Cleaning-in-Place for Pharma Applications

CIP for Pharmaceutical Process Plants

Clean-in-Place (CIP) and Sterilize-in-Place (SIP) systems are designed to both automate essential cleaning and disinfection processes and remove the need for time-consuming disassembly and assembly work.

Process optimisation depends on efficient, effective cleaning. Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems can be incorporated into all the equipment produced by GEA for the pharmaceutical industry, including both solid and liquid dosage formulation systems. Automating the cleaning process ensures repeatability, allows validation and minimizes downtime.

Compliant Cleaning Solutions and Cost Benefits

The most effective way to implement CIP technology is to design it into a process. Incorporating spray systems, tank cleaners, nozzles and seals to automate the cleaning process, we at GEA consider every aspect of your system when applying CIP features, from inlet to discharge.

Automating the cleaning cycle essentially converts batch pharmaceutical processes into a continuous operation of production and cleaning cycles. The advantages of CIP include 

  • reduced cleaning cycle times 
  • optimized use of detergent and water 
  • eliminates manual cleaning. 

At the heart of our CIP system is an advanced Wash Liquid Preparation Unit, which handles all filtering, preheating, mixing and pumping of water, detergents and demineralized water. It provides continuous monitoring and control of cleaning parameters, including flow rate, detergent concentration, temperature and wash time for full process validation.

CIP/WIP System Skids

CIP Skid for Solid Dosage

In today's pharmaceutical processes, integrated CIP solutions play a key role: from system skid selection to identifying the intended targets and required parameters. Variables such as temperature, velocity/pressure, chemical concentration and exposure time can all be controlled using a programmable GEA CIP skid to deliver reliable, repeatable and verifiable results.

Our CIP/WIP system skids are designed, engineered, fabricated, automated and tested in-house. This vertically integrated approach allows for open communication between disciplines, enabling rapid response times to any variances that occur during the project lifecycle. A qualified Project/Process Engineer is assigned to your project to facilitate discussions regarding site-specific requirements, integration concerns and final FAT protocols.

In addition to defining and configuring your system skid, GEA can further assist you to integrate CIP into your hygienic process and plant, ranging from conventional "make/break" manual flow panel methodology to the latest in matrix piping technology that utilizes mix-proof valve systems.

GEA's CIP units are designed to guarantee successful cleaning and reduced waste generation. They can be integrated for the single use recovery of cleaning media, for single or multi-stream routes as well as for online and offline cleaning and sanitization. Our units provide functionality for CIP/SIP configurable recipes for water rinses, chemical washes, blow down and air drying, sanitation (heat or chemical), and flow, pressure, concentration and temperature controls

Combined with our GEA VARIVENT® valves and spray jets ranges, our CIP systems provide a safe solution for product and cleaning efficiency. GEA also offers wash systems for mobile tanks and IBCs.

Receive news from GEA

Stay in touch with GEA innovations and stories by signing up for news from GEA.

Contact us

We are here to help! With just a few details we will be able to respond to your inquiry.