How to Optimize Clean - in - Place ( CIP ) Processes in Food and Beverage Operations

Existing clean-in-place (CIP) processes are time intensive and waste large amounts of energy, water, and chemicals. New innovations in CIP technology allow plant operators to cut costs in an earth-friendly manner while still conforming to regulatory safety standards. This paper explains how new CIP technologies can improve production efficiency by at least 20% while enhancing the ability to track consumption activity throughout the various steps of the cleaning cycle. A typical Clean-in-Place (CIP) process requires large amounts of water, chemicals and energy. It is estimated that on average, a food and beverage plant will spend 20% of each day on cleaning equipment, which represents significant downtime for a plant. Energy usage varies depending on the process. For example, a milk plant is likely to use 13% of its energy on CIP, whereas a powered milk, cheese and whey process is likely to use 9% of its energy on CIP 1. In a fruit jam manufacturing facility in Manchester, England, cleaning hoses in the fruit room were identified as one of the highest end uses of water in the facility (17% of total site water consumption) 2. Many manufacturers are unsure of how their CIP systems are performing. Therefore additional steps are often introduced as a safeguard to ensure adherence to sanitation standards. This practice results in higher consumption of water, chemicals, and energy than is necessary in order to avoid the contamination issues. A number of companies have addressed CIP improvements with small modifications such as altering the chemical concentration, or by adjusting the time taken for each stage of the CIP process. However, very few food and beverage manufacturers have put tools in place that render the CIP process efficient. In fact, in an informal poll conducted by Schneider Electric on food and beverage clients in France, only 12% thought that their CIP systems were efficient yet only 18% of those surveyed had commenced a study around CIP optimization. Yet industry leaders are clearly indicating that progress needs to be made in the areas of waste reduction and water and energy efficiency (see Figure 1) 3. Recent innovations in technology now enable plant operators to calculate the optimal mix of water, chemicals, temperature and flow required to achieve safety standards while saving at least 20% in energy cost and by reducing the downtime for cleaning by at least 20%. In addition, all the steps in the process can be …