automated CIP system continuously monitors during operation and raises an alarm if any critical setpoint is lost and stops the system clock, it will not restore the clock until the setpoint is met again.

Temperature measurement

Many CIP systems use cold water at 20°C to flush pipes and tanks. Also, you may need warmer water for the process to remove things like salt, so a heated cleaning solution may work more efficiently. But remember, heat doesn’t solve everything! Sometimes it can cause a reaction with other residues, making them more difficult to remove. So you need to adjust your heat carefully, for example, to remove bacterial residues, always heat the cleaning solution above 75°C. Thermocouples and resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) measure temperature in a variety of CIP systems, and thermowells protect the sensor from direct contact with fluids.

Pressure measurement

Breweries can also mention cleaning efficiency by delivering solutions faster or by adding physical elements to chemical cleaning. So you can monitor the performance of tools like sprinklers with pressure transmitters, letting you know how many solutions there are and how quickly you can reach your goals.

Flow measurement

If your CIP system doesn’t use a lot of pressure, then you can use a flow meter instead of a pressure device. Turbulent flow in pipes creates abrasive forces to clean brewing equipment, and the right pump and flow meter will help you handle this element. According to the requirements of the CIP system, the flow meter should not be affected by the chemicals and turbulence used for cleaning. The flow meter must remain accurate despite changes in inflow. Electromagnetic flowmeters are the best choice. CIP systems can range from small pipes to large and long pipes. In-line instruments, pipes, and valves need to be cleaned at lower flow rates, filled lines have been achieved. Electromagnetic flow meters provide good regulation for a wide range of flow rates.

Conductivity measurement

Measuring conductivity can tell if your CIP system is doing its job correctly. A conductivity meter can determine the interface between an ionic cleaning solution and relatively non-conductive pure water. Depending on your pipe size, the conductivity meter can be inserted into pipes larger than 2 inches or clamped into process flanges with pipe sizes smaller than 2 inches. When in use, make sure that the conductivity meter is fully immersed in the process fluid, as a partially immersed conductivity meter can produce noise and poor readings. Therefore, conductivity meters are often installed in pipelines that flow upwards.

Validation activities may also include testing the final rinse water for ATP, APC, or allergen testing, or even testing chemical concentrations, temperature validation, and flow rates via micro/allergen swabs. A CIP system program audit is another form of verification. They compare the original program (often referred to as a stationary graph) to the actual operation to ensure that the user program is properly documented and to capture any program changes. Verification is a very simple process of verifying that brewery equipment and fermentation tanks are clean. It needs to be executed periodically after installing the system. Verification steps typically include:

Calibrate temperature probes, conductivity probes, and other sensors.
Verify that the system is operating as expected, e.g. valves are opening/closing, cycle times are met, alarms are functioning properly, chemical concentrations and temperatures are met, etc.
Open circuit after cleaning, perform visual observation and microbial/allergen monitoring of swab sites on specific equipment, and/or final rinse sample testing.

Documentation

Some automated systems can print a chart at the end of a circuit operation as a document to check the cleaning process. System documentation is required by laws and regulations, and if the system does not have these capabilities, it needs to be done manually. Some programming can even provide a daily CIP system cleaning report with all circuit information captured, faults/alarms, and any changes entered into the system on that date.

Summarize

CIP systems exist in many forms and are very useful tools for improving hygiene and cleaning efficiency. The CIP system can reduce the labor cost of the brewery for equipment sanitation. Of course, this is assuming the CIP system is properly designed and programmed. Food safety and cleanliness goals should drive CIP design, programming, and operation, which are critical to supporting food safety and environmentally sustainable efficient operations.

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