Discover the critical role of CIP optimization in achieving quality and sustainability in brewing.
By Andrew Klosinski, Senior Process Engineer
The brewing industry is experiencing significant changes from all directions. Breweries are dealing with a shrinking knowledge base due to retirements and turnover, facing hiring challenges and operating with lean staffing. This limits the time available for brewing personnel to accomplish everything that is asked of them. As a result, there is less understanding of clean-in-place (CIP) systems and little time to locate documentation on aging assets and outdated facility drawings. As well, there’s increased scrutiny of performance metrics and heightened attention on sustainability. Despite these challenges, there are opportunities to optimize, and CIPs hold the keys to many benefits for a brewery. Let’s jump in…
Efficient Brewing is a Balancing Act
As brewers, we use our creativity and skills to produce the best and most appealing product for our patrons. In short, we brew – or that is what the outside world thinks we do. In reality, much of our time is devoted to the myriad activities that it takes to be successful in this challenging industry: production scheduling, equipment maintenance, and materials procurement along with personnel-related items such as staffing, safety and training. Some days it is nearly all we can do to get beer out the door to our customers.
And then, after all of that, we turn our remaining attention and resources to cleaning and sanitation.
Brewing Success Built on Cleaning and Sanitation
Our consumers may not give it a thought, but as brewers, our success is built on a foundation of our cleaning and sanitation capabilities and practices. With sanitation being such a fundamental aspect of brewing, it deserves and demands to be as important as the recipes and ingredients to which we devote so much energy and passion.
Think for a moment about your brewery. Where do CIPs fall in the hierarchy of knowledge, understanding and focus? Are they:
- Done well?
- Repeatable?
- Performed at the right frequency?
- Done in a sustainable manner?
- An afterthought or task to merely get through?
Make CIP More than a Check-the-box Exercise: Clean with Intent
Imagine what it looks like to take CIPs beyond a “check the box” exercise. Consider the benefits to your products. Consider the improvement to your profitability through reduced water, chemical, sewer or wastewater costs. Think of how this benefits your staff in terms of engagement and empowerment as they build skills, learn about, and take pride in a critical element of brewing.
Elevating your approach and philosophy to consistently executing a quality CIP is well within reach and pays dividends.
From this point forward, we will “Clean with Intent,” and, as with any journey, we will start at the beginning.
Clean with Intent requires us to have complete knowledge of the system hardware, instrumentation, and controls. It is guided, supported, and grounded by Change Management. Each step follows a path of Inquire, Observe, Document, Verify and Implement as shown in Figure 1.
Build CIP Knowledge with Three Questions
Learning begins with being inquisitive. We build our knowledge of a CIP by asking three questions:
- What is the intent of the CIP?
- Is the system capable of achieving these demands?
- Is the technology currently in place appropriate for the application?
In many cases, the first question – the intent of the CIP – may be a simple and straightforward conversation. For most, a CIP is intended to provide a clean and sanitary environment in which to brew, ferment, transport, filter, store, or package product. The exact definitions of “clean” and “sanitary” are likely where most of the discussion will occur. Spend the time needed and gather a team with a wide knowledge base to clearly set these expectations and establish specifications around “clean” and “sanitary.” Being able to quantify, measure, compare, and trend CIP data is key to success.
Once structure has been created around the intent of the CIP, determining its current state capability may spawn several conversations and will likely result in needing to do some homework. For many of us, we inherited the systems at our facilities. The original design and process flow have likely changed and expanded. Aging assets, varying levels of maintenance, and ever-increasing equipment costs may have resulted in the original CIP system looking quite different today than upon its commissioning. Example questions could resemble: What is the diameter of the CIP supply pump impeller? Did that CSS pump previously run at a fixed speed? When was the VFD added? Do you know what type of cleaning mechanism is in each vessel? Does each cleaning machine have the same diameter nozzle? And so forth.
Are Our Processes Keeping Pace with the Evolving Beer Industry?
With brewery portfolios expanding into different and novel beverages, give some thought to the implications this has on our CIP systems. For example, is a CIP system once designed solely for beer production capable of addressing and eliminating flavor carryover between batches? Do the current tank cleaning mechanisms have the capability to remove the solids and residue from new yeast strains, non-malt-based wort, or ever-changing adjuncts?
Capturing CIP Process Details with a Process Flow Diagram
As you can see, there can be numerous unknowns to resolve. This is where a process flow diagram (PFD) provides a starting point to aid the effort and help capture process details as they are learned (See example in Figure 2). Often CIPs are conducted through loops or circuits rather than in a single pass. With that, start with the cleaning solution tank and work your way through the loop, identifying and recording details on every pump, motor, valve, instrument, heat exchanger, chemical dosing point, cleaning machine, and vessel. Some of this work can be done leveraging existing process and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), information obtained through a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and equipment manuals. This valuable information reflects the current state of the CIP loop and leads us to the next step – verification.
