Process piping

Process piping is the network of pipes that carries products, raw materials, cleaning agents and utilities between equipment in a plant. In the food and cosmetics industries, it has to meet strict hygiene requirements. Process piping is made of stainless steel, joined by welding or with special hygienic fittings, and designed without dead legs, meaning places where product collects and is not flushed out during cleaning. The pipes also need the right slope so they can be drained completely.

Most such installations are cleaned using the CIP (Clean In Place) method, meaning without dismantling. Water, cleaning solutions and disinfectants are pumped through the pipes and tanks in a set sequence. This means the piping has to be designed not only for the product, but also for effective cleaning.

Example of a dead leg: In a sugar syrup installation, there is a pipe branch closed off with a blind cap. Syrup flows into it but does not flow through it. During cleaning, water and cleaning agents pass by the branch and do not reach its end. Sweet syrup stays there, yeast and bacteria grow in it quickly, and it then contaminates the next batches of the beverage.

Example of CIP cleaning: When beverage production ends, the system automatically pumps through the pipes and tanks, in sequence: water to rinse out residue, a hot alkaline solution to remove organic soil, water again, an acid solution to remove mineral deposits, and finally a rinse water. Nobody has to take the pipes apart or climb into the tanks.