- CIP share
- About 20% of plant energy
- Tank cleaning
- Up to 70% less water and media
- Tanker CIP
- Up to 30 to 40% less time with INNOVA
- Calculator
- Heat energy and cost
Where CIP energy and water go
A typical hot CIP circuit runs a pre-rinse, an alkaline wash, an intermediate rinse, an acid wash, a final rinse and a sanitising step [2]. The Tetra Pak handbook gives typical values of 0.5 to 2% alkaline detergent at about 75 °C for 30 minutes and 0.5 to 1.5% acid at about 70 °C for 20 minutes [2]. Every degree and every minute is heat, water and pumping you pay for.
| Lever | What changes | Typical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Wash temperature | Run the alkaline wash at the lowest temperature that still cleans | Less steam or fuel per cycle |
| Cycle time | Validate shorter alkaline and acid steps | Less pumping, more production time |
| Recovery | Recover the final rinse for the next pre-rinse; re-use detergent | Less water and effluent |
| Dosing | Dose by conductivity, not by bucket | Less chemical, steadier results |
| Spray devices | Right-sized spray balls or rotary jet heads in tanks | Up to 70% less water and media (Alfa Laval) |
| Pumps | Correctly sized, efficient CIP pumps | Up to 30% pump energy saving (Alfa Laval) |
| Chemistry | Formulated detergents instead of plain caustic | Faster rinse, fewer re-cleans |
Formulated detergents or plain caustic soda?
Plain caustic soda removes fat, but it wets steel poorly and rinses slowly. A formulated alkaline cleaner such as INNOVA CIP 50 adds wetting and sequestering agents, so it can work at a lower strength or a shorter time and rinses faster. INNOVA CIP AlkaliPlus is dosed into an existing caustic circuit to boost fat and protein removal on high-load routes. On road tanker CIP, InnovaChem’s formulated programme has cut CIP time by up to 30 to 40%.
Estimate your heat saving
Enter your own numbers. The calculator works out the heat needed to warm your CIP water: energy = water mass × 4.186 kJ/kg·°C × temperature rise. It is an estimate for planning, not a guarantee. We confirm real savings in a trial at your plant.
Download: Process CIP verification log (PDF) InnovaChem checklist IC-CL-04. Free, no email needed.
Products used
Quick answers
How much energy does CIP use in a dairy?
Alfa Laval puts it at about 20% of a plant’s energy use on average. The exact share depends on the number of circuits, wash temperatures and how much rinse water is recovered.
How much water does CIP use?
It varies with the circuit size and the number of rinses. Recovering the final rinse for the next pre-rinse and using efficient tank cleaning devices are the biggest levers; Alfa Laval reports up to 70% less water and cleaning media from optimised tank cleaning.
Can I lower my CIP temperature without losing cleaning?
Often yes, with a formulated detergent and a validated cycle. Change one variable at a time and confirm with ATP swabs or micro tests before making it the standard.