Jun 4, 2019

Level Measurement Solutions for Clean-in-Place Skids

Clean-in-place (CIP) is a method of cleaning the interior surfaces of pipes, vessels, process equipment, filters, and associated fittings without disassembly. Industries that rely heavily on CIP are those requiring the highest levels of hygiene, and include: dairy, beverage, brewing, processed foods, pharmaceutical & biotech, and cosmetics. Using a clean-in-place system is a highly efficient way of ensuring cleanliness and safety while maintaining process equipment.

This blog post, part of the Magnetrol® series on modular skid systems, discusses how clean-in-place systems can be configured as skids, and level measurement instrumentation that can be used to ensure these systems run more smoothly.

clean-in-place

Skid Configurations and Applications

CIP skids clean and sterilize process systems to the highest hygienic standards. A sterilization-in-place (SIP) process (attained by steam, hot water, or chemical means) is typically included, as is a chemical dosing system, tubular heat exchanger, chemical reclamation, and rinse water recovery system. Water is pumped into rinse and detergent tanks, is dosed with detergent and chemicals, then heated and pumped to applications. Spent wash returns to the recovery tank for caustic reclamation. Typical CIP/SIP phases are: pre-rinse, alkaline wash, primary air-blow, rinse, acid wash, secondary air-blow, water for injection rinse, sterilization, and final air-blow.

Level Measurement Solutions

Below are common level measurement applications for clean-in-place skids and their corresponding level measurement solutions:

  • Rinse Tank: Water is pumped from the rinse tank in pre-rinse and subsequent rinse phases that follow the wash cycles. Level controls maintain water level in the rinse tank. For continuous level, the Eclipse® Model 706 guided wave radar transmitter is recommended.
  • Detergent Tank: The bulk cleaning liquid and water are pumped to the detergent tank before each cleaning cycle to make up a batch of detergent. The detergent is typically pumped through a plate heat exchanger for more effective cleaning. For continuous level, the ECLIPSE Model 706 guided wave radar transmitter is recommended.
  • Recovery Tank: A CIP caustic recovery system reclaims useable caustic solution from spent caustic streams. The spent CIP caustic solution is collected in a recovery tank and is processed through a membrane system in batch or continuous modes. For continuous level, the ECLIPSE Model 706 guided wave radar transmitter is recommended.
  • Chemical Tanks: The most common basic cleaners metered from storage tanks are potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide. A base wash is often followed by an acid wash of phosphoric acid, acetic acid, or citric acid. For continuous level, the ECLIPSE Model 706 guided wave radar transmitter is recommended.

More Information

For more information on clean-in-place skids and other modular skid system applications, download the modular skid systems brochure.