Cleaning in place
The term cleaning in place (CIP) or localized cleaning describes a procedure for cleaning process engineering systems (e.g. pharmaceutical production systems, bio-systems).
Procedure
In the cleaning process, by definition, the system is cleaned on the surfaces in contact with the product without any significant disassembly . A reproducible process is established through the exact definition of cleaning agents, pressures, temperatures and times . Cleaning in Place was originally developed for the food and dairy industry.
Location-specific cleaning process
Flushing processes and the boiling of systems are usually used for this purpose .
Process of a CIP in the food industry:
- Pre-rinse to remove coarse soiling
- Cleaning with an alkaline agent (possibly with additives to better keep dirt particles in suspension)
- Rinse detergent with water
- Acids to remove limescale and lye stone
- Rinse out acid
- Disinfection to kill the vegetative microorganisms
- Rinse out disinfectant, e.g. B. with ultrapure water
Disinfection and acidification can also take place in one step.
Pharmaceutical Industry
In the pharmaceutical industry , CiP describes a validated cleaning process. The validation of a cleaning process can sometimes be very complex (for example the validation effort as for the actual process validation).
In order to develop cleaning processes, it is important to know the properties of the auxiliary and active substances in order to be able to select the appropriate cleaning agent. Sometimes the wrong choice of cleaning agent can significantly increase cleaning times.
Cleaning procedures can be modeled using the Sinner's circle (chemistry, time, mechanical energy, temperature).
Sequence of a cleaning process in the pharmaceutical industry:
- Pre-rinsing with cold tap water (preventing auxiliary substances from swelling)
- Wash cycle with detergent and higher temperature
- Rinse with tap water (to remove surfactants)
- Rinse with Aqua purificata (saves a disinfection step and prevents limescale deposits)