EN894

overview

REDUCING WATER USE THROUGH

CLEANING-IN-PLACE (CIP)

This leaflet targets

any business where
cleaning of vessels
and pipework is an
issue. It details the
benefits of using
cleaning-in-place
(CIP) technology over
manual cleaning, how
to optimise existing
CIP systems and
highlights the cost
savings that can be
achieved through its
implementation.

All cleaning processes are

designed to remove soil from
processing equipment, in the
case of CIP, this is done by
circulating a cleaning fluid
through the equipment with little
or no disassembly. In addition,
water use can be greatly
reduced and cleaning
performance improved by
ensuring spray devices are
designed for purpose and with
water efficiency in mind.
CIP has advantages over manual
cleaning methods, including:

increased vessel cleanliness

due to the use of well
designed spray nozzles and
the type of chemicals and
high temperatures employed;

reduced water and chemical

consumption;

the opportunity to recover

and re-use fluids;

high levels of automation.

REDUCING WATER USE THROUGH CLEANING-IN-PLACE (CIP)

BATCH CHEMICAL
MANUFACTURER SAVES
WITH CIP
A company manufacturing resinbased additives used a hot
caustic solution to clean
vessels, a process that took
several hours and resulted in
significant downtime. The use
of high-pressure CIP systems
realised cost savings of over
2 million/year from increased
productivity and eliminated the
need for hazardous chemicals a saving of over 20,000/year.
Capital and installation costs of
182,000 resulted in a payback
of around one month. See
Envirowise case study CS273
for further details.

Where to save water

TIP: Put a sub meter in
the water line to the CIP
set and monitor how much it
uses.

Optimising CIP
programmes
Existing CIP systems may not be
optimised, resulting in excessive
water and chemical use. For
example, on a CIP set which
washes different sizes of vessels,
the timings may be set for the
largest one; add alternative
programs for smaller ones to save
time and water.
Significant savings can be made
by reviewing your CIP
requirements. For example, check:

IMPROVED CASK
WASHING
A brewery redesigned the spray
nozzle on the cask washer to
improve the spray action and
ensure better contact with the
cask. This resulted in more
efficient use of water and
reductions in steam use,
maintenance requirements and
volume of effluent generated.
Although the capital expenditure
was high, the payback was
around 13 months.

flow rates and cycle times Can these be reduced to save

water, chemicals, downtime
and energy?
cycle volumes - Are these
adjusted according to the
circulation volume of the pipe
or plant being cleaned?
sequencing - Are all cycles
required? For example, do they
all need both acid and caustic
washes?
temperature - Do all cycles
require hot water?

Optimising the pre-rinse

Ensure this rinse has cleared all

the loose soil.

Rinsing in bursts (eg 10

seconds on/20 off) and
scavenging the fluid
continuously to drain uses less
water and rinses more
effectively.

High pressure/low volume

spray heads are water efficient,
but can take longer to rinse due
to their spray pattern.

TIP: Under-rinsing will

contaminate the dilute
detergent and means that
further rinses are required later.

Optimising the detergent

wash

Accurately control the

detergent concentration.

TIP: Caustic detergents

may not mix well and
settle in the tank and overconcentrations are hard to rinse.

Acidic detergents rinse more

easily than caustic ones, saving
water; adjust CIP times
accordingly.

CIP FINE TUNING PAYS OFF

A dairy reviewed its water use and identified CIP rinses as large users of
water. An investigation found that the limits set on the conductivity
meter were too stringent. The rinse volumes were reduced without
compromising hygiene standards, achieving a water reduction of
32,000 m3/year. In addition, operators now flush the vessels at the end
of the day before CIP, reducing the solid waste load from 20% to 5-6%.

Envirowise Advice Line 0800 585794

www.envirowise.gov.uk

Mains cold water

Level
probes

Interface
probe

Detergent
strength
probe

Concentrated
detergent
tank
Dilute
detergent
tank

Pre-rinse
tank

Scavenge
pump

Post-rinse
tank
CIP
delivery
pump

Circulation
pump

Lagging

From plant

To plant
Heat exchanger
Detergent
pump

Drain

Drain

Drain

Drain

Fig 1 Schematic of CIP system

Have a schedule for emptying

and remaking the dilute
detergent, then experiment with
extending it.
All concentration probes must
be cleaned and checked
regularly, particularly in hard
water areas.

Optimising post rinse

Getting timings correct is

crucial to making efficient use
of water.

Disinfectant

TIP: Consider chemical

disinfection to replace
hot water or steam.

Final rinse

Use just enough water to clear

the disinfectant, do not overrinse.

