Reuse CIP systems are important to the food industry because they recover and re

use cleaning compounds ant the cleaning solution. It is important to understand

that cleaning solutions are hardly contaminated because the prerinse removes mos
t of the soil, so that the system can use the cleaning solutions more than once.
For this system to work, cleaning staff must use thge proper concetration of th
e cleaning solution. The chemical supplier and the equipment vendor vae guidelin
es to make sure that conceration is right.
Reuse CIP systems have a tank for each chemical. A hot-water tank or a bypass lo
op helps to save energy and water during a hot-water rinse. A coil often heats t
he cleaning solution.
The basic parts of a CIP reuse system are an acid tank, alkali tank, freshwater
tank, retun-water tank, heating system, and CIP feed return pumps. Remote-contro
lled valves and measuring devices come with the piping layout of this cleaning s
ystem. The cleaning steps are automatic, and cleaning staff set them using a pro
gram control unit.
Two-tank systems use one tank to reclaim rinse water and another to reclaim the
claeaning solution. CIP equipment with three tanks has one for the cleaning solu
tion, one for reclaiming the prerinse solution, and one for a freshwater final r
inse. Both single-use and reuse systems need good design and monitoring to make
sure that food products never mix with cleaning solutions.
CIP systems may have two tanks for solutions of alkaline cleaning compounds at t
wo different concentrations. The less-concentrated solution cleans tanks, other
storage parts, and pipelines. The stronger solution cleans the plate heat exchan
ger. Pumps that feed the cleaning compounds into the tanks automatically neutral
ize the alkaline pH with the right amount of acid.
A CIP system can clean two circuits at the same time by adding extra feed pumps.
The size of tanks depends on the volumen of the circuit, the temperatura that i
s needed, and the cleaning program. In mechanized plants, a central control cons
ole contains remote-controlled valves that switch the cleaning circuits on and o
ff. A return water tanks can cut down water consumption in a reuse system. Reuse
equipment costs more initially but saves money over time.
The ideal CIP reuse system fills, empties, recirculates, heats, and dispenses au
tomatically. Table 1 shows how a typical system works to clean storage tanks ans
pipelines and recover the cleaning solution.
Table 1. Steps in an ideal CIP Reuse System
Prerinse: Cold water comes from the recovery tank and goes to the drain. Time: 5
min. Temperature: Room temperature.
Detergent wash: A 1% alkaline base cleaning compound sends the rest of the rinse
water to the drain, and then a probe diverts it to the cleaning compound tank f
or recovery and recirculation. Time: 10 min. Temperature: Room temperature to 85
C (185F) depending on the equipment and type of soil.
Intermediate water rinse: Softenerd cold water from the rinse forces the rest of
the cleaning solution out to the cleaning solution tank. The rest of this water
goes to the water recovery tank. Time: 3 min. Temperature: Room temperature.
Acid wash: A 0.5-1.0% acid solution forces out the rest of the water to the drai
n, and thena probe vierts it to the acid tank for recovery and recirculation. Ti
me: 10 min. Temperature: Room temperature to 85 C (185F) depending on the equipmen
t and type of soil.
Final water rinse: Cold water washes out the rest of the acid solution, and wate

r is collected in the water recovery tank. Overflow goes to the drain. Time: 3 m
in. Temperature: Room temperature.
Note: Pasteurizing equipment, tanks, and pipelines may also have a final rinse o
f hot water at 85 C (185 F).
The advantages of CIP equipment are:
- Less labor: The operation needs less manual cleaning because tha CIP system au
tomatically cleans equipment and storage utensils. Higher wages and more difficu
lty finding good workers have made labor saving a greater priority.
- Better hygiene: Automated systems clean and sanitize more effectively and cons
istently than people do. Timers and computers-driven controls precisyle control
cleaning ans sanitizing operations.
- Less cleaning solution: Automatic meters ans reuse of water, cleaning compound
s, ans sanitizers avoid waste and save money.
- Better use of equipment: Automated systems can clean equipment, tanks, and pip
elines as soon as production finishes, so operators can reuse the equipment righ
t away.
- Better safety: Workers do not need to get into equipment to clean it, so they
are less likely to slip on internal surfaces.
The disadvantages of CIP systems are:
- Cost: Most CIP systems are expensive because they are custom designed and expe
nsive to install.
- Maintenance: More sophisticated equipment and systems need more maintenance.
- Inflexibility: These systems only clean the areas where the equipment is insta
lled. Portable cleaning equipment can cover more areas. CIP systems do not clean
heavily soiled equipment well, and it is difficult to design units that can cle
an all types of processing equipment.
Marriot, N. (2012) Essentials of food sanitation. Springer Science & Business Me
dia. Pg. 106-108.