What a portable CIP skid does

A CIP system is a small, self-contained cleaning plant. Instead of breaking down pipework, operators circulate heated caustic, acid, and rinse water through the same lines, tanks, fillers, and heat exchangers that carry product. The skid holds the solution, heats it, pumps it out, and takes it back through a return line to the sump.

We build these units in 200 L, 300 L, and 500 L working volumes on a caster-mounted frame, so one skid can serve several circuits. Single-, two-, and three-tank layouts are the usual starting points. A two-tank setup — caustic and rinse — covers most beverage and dairy lines. Acid recovery only pays off when cleaning runs often enough to justify the extra vessel and the floor space it eats.

Flow and pressure decide more projects than tank size does. A circuit with 40 m of 2-inch pipe and three spray balls needs a different pump curve than a 500 L vessel with one rotating spray head. Send us pipe diameter, total run, and the number of spray devices, and we size the pump so the return line keeps enough velocity to carry soil back.

Heating and control

Electric immersion heaters suit smaller skids and plants without steam. Where house steam exists, a plate or shell-and-tube exchanger heats faster and holds temperature with less element fouling. Temperature, flow, pressure, and level instrumentation are specified per project. PLC control with recipe storage and data logging is available, as is a simpler semi-automatic panel with manual valves.

Where these units run

Dairy receivers and pasteurizer circuits, brewery fermenters and transfer lines, syrup rooms, sauce kettles, cosmetic mixing vessels, and pharmaceutical process piping. Cleaning chemistry and validation needs vary by plant — we build to your procedure.

Specifications

Questions we get before quoting

Can one skid clean everything? Usually yes, if circuits