CIP cart Savings?

[Ted Briggs]

I'm looking for real world numbers on the savings of using a CIP system. I'm familiar with acid re-use in a keg washer but whats the realistic savings for re-using caustic for tank CIP. I'm trying to do a cost/benefit with payback time.

Responses from those who own /run them please, i'm already well aware of the process and theory.

Thanks

[dick murton]

I'm not sure that in a small brewery they actually save a lot of revenue money. This is mainly due to the small quantities used, and if using caustic for cleaning FVs / CTs, the amount of caustic degradation means that the caustic is often useless afterwards due to carbonate content, or carbonate and solids removed from the vessel.

However, they do you allow you to hot clean where appropriate, and maintain the cleaning temperature as desired, which improves the cleaning and sanitation. They also allow you, if the total system is designed correctly, to keep the bottom of the vessels scavenged more or less continuously, which again, improves the cleaning - though often this is only noticeable over a couple of years. It often increases safety, of the plant being cleaned, and more importantly, the beer, and even more importantly, the people, but again, this is down to the design of the entire system.

Even in a small system - 10 to 1500 litres, I would prefer to have a simple two tank system, with the ability to utilise hot detergent.