CIP SYSTEMS

In food, beverage, dairy and other plants with strict hygiene requirements, manual cleaning, which is time-consuming and bacteriologically inadequate, has been replaced by new technological solutions. One of the most practical and efficient of these is CIP systems, short for Clean-in-Place. Unlike manual cleaning, CIP does not require machinery and equipment to be dismantled; hygiene is achieved by circulating rinse water and detergent solutions through the production line.

How Does a CIP System Work?

Cleaning is carried out by circulating the cleaning liquid through interconnected tanks, pipelines and machines that form a closed circuit. This allows line cleaning (sanitation) before and after production to be done in place. Makfen CIP systems are particularly effective for cleaning long pipelines and large tanks, and play an important role in solving hygiene problems in the dairy, soft drinks, carbonated beverage and ready-meal industries.

Depending on the product and the type of soiling, a typical CIP programme consists of the following steps:

1. Pre-rinse to remove product residues
2. Hot caustic (alkaline) wash to dissolve organic soil
3. Intermediate rinse
4. Acid wash to remove mineral and scale deposits
5. Final rinse and, where required, disinfection

Advantages of a CIP System

• Water, detergent and energy are used more efficiently, reducing operating costs.
• Cleaning time is shorter and production downtime is kept to a minimum.
• Labour is saved because equipment does not need to be dismantled and reassembled.
• Operators do not need to enter tanks or handle detergents and disinfectants, which improves workplace safety.
• The cleaning programme is applied the same way every time and is recorded, minimising the risk of recontamination.

Makfen CIP System Services

The Makfen team designs CIP systems around your plant layout, your products and your cleaning requirements. Environmental impact is taken into account in the design: recovering and reusing cleaning solutions reduces water, chemical and energy consumption and therefore the wastewater load. Makfen delivers turnkey CIP installations covering engineering, manufacturing, erection, instrumentation, piping, insulation, electrical installation, performance testing and commissioning.

Key Features of CIP Systems

• Stainless steel (AISI 304/316L) tanks for water, caustic and acid solutions, in single-tank or multi-tank configurations as required
• CIP supply and return pumps with hygienic valves and pipe connections
• Heat exchanger to bring the cleaning solution to the required temperature
• Conductivity, temperature and flow measurement to control solution concentration and phase changes
• Automatic dosing of detergent and disinfectant
• PLC and operator panel with recipe-based automatic cleaning programmes and cleaning records
• Fixed installation or portable (mobile) skid options
• Certified materials and complete operating and maintenance documentation

Contact Makfen for information and a quotation for CIP systems.