Hot cleaning in the food and beverage industry

Allgemeines

When cleaning in the industrial bread production it has to be distinguished between very different problems. As a Basic statement can be regarded, that all parts covered with bread dough as raw mixture can be cleaned with high-pressure cleaners and the corresponding chemicals, whereas the entire plants are to be cleaned with individual technologies.

The plant parts cleaned by us are cutting machines with packing tables, so-called packers, conveyors after the ovens etc. All parts were covered with oils (soy oil, line seed oil etc.) as well as breadcrumbs, partly also in combination and burned-in. Furthermore we have cleaned conveyors covered with flour dough.

Bread cutting and packing plant for sliced goods: covered with edible oils and breadcrumbs. Previously cleaned with compressed air and rags!

Conclusion

All proven cleaning tasks could be solved with our standard technology without problems, and this although we have worked exclusively with pure water! Primarily for larger surfaces and / or tough dirt the possibility of working with a little more pressure.

Technical basics

• These packaging machines are used in the food and luxury goods industry. The range of application goes from the candy production up to the chocolate production.
• The small packing centers work in the branches of the food industry under the required hygienic basic conditions where cleanness is „supreme commandment“.
• The machines are manufactured from different material components and in different sizes.

Requirements / Applications

Previous technology

• With the hot air gun (with the consequence of damaging component parts) the caramel is heated.
• With a high-pressure cleaner (with the consequence of damaging component parts and extreme pollution of the environment) the hard caramel was broken off.
• The use of hot water, putty knife, brush, rags and cleaning agents pretty often found their right to exist at the machine, under best efforts of the maintenance personnel.
• Cleaning of the packaging plants was only possible under best efforts and great commitment of the maintenance personnel.
• Cleaning was very time-consuming due to high attentiveness for damage-free cleaning.

High rinsing performance up into the grooves and hexagon socket heads of the screws

Advantages of the ph-cleantec cleaning technology

• Very high economy by universal cleaning technology
• Cost-saving compared with the alternative technologies
• Damage-free cleaning even at sensitive components
• Universal cleaning technology

General information

Mineral water must be filled directly at the source. Transportation to external bottling factories is not permitted. In the bottling plants generally cleaning is effected with stationary medium pressure technologies by adding foaming acidic cleaning agents and an alkaline passivator.

In principle bottles of glass or PET from the deposit system are used and refilled. These bottles are cleaned and examined for break or remained contaminations. During the cleaning also existing labels of the pre-filling are removed. Faulty or soiled bottles are sorted out.

Possible solutions

Particularly when cleaning in the sensitive installation parts like the labelling station (s.o.) and the lifting columns with the nozzle Systems for filling our technology will obtain better effects by higher temperature and lower pressure than the existing technology. In this case this Technology even would be counterproductive and harmful.

Advantages of the ph-cleantec cleaning technology

• Optimal success and accessibility in the plants
• Mobile and immediately available system
• „Spontaneous use“ becomes possible without irrespective of the used cleaning agents in the central installation.
• Since it is possible to do without cleaning additives the risk of contamination of the environment is excluded.

General information

For cleaning in food processing or producing enterprises special cleaning methods are prescribed for those installation parts coming in contact with the food. Foaming acidic cleaning agents and alkaline passivators have to be used. These regulations do not apply to areas which do not get in contact with the food!

A filling machine for fresh food (noodles) was cleaned, which was covered with splashes of edible oil as well as strongly resinous edible oil (also burned-in). The entire plant is up to now thoroughly cleaned approx. 2 – 3 times per year, the contact areas daily. Cleaning took place during a production stop. The used cleaning Agent was A-Turbo, partly as diluted agent, partly as pre-sprayed concentrated Agent.

Conclusion

Pasta and noodle production (closing device, foil welding unit - before) (afterwards) (positioning columns - before) (afterwards) Conclusion of the enterprise: Cleaning with our technology offers a solution „for every day“ and it helps very efficiently to increase the status of cleanness as well as to reduce the time required for the basic cleanings! For the application in food contact zones a quick intermediate cleaning can be carried out by the high temperature using the own power cleaning agents.

General information

• Most of the process plants of a dairy are filling and packaging machines.
• The expenses for service and maintenance for these plants are immense. (Example dairy => 1/5 of the staff, approx. 120 of 700 employees)
• When cleaning inside the plants the cleaning agent gets in contact with the milk product (here: no application of our technology => CIP => cleaning in place)
• The surroundings of the packaging plants are always kept clean by medium-pressure cleaners (MPC) (due to the too low area capacity our system is unsuitable also in this case)
• High-pressure cleaners are no longer used in the dairy since the damages are too serious. Instead, it is operated with medium pressure (30 up to 70 bar, max. 100 l/min)
• The water is generated from the own processes and is approx. 60° C hot
• No disposal problems, because drainages available in the production lead the sewage into the central fat separator.
• Moreover great dairies have large truck fleet (Example dairy: approx. 60 trucks and approx. 30 tank trucks)

Application fields

• The drive systems of the packaging plants are highly complicated and sensitive
• Soiling consists of oil and fat as well as slight production residues
• They cannot be cleaned by means of high-pressure/medium-pressure cleaners, because otherwise the sensitive mechanical system would be damaged
• Hand cleaning (brush/rag) is too time-consuming and complicated because of the complexity of the plants, particularly as the result might be satisfying only to a limited extent
• Repair/maintenance of pumps, motors and compressors which cannot be disassembled because of their size must be cleaned on site
• Utility vehicle workshop

General information

The zones interesting for the cleaning in an animal feed producing enterprise are: motors of production plants, dyes carrying lines/pipes, workshop, storage silos, pumps and valves.

