Clean-in-Place Pharmaceutical and Food & Beverage Industries0 pages

Application Data Sheet
ADS 2000-13/rev.C
February 2011

Food and Beverage Industry

Clean-In-Place (CIP) Applications in the
Pharmaceutical and Food and Beverage
Industries
RESULTS
• Eliminate Cross-Batch Contamination
• Maintain Hygienic Standards
• Asset Protection
• Water Use Optimization

BACKGROUND
Process piping and vessels used in the pharmaceutical
and food and beverage industries require periodic
cleaning without disassembly to remove residue from
previous batches and to sanitize both the process
piping and vessels. Depending upon the industry and
the particular products involved, the cleaning can
involve alternately flushing with water, caustic solutions, acid solutions, sanitizing (bleach) solutions,
and steaming to kill microorganisms.

PROCESS
Since the various cleaning solutions used are more
conductive than the water used for flushing and final
rinsing, conductivity can be used to monitor the various
cleaning steps and the final rinse. Each cleaning
solution’s flush is typically followed by a water flush,
so each step of the cleaning process will appear on
a strip chart as a series of conductivity increases.
The progress of the final rinse can be followed as a
decrease in conductivity until the conductivity drops
to the conductivity of the rinse water, which indicates
that rinsing is complete.
The cleaning solutions used for CIP are used for
several cleanings and gradually lose strength due to
dilution with residual rinse water and through the
cleaning action itself. Conductivity can often be used
to monitor the strength of the cleaning solutions to
indicate the need for replenishment (Figure 1).
In the high flow, low pressure system, a cascading
action serves to clean the lower portions of the
process vessels. A typical CIP program entails the
following:

1. A pre-rinse with RO-treated water, consisting of
three bursts, each of a one-minute duration to
remove the bulk of the soil load;
2. A continuous 30-minute wash of from 0.5% to
1.0% alkaline detergent at 180°F (82°C);
3. A one-minute rinse with RO-treated water;
4. A 30-second rinse (sometimes ten minutes
or more is requisite) of from 0.5% to 1.0%
nitric or phosphoric acid solution at 150°-180°F
(65°-82°C);
5. A two-minute rinse with RO-treated water to
remove the phosphoric acid residues; and,
6. A final one-minute rinse with deionized water.

THE MEASUREMENT
One of the major requirements for equipment and
sensors used in CIP applications is that they be
sanitary in design. This means that the surface of a
sensor should not contain contours or crevices that
could trap residue from the product, that could then
decay or harbor microorganisms.
The Model 245 Sanitary Flow-Through Toroidal
Conductivity Sensor mounts directly into the cleaning
lines via tri-clamp flanges. Toroidal sensor technology
seldom requires cleaning and features smooth
surfaces, unlike contacting conductivity sensors.
Therefore, toroidal sensors are the ideal choice for
CIP installations.