Telstar’s R&D team have developed and implemented a new automatic Clean in Place (CIP) system for lyophilisers, which dramatically reduces water consumption by up to 75%.
The system will be available for integration into all of the company’s industrial lyophilisers.
Savings provided by the CIP system is due to improvements in the mechanical design and control software, which improve cleaning functionality and optimise water consumption.
The automated CIP system has better ecological and process performance by taking advantage of the movement of the shelf stack to clean chamber walls, instrument and service connection ports, chamber-condenser isolation valve and the slot door by using a sweep water jet effect.
In addition, the cleaning cycle comprises several independent steps to reduce the required capacity of the impulsion pump and reduce water consumption.
The system has been optimised to minimise the retained volume of water in ‘recirculation’ mode and to reduce spraying time in ‘once-through’ mode.
The new design also minimises the internal distribution system and significantly reduces the number of spray nozzles and water flow rate.
An integrated internal cleaning system for freeze-dryers uses purified water or water for injection.
Telstar has achieved a reduction in total consumption of cleaning water in its industrial lyophilisers equipped with integrated CIP systems to less than 700l of water for a piece of equipment with a shelf capacity of 4m² and less than 1,600l for a unit with 40m² loading surface, while meeting required standards of cleanliness.