Get out in the Field and Verify!
It is at this point we take our understanding of the process and physically verify its details – make, model, size, horsepower, diameter, measurement range, etc. This is a field effort and will necessitate climbing, crawling, dodging, and ducking as you follow the process. Along the way, you will be capturing nameplate and other important details to compare against the original PFD. What you find in the field may not always agree with past documentation. That’s okay, and is the point of this effort: we need to understand the constituents of the systems as they exist today. Armed with complete and current-state process information, we can now advance to answering the question – is the CIP system capable of achieving the demands and deliverables being asked of it?
The Four Fundamentals of Cleaning
After reviewing the details documented in the PFD, we can now determine the ability to achieve our definition of clean and sanitary against the four fundamental principles of cleaning – Time, Action, Chemical, and Temperature (TACT-Figure 3).
Concentration – Temperature and Chemical
For the CIP principles of temperature and chemical (type and concentration), we must consider what we are addressing in the cleaning process – such as solids, flavors, films, and foams. At this point, there is no better resource available to you than to work with your cleaning chemical representative. They have the resources and understanding to recommend and source cleaning agents specific to your application. Doing this on your own risks wasting resources (chemicals, water, labor), may unnecessarily expose your equipment to damage, and could be unsafe.
Early in my brewing career, I was asked, “What is the greatest tool available to you?” Giving this a moment, my mind went to thoughts of the many reference books amassed during school. I offered this up as my answer. “Good thought,” was the reply. “However, the greatest tool you have at your disposal is this,” pointing at the telephone. “With this, you can obtain help and knowledge on any subject just by calling an expert.” Simple, powerful, and oh so correct.
Please leverage the resources you have and are already paying for through your chemical purchases by reaching out to your chemical representative.
Engaging this support, you will receive guidance on temperature and concentration targets. We can then return to the PFD details and examine our system capabilities. Can it achieve the recommended temperatures? How are chemicals dosed, homogenized, circulated, and validated? Above all, can these be done safely?
Once capability has been proven, we verify it by measuring both cleaning solution temperature and concentration. Ideally, this is accomplished through in-line instrumentation. If unavailable, manual measurements are as valuable; they just require a bit more coordination, labor, and post-processing of the data. With either method, documentation is an important deliverable.
“By documenting the process conditions and results, you provide a clear record of the current process and a roadmap for future generations to follow.”
From these efforts, we have now achieved optimal temperatures and concentrations. Yet, a substandard CIP may still result. We must address all principles of cleaning equally. To that end, we turn our attention to cleaning action – the mechanics that deliver a great CIP.
From these efforts, we have now achieved optimal temperatures and concentrations. Yet, a substandard CIP may still result. We must address all principles of cleaning equally. To that end, we turn our attention to cleaning action – the mechanics that deliver a great CIP.
Time – It’s More Important Than You Think
What remains to achieve an ideal CIP? Time. The fourth and perhaps least understood aspect of cleaning. Knowing exactly how long it takes to clean, rinse, and sanitize tanks and pipes elevates a CIP from what may once have been “just another job to do” to something that will improve your product quality, enhance your sustainability footprint, and save money on chemicals and labor. OK, sounds amazing – how do we establish process times for each element of a CIP? Let’s take a look.
For vessels equipped with cleaning machines, vendors provide details on supply pressure, RPM and the number of revolutions required to complete one full wash cycle of the tank. Typically, higher cleaning solution supply pressures will result in an increase in RPM and the possibility of performing a tank wash in less time.
In Figure 5 below, you can see how a full cleaning cycle is achieved. Note how even with one pattern, the entire tank has been exposed to cleaning solution. Each subsequent pattern continues to fill in the spaces not initially impacted by the cleaning jet. Seeing and knowing how cycles and patterns work together is an important means to save time and water, particularly during pre-rinse, final rinse and sanitation. In these three scenarios, direct jet impingement of every square inch of the vessel is unnecessary because simply distributing, wetting vessel surfaces, and cascading of the cleaning solution is sufficient. Only during caustic cleaning is a full cycle necessary to ensure a completely clean vessel.
Calculating Cycle Time
Time (yes, I just said that) for a quick exercise. Let’s calculate the total time of a caustic cycle for our fermenter. From the cleaning machine manual, we determined that it takes 45 revolutions to complete one cycle. At our supply pressure of 125 PSI, our cleaning machine spins at 5 RPM. Here is the equation for cycle time:
For this example, the cycle time will be 9 minutes. Supplying caustic for less than this duration risks an incomplete cleaning. Time spent in caustic beyond what we calculated will yield diminishing returns and could be costing you production availability.
