Recommendations for rationalizing cleaning-in-place in the dairy industry: Case study of an ultra-high temperature heat exchanger

• Published in: Journal of dairy science 2010-02, Vol.93 (2), p.808-821
• Main Authors: Alvarez, N., Daufin, G., Gésan-Guiziou, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural sciences; Animal productions; Biological and medical sciences; case studies; cleaning in place; dairy industry; Dairying - instrumentation; Dairying - methods; Detergents; Disinfection - methods; effluent; Equipment Contamination - prevention & control; Food industries; Food-Processing Industry - instrumentation; Food-Processing Industry - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; heat exchangers; Hot Temperature; Hygiene and safety; Life Sciences; management; milk; new methods; Reproducibility of Results; sensor; sensors; sterilizers; Terrestrial animal productions; UHT treatment; Vertebrates
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2009-2760

The objective of this work was to propose a new strategy, based on objective and rational arguments and calculations, that can be implemented by plant designers and operators in the dairy industry to reduce operating time and the volume and load of effluents. The strategy is based on the on-line and off-line use of sensors and tracers, the accuracy, relevance, and robustness of which were evaluated for each phase of the sequence used for cleaning an industrial sterilizer. The efficient duration of each phase of the cleaning sequence (management of the end of operation) and the sorting of the fluids (management of mixtures and destination of fluids) were determined in real time. As a result, significant reduction in total overall duration of the cleaning sequence, wastewater volume (waste volume was reduced by half), and detergent volume (caustic soda and acid was reduced by up to a few tens of kilograms per cleaning) was achievable.