PORTABLE CIP

If you want to know more about what is a portable CIP and what are its applications in a brewery, we have all the answers for you right here. CIP stands for Clean-In-Place and just like every other beverage production company, breweries rank cleanliness with equal importance to product quality.

It doesn’t matter if you brew beer at home or as a craft or commercial beer company: your reputation stands on the line every time someone drinks your product. The best and easiest way to ensure your beer is delicious and drinkable, you have to have a thorough, systematic, and consistent cleaning routine in place.

What Makes a Successful CIP Program?

Cleaning in place or CIP is when a systematic process of cleaning your professional brewing equipment occurs with the need to disassemble your setup. CIP has huge benefits over manual cleaning methods (although traditional manual cleaning is fine for homebrew setups).

Cleaning brewery equipment eliminates the possibility of human error or neglect. It has become brewery industry standard practice because not only does it save on intensive labor and the potential to be exposed to excoriating chemicals, but it also saves on the cost of chemicals.

Advantages of CIP

1. Cleaning by hand is time-consuming, and comes with the possibility of cross contamination, inadequate coverage, and the chance of human error.
2. CIP systems can recycle chemicals which saves money.
3. Exposure to chemicals such as caustics, acids, sanitizers, disinfectants, and sterilizers requires intensive training to apply without risk of exposure as the cleaning solutions are contained within the CIP system.
4. Because less production time is lost when using a CIP, more time can be spent in production.
5. Repeatable, reliable cleaning leads to sustainable product consistency and quality.
6. Zero contamination means zero product recalls which instills brand confidence.

When used correctly, CIP cleaning agents reduce the surface tension of water which makes it easier for cleaning solutions to penetrate every surface. Even without the recommended chemical additives, a CIP system still achieves a reasonable level production safety and cleanliness due to the amount of time, the action of the equipment, and the temperature.

A Clean-in-Place system uses holding tanks to store the cleaning chemicals. When needed, the CIP can manually or automatically pump out the chemicals from the storage tanks straight into the tanks that require cleaning.

A spray ball is the device used to coat the tank interior with cleaning chemicals. When the job is completed, the chemicals are pumped out back into the storage tank for reuse. This cycle can be repeated several times before the need for new chemicals arises. Water is then sprayed into the tank interior for thorough rinsing.

Typically, a brewery CIP cycle will involve the following functions.

• Water is applied to the tank as a pre-rinse.
• Caustic soda is applied to remove any product build-up on the tank surface.
• Caustic soda drained out and stored for reuse.
• Acids are applied to remove product build-up.
• Acids are drained away and stored for reuse.
• Clean water is used as a rinse and then drained away (often supplied by HLT)
• Sanitizer/disinfectant is applied

Why the YoLong team place such emphasis on the smooth finish of tank interiors and welds is because this guarantees there is no place for soil to embed itself or hide from the CIP spray ball. After Cleaning-in-Place, your brewery setup is ready for another batch of delicious beer to be made.

YoLong Portable CIP is a small, movable CIP Skid. It is the perfect size for use in a brewpub or microbrewery. Our CIP setup usually consists of two tanks: one hot liquor tank and one caustic tank; and a pump and bottom base frame assembly with wheels. The YoLong portable CIP is convenient and easy to operate and highly adaptable to custom setups.

If you require a different CIP system, please contact our customer service to discuss your needs.

Portable CIP Skid specifications

• Capacity from 50L to 150L
• Electric panel for temperature
• SS 304 construction
• One pump
• Top removable lid
• Heating tube
• Temperature gauge
• Mineral wool insulation
• Tank Inside finish, 2B; External finish, #4
• Inside and outside welds, removed and polished to #4