From what we just discussed, what would be an appropriate cycle time for a post-caustic rinse with process water? How many patterns are needed for a rinse? Give some thought to the purpose of a rinse. In such steps, we want to remove all traces of the caustic and return the tank to a neutral pH. With that, if you said that only one pattern is needed, you are on the right track. Running a fresh water rinse for 3 minutes would be a good starting point and would be verified through in-line monitoring or sample testing of the rinse water pH to ensure a complete rinse occurs.
Beyond the impact of time, think of the water savings available to you. Knowing the details of your CIP system equipment will result in savings in all forms.
For spray balls, we will take a different approach. Spray balls and pipes have much in common with regard to CIP time. In both cases, we need to perform each cleaning step in a “Price-is-Right” style – as long as necessary without going over. Fortunately, there are instruments and tools available to provide insight into our cleaning effectiveness as it is being performed.
CIP Effectiveness
An internal inspection of the vessel or piping is one of the most powerful and lowest-cost means to determine CIP effectiveness. Armed with nothing but a good flashlight, undesirables like solids, dried foams, or residual films can easily be seen. Be certain to check all sides, vessel tops, the cleaning machine itself, and piping for any signs of incomplete cleaning. It is recommended to perform these visual inspections at all points in a CIP – prior to pre-rinse, post-rinse, post-caustic wash, and after final rinse. With this, you have knowledge of the before and after of each step and can make adjustments to the cleaning times as needed.
Another means of effectivity quantifying a CIP is through the use of an inline turbidity sensor monitoring the return rinse and caustic solutions. As turbidity drops and maintains a zero value, the circuit may be considered clean, and the CIP step may advance. Having said that, nothing replaces a visual inspection as a final confirmation of CIP effectiveness. Such an inspection need not be performed each time a CIP is run. Rather, consider this an audit of the system that should be scheduled on a routine basis.
We are at the home stretch. The current state of each CIP has been researched and recorded in an updated PFD. Temperatures, concentrations, cleaning actions, and cycle times are all known and verified. All good, right? Nearly. This amazing body of work – investigating, documenting, testing, validating – has resulted in CIPs that provide absolutely clean process contact surfaces and are completed in less time, using less water and chemicals. Well done! How are these successes guaranteed for the future? Welcome Change Management.
Manage Changes to Sustain Improvements
Change management can take numerous forms and be done in dozens of ways. For our work, its sole purpose is to provide continuous assurance that what we have learned and the successes we have achieved with our CIPs stay successful going forward.
Can you think of an instance where you or a colleague observed a process deviation? When reviewing what happened in a team meeting, did someone suggest something along the lines of, “Just ask Tim to change the setpoint a bit. That will fix it.” Then, later that day, in a hasty hallway conversation, you ask Tim to make that process change and he does.
In this example, how do you feel about the solution vetting process? How well was the problem understood before proposing a process change? Are there any signs of documentation being performed? How well was this change communicated to production, quality and other stakeholders?
A Time-tested Change Management System
If you thought that this process change deserved better, you are correct. Scenarios like this happen daily. A single instance could be tolerated. However, it is the sum of the parts that slowly erodes away the foundation of our knowledge and allows uncertainty to creep back into our process. One of the most common and successful forms of Change Management is Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA-see Figure 6). This time-tested system follows nearly the same steps we just used to improve our CIPs:
| Plan: |
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| Do: |
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| Check: |
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| Act: |
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Credit: Johannes Vietze, PDCA Process, CC BY-SA 3.0
As with other problem-solving techniques, such as Lean or Six Sigma, the final undertaking of standardization in the Act Phase will ensure these improvements are now locked in and the process will not revert or deviate from its current state.
PDCA is a powerful process and is the core of a strong continuous improvement culture. For a more in-depth understanding of PDCA, please check out the American Society for Quality article here.
Closing Thoughts
What are your thoughts? Has this helped inspire a desire to take CIPs beyond just another daily task? Can you see the potential improvements to the bottom line and quality of your product? Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and make this a reality?
It is my intent to equip you with the knowledge needed to get started and work your way through the CIP improvement process. If you would like support or need help with this effort, please know that LSI can assist and guide you along this journey. LSI Listens.
About the author:
Andrew Klosinski has dedicated 14 years of his career to working in breweries before joining LSI. As a senior process engineer with an IBD diploma in brewing, he helps breweries across North America improve their operations. Passionate about the brewing industry, he sees tremendous potential for operational improvement. One key area of focus for Andrew is optimizing Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems, which he believes are essential to a company’s success. By improving CIP processes, breweries directly impact product quality, customer satisfaction, sustainability, safety, employee engagement, and the bottom line.