TIP: Pressure fluctuations

may compromise the
effectiveness of rinses directly
from the mains.

TIP: Over-rinsing is
common at this CIP stage:
check when the detergent has
cleared, add a safety margin and
set the rinse time accordingly.

Changes to the equipment

Any changes to pipes, tanks,
pumps, pressures, temperatures,
plant configurations etc will affect
the efficiency and the water use of
CIP.

Often the CIP times are simply

lengthened.

Pipework dead legs may have

been created.

Turbulent flow may not be

achieved.

Spray heads may be under (or

over) pressurised.

Poor scavenging causes

pooling in the equipment and
poor CIP.

Disinfectant rinse

Discuss different types of

disinfectant with your supplier.
Some need less rinsing than
others, and some can be
recovered for re-use.

CUTTING FINAL RINSE TIME ACHIEVES REDUCTION IN

WATER USE BY CIP
When staff at a brewery examined the CIP cycle, they found that the
final rinses used excessive amounts of water. The rinse time was cut
from six bursts of six seconds each to six bursts of four seconds. This
simple measure reduced water consumption in the final rinse from
10,000 m3/month to 7,700 m3/month. This 23% reduction in water
use saved the brewery 44,000/year.

Envirowise Advice Line 0800 585794

www.envirowise.gov.uk

TERMINOLOGY
Soil - is the material present in the
equipment, which CIP is trying to
remove.
TIP: Dried or baked on
soils need more CIP time,
so avoid this by cleaning
immediately after production.
Detergent - removes soil; usually
alkaline (caustic) or acidic and
used hot or cold.
Disinfectant (or sterilant) - kills
micro-organisms and reduces their
population to a level which no
longer presents a hazard to health
and will not cause spoilage.
Sanitiser - removes soil and kills
micro-organisms (ie detergent and
disinfectant properties), and may
be used hot or cold.
TIP: Use a sanitiser if the
cleaning task is not
difficult, to save CIP time and
water.
Interface - the area where one
fluid mixes with another as it flows
though a pipe.
Sprayball or sprayhead distributes fluid within a vessel so
that it covers all the surfaces.
Line cleans - cleaning pipes by
CIP; the cleaning fluid needs to
reach a high enough velocity to
achieve turbulent flow.

FURTHER INFORMATION
TIP: Get expert advice if
you think flow is not
turbulent.
Pumps - delivery pumps send
fluid from the CIP set to the
equipment and scavenge pumps
bring it back again.
TIP: Poor scavenging is
very common in CIP check to see if fluid is pooling
in a vessel by holding the
program and looking inside at
various times.
Dead leg - a dead end in a
pipework system where flow can
become stagnant, and bacteria
can build up.
Dilute detergent tank - holds
detergent at a concentration ready
for use.
Full recovery CIP - circulates
dilute detergent and recovers as
much as possible for use during
the next clean.
Total loss CIP - operates by
injecting concentrated chemicals
into mains water flow then
circulating around the equipment.
All wastewater is discharged to
drain.
TIP: If you have a total
loss CIP set, change it for
one with full recovery and ask
potential suppliers how much
water it will use.

The Enhanced Capital Allowance

(ECA) scheme1 enables
businesses to claim 100% first
year capital allowances in
investment in CIP equipment
named in the Water Technology
List.
The following CIP equipment is
supported:

Monitoring and control

equipment

Spray devices

Further information and advice

can be found at:
www.envirowise.gov.uk
www.eca-water.gov.uk
1

Developed by Defra and HM Revenue &

Customs in partnership with Envirowise.

Envirowise publications:
EN660 Reducing water use in
catering establishments
EN661 Reducing water use in
laundries
EN662 Understanding leaks,
water pressure and meters
EN663 Reducing water use:
showers
EN664 Reducing water use in
washrooms: taps
EN665 Understanding water
and wastewater bills
EN666 Reducing water use in
washrooms: urinals
EN667 Reducing water use in
washrooms: WCs
EN893 Product recovery reducing water use and
improving resource efficiency

Prepared with assistance from Ashact, a Division of Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited.

Harwell | Didcot | Oxfordshire | OX11 0QJ | E advice@envirowise.gov.uk | www.envirowise.gov.uk

Envirowise - sustainable practices, sustainable profits. Envirowise is a Government-funded programme dedicated to putting the sustainable use of resources at the heart of business practice.
It is managed by AEA Technology plc and Serco TTI. Envirowise is funded by Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and Invest Northern Ireland.
Crown copyright. First printed July 2008. Printed on paper containing 80% recycled post-consumer fibre.
This material may be freely reproduced in its original form except for sale or advertising purposes.