Clean In Place - CIP
Clean-in-place (CIP) is a method of cleaning the interior surfaces of pipes, vessels, equipment, filters and associated fittings by circulating various chemical solutions along with water through them, without major disassembly.
The aim of circulating these chemical solutions under higher turbulence is to remove solid debris and micro organism. The best results can be obtained by following a suitable combination of temperature, time, physical action and chemical concentration.
It increases plant utilization as equipment can be cleaned as soon as they are empty. It requires minimum manual effort as automated designs are available. CIP is absolutely safe, as the personnel are not required to enter the hazardous environment. This gives satisfactory result as cleaning is perfect. This improves the quality and shelf-life of the product.
Pre-rinsing is done to reduce the work of detergent as it facilitates the removal of loose soil. Remaining soil is removed by recirculation of detergent. The CIP cycle depends on three variables: chemical strength, exposure time and cleaning temperature. The intermediate rinsing is done to remove detergent with fresh water. Recirculation of hot water (above 90°C) for >20 minutes is practiced to destroy remaining microbial contamination.