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) system 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 or circulated by the CIP system through other systems or equipment and cleans the brewery equipment. Therefore, the purpose of the CIP system is to provide cleaning functions for other process systems or equipment without the need to move or disassemble any equipment. We’ve put together a guide that outlines the principles for choosing the right type of CIP system.
Choosing the Right Type of CIP System
The requirements for a CIP system vary by industry. Differences in product characteristics and regulatory considerations between different processing industries can also affect the design of CIP systems. However, the main differences in the CIP system are:
- Configure
- Capacity
- Quality
- Degree of automation
Depending on the system and the product being cleaned, your CIP system can be as simple as a stand-alone skid-mounted system cleaning a small circuit, or as complex as a large complex system providing cleaning for multiple lines simultaneously.
Before building a CIP system, some issues need to be understood in advance. However, to ensure you get the maximum return on your CIP system investment, we encourage brewers to partner with an experienced company. Most importantly, the company needs to understand the processing system and have a proven design and a case for effective issues needed. Micet Craft is a brewery equipment manufacturer specializing in providing turnkey solutions for breweries, we can custom design CIP systems for your brewery equipment.
When selecting a CIP system, a needs analysis and preprocessing can ensure that the CIP system is designed to improve process safety and efficiency. When choosing the right type of CIP system, consider:
- your system layout
- your project budget
Know your system layout
Before custom designing a CIP system for your specific needs, you need to determine whether your system is centralized or distributed.
Centralized CIP System
A centralized CIP system is a single system that provides cleaning solutions for the entire process facility. It can supply many different circuits and coordinate a large number of operations from one location, so operators can use a central set of controls to manage the cleaning process.
The location of the centralized CIP system in the brewery is very important. A centralized system can be cost-effective if all cleaning areas are relatively close together and they all have similar cleaning requirements. Centralized CIP systems tend to be larger in size and scope than distributed systems.
Distributed CIP System
The distributed CIP system uses a local dedicated system to provide cleaning services for various parts of the brewery. The distributed CIP system is suitable for:
Manufacturers that use a centralized CIP system are costly and have process areas in remote locations.
Operations with very specific cleaning requirements that are not compatible with those of other operations, such as stringent cross-contamination requirements.
Manufacturers are unfamiliar with clean-in-place operations.
Brewers who want to use the CIP system but are constrained by budget.
Transportable CIP skid systems are especially useful in distributed CIP systems. All equipment required for cleaning in place is mounted on a compact, self-contained skid that can be easily transported and used anywhere in the brewery.
The mobility of such systems provides users with considerable flexibility in their cleaning operations, and they are an excellent solution for budget-effective or first-time clean-in-place brewers. Of course, the classification of the CIP system is not only these, you can get more information through the link below.
Know your budget
The full range of CIP system features and functionality is highly dependent on requirements and budget. Knowing your needs and budget will go a long way in determining whether you need a basic or complex system.
Basic CIP System
The most basic clean-in-place can be a manual one-tank system or a single-use system. This system transports the solution through a single circuit and then discharges it into a drain. But this strategy is not very environmentally friendly and is relatively expensive in terms of chemicals, water, and sewage costs. But for a small brewery, it can be an effective strategy to avoid cross-contamination.
Single-use systems can also be well suited to cleaning heavy soil loads that make solution recovery and re-use impractical. Compared to multi-tank systems, single-use systems have a lower initial cost and are also much slower to clean because The operator has to wait for each step of the tank to fill with water and drain.
Complex CIP System
Alternatively, a CIP system may be as complex as a fully automated multi-tank, the multi-loop facility that recovers and reuses solutions while cleaning and disposal activities operate together. All required cleaning and rinsing solutions can be pre-filled into their respective tanks and preheated to the optimum cleaning temperature.
The initial investment for complex CIP systems may be higher, but they can be super cost-effective by:
- Reduce downtime
- Recover and reuse solutions
- Close monitoring of water, chemical, and energy use
A highly automated CIP system can save resources and provide a higher overall return on investment than a simple manual system.
ROI of CIP System
The more complex the CIP system (the higher the number of tanks and the more advanced the controls), the greater the initial investment in purchasing and installing the system. However, a CIP system is an investment that offers long-term returns. Every time you allow a cleaning cycle, you regain valuable production time previously lost to slow, inefficient cleaning operations.
For large breweries, saving just a few minutes of cleaning time each week can generate thousands of dollars in additional production. Depending on cleaning frequency and product value, many breweries typically see the full return on their investment in CIP systems within 1-2 years through weekly cleaning time savings.
Next step
Buying and installing the right CIP system for your brewery can be a daunting task. You need to analyze and plan the cleaning steps in your brewery and choose the most suitable partner:
- Build a knowledgeable team of operators.
- Create teams of managers from multiple segments.
- Connect with a trusted company with extensive experience designing and building CIP systems.