• It can be assumed that analogous to „other“ feed manufacturers the packaging plants are also soiled and are cleaned regularly.
• Pollutions which were mainly found are: - dried grain and flour residues (e.g. fish flour); frequently mixed with oils (from the production and the machines) - very color intensive and colorfast dyes which e.g. are used for colouring of fish food - usual oily and greasy pollutions from the workshop
• There is a cold-cleaning washstand and a high-pressure cleaner. In zones where due to the complexity of the plants or the high water quantity a high-pressure cleaner cannot be used the subject „cleaning“ is very much neglected. According to the information of the employees the big animal food silos have not been cleaned for decades.
• The typical workshop dirt is eliminated with a cold-cleaning washstand but until today a really satisfying solution for the cleaning of oily flour grain- dust deposits was not yet found.

Results

• As usual, the „workshop dirt“ could be removed without problems. The result could be achieved even faster thanks to the application of an alkine cleaning agent.
• The typical animal feed production soiling could be removed easily.

Pigment residues on pumps and lines have also been cleaned easily and quickly. Contrary to the oily flour-grain dust the dyes was, however, more obstinate. Cleaning took a little more time.

Conclusion

• The ease, in particular, with which the very good cleaning results were achieved fascinated the customers.
• In order to get a higher performance of surface (reasonable if the customers want to clean larger storage silos) the use of a DP-/DH device would be appropriate.

Technical basics

Mixing of dressings and herbs in the food industry
staff
cleanness in the production
cleaning without any residues

Functional principle

By mutually rotating mixing rotors the optimal and homogenous mixture of the food is ensured. Proper function can only be guaranteed by 100 % cleanness since the food which is mixed is highly concentrated. On the part of the manufacturer a thorough cleaning of the mixers must be carried out before switching over to an new product.

Application/requirement

Fast, cost-effective, effective cleaning and no danger for the employees

Previous technology

Damp cloth and manual cleaning

Advantages of the ph-cleantec technology

• Universal cleaning technology
• Time saving by unnecessary laborious manual cleaning
• High effectiveness, even in areas that are difficult to access
• Damage-free cleaning even at sensitive components

General information

• The majority of the operational plants in an industrial butchery are filling and packaging plants.
• The maintenance and servicing costs for these plants are enormous.
• Animal fats and protein compounds can be cleaned.
• The surroundings of the packaging plants gets kept clean by the median pressure cleaner (MPC, 30 to 70 bar, max. 100 l/min).
• High pressure cleaner are not in use anymore, because the damage is too serious.
• The water is generated by own processes and is approx. 60°C hot.
• No disposal problem in the production area, due to draining, which carry the sewage in central fat separators.
• Furthermore own big butcheries and sausage filling companies own also big truck fleet parks.

Advantages

• No Damage in den plants
• Mobile, on-site usable
• High accessibility
• Can be used during the ongoing production
• Replaces inconvenient and time-consuming cleaning by hand
• Cleaning of the filling and packaging plants (drive trains) only with clear and hot water
• Mincer and further tools are cleaned without residue from sausage meat
• No/low splash effects
• Can also be pre sprayed with the own cleaner
• Repairs / Servicing of screw-conveyors, motors and superchargers, which usually cannot be dismounted due to its frame size, but need to be cleaned on-site

General information

Fresh fruit, inter alia apples and pears, are delivered just in time. Due to the pressing the juice is generated of the fruits. The juice is bottled in the production plants.

Principally the bottles made of glass are used from the deposit system and get refilled. These bottles are cleaned and get analyzed for glass breakage, respectively remaining soiling's. Regarding the cleaning, the existing labels of the previous fillings are also removed. Faulty or soiled bottles are rejected.

Possible approaches

In particular, the cleaning of the conveyors and the cider presses demonstrates a very good cleaning possibility. Because glass breakages on the conveyors can arise easily, the cleaning need to proceed fast and clean without any chemicals. Even, after the pressing the plant need to be

Advantages

• Optimal success and accessibility in the plants
• Mobile and fast available system
• „Spontaneous usage“ becomes possible, even without having consideration for the cleaner, which is used in the central plant
• The risk of contamination of the surroundings is eliminated due to the possibility to spare cleaning agents

Requirements

• Cleaning of the drainage channels among other from bacterias and ice cream residues
• Cleaning under the ice cream tanks
• Tool and further maintenance tasks

Advantages of the low pressure hot water cleaning system

• High accessibility especially in the gutters
• Fast and efficient cleaning
• With the push and pull lance simple and easy method to clean under the containers
• Universal cleaning technology for a variety of other tasks