What Is CIP

CIP is one of the most commonly used terminologies in the pharmaceutical industry, but many beginners and professionals are not aware of what CIP is, so in this article, we will discuss CIP and the stages of CIP.

What Is CIP?

CIP stands for ‘Clean In Place’ &  clean in place means to clean something in its place without moving or dismantling.

Explanation 

CIP is the automated cleaning process used in pharmaceutical industries for the cleaning of different equipment by using water, detergent, compressed or hot air. The equipment parts are dismantled, washed,dried & assembled in conventional cleaning methods which requires more labour and more time but thanks to automation where by using CIP system we can wash and dry equipment without dismantling in short period of time.

Steps Of CIP

CIP steps are as given,

  1. Pre Rinsing 
  2. Chemical Washing 
  3. Intermediate Rinsing 
  4. Final Rinsing 
  5. Drying 

Pre Rinsing 

Pre-rinsing is the first step of CIP or clean in place, where the adhered material with equipment, pipes and filters is removed with the introduction of a pressurised stream of water. In pre-rinsing, the hot water can also be introduced if required.

Chemical Washing

After pre-rinsing, the equipment is washed with food-grade detergent. The recommended concentration of food-grade detergent solution is filled in the detergent tank and is delivered to the equipment at a defined rate. The supply of detergent from the reservoir tank is controlled by a pressure pump.

Intermediate Rinsing

When equipment is thoroughly washed with detergent solution, it is again rinsed with water to remove detergent, and this step is known as intermediate rinsing.

Final Rinsing

When the detergent is completely removed from the equipment, it is finally rinsed with purified water or water for injection (as per requirement) again to ensure final rinsing 

Drying of equipment 

Compressed air or hot air is used to dry the equipment.

Advantages Of CIP

Benefits of a clean-in-place are as follows,

  • Time Saving 
  • Consistent Results 
  • Enhance Equipment lifespan 
  • Operator Safety 
  • Regulatory Compliance 

Time Saving 

As we discussed earlier, the CIP is an automated process, so it requires less time to clean the equipment as compared to the manual cleaning activity.

The estimated cleaning time with CIP is 1 to 2 hrs as compared to the manual cleaning time, which may be 6 to 7 hrs or longer, depending upon the types of equipment.

Consistent Results 

The results of cleaning validation by using the CIP system are uniform & consistent as compared to the manual cleaning method due to the fact that in CIP, the chances of human error are negligible.

Enhance Equipment lifespan 

As the equipment is cleaned without moving and dismantling, the equipment’s life span is enhanced due to less wear and tear.

Operator Safety 

The CIP system results in enhanced operator safety as there is no direct contact with the cleaning chemicals.

Regulatory Compliance

The CIP system meets regulatory requirements.

CIP Equipment 

The CIP equipment itself utilises the pressure pumps, SS transfer lines, spray ball system, detergent supply system and compressed air or hot air supply system.

Types of Spray Balls

3 types of spray balls are used,

  • Static Spray Balls
  • Rotary Spray Balls 
  • Rotary Jet Head

Also Read

  1. Line clearance in pharma
  2. Process validation 
  3. RO water system