Method and system for operating a CIP pre-flush step using fluorometric measurements of soil content
AssigneeEcolab USA Inc.
InventorsAnthony Erickson, Peter J. Fernholz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A clean-in-place process may begin with a pre-rinse step in which soil (e.g., contaminants, residual product) is flushed from industrial equipment prior to circulating a cleaning agent through the equipment. To determine when the equipment has been suitably flushed, pre-rinse fluid exiting the industrial equipment and containing soil may be fluorometrically analyzed. A concentration of the soil is determined from fluorescent emissions emitted by the soil itself. Based on this information, the pre-rinse flushing process can be controlled, for example, to minimize water usage, maximize pre-rinse cleaning, or based on any other suitable metric.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- flushing at least one piece of equipment used to process a product with a pre-rinse fluid so as to remove residual product from the at least one piece of equipment, the residual product comprising molecules that fluoresce;
- fluorometrically analyzing the pre-rinse fluid downstream of the at least one piece of equipment by at least directing light into the pre-rinse fluid and generating fluorescent emissions from the molecules of the residual product that fluoresce;
- and
- terminating delivery of the pre-rinse fluid to the at least one piece of equipment based on the fluorometric analysis of the pre-rinse fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.