Since the 1950s, the cleaning of closed systems has become increasingly important.In the beginning, the systems had to be manually disassembled and cleaned when changing products or if other cleaning was required.
This method was not only time-consuming, but also drove up the process costs. Accordingly, two different main processes were developed which allow cleaning in closed systems:
Sterilization in Place (SIP) refers to a cleaning process in which all surfaces of a process plant that come into contact with the product are sterilized without major dismantling. For sterilisation, either temperature or chemicals are used over a longer period of time and under certain pressures and flow rates.
Cleaning in Place (CIP) describes a method for cleaning plants or process equipment. Typical here is cleaning without major dismantling with cleaning agents, alkalis and acids and/or with temperature in a mostly fully automated process, for example also by mulching.
This method was not only time-consuming, but also drove up the process costs. Accordingly, two different main processes were developed which allow cleaning in closed systems:
The possibility of cleaning closed systems without major dismantling opens up many advantages:
• improved safety for workers involved in the production of potentially hazardous compounds,
• faster cleaning,
• reduced water consumption,
• lower personnel costs,
• repeatable, documentable processes
Especially in the food and luxury food industry (food industry), but also in the pharmaceutical sector, these processes are used in combination almost everywhere and are firmly integrated as a standard process - "food safety first". The sequence of the selected cleaning processes depends strongly on the requirements of the respective customer and application. For example, the removal of killed germs from the system is sometimes necessary in the medical sector (SIP then CIP), but these germs do not interfere with other industrial applications (CIP then SIP).
Our quick coupling solutions are ideal for making the cleaning of your systems as easy as possible and at the same time, for example, facilitating fuelling processes in SIP and/or CIP environment.
During the design process, attention is payed to a flow channel that is as easy to clean, high-quality and smooth surfaces, encapsulated springs as well as contours with extremely low dead space.
In addition, WALTHER define SIP as the ability of a coupling to be cleaned with superheated steam at a minimum of 123 °C for at least 20 minutes.
Our team of consultants will be pleased to answer your questions on this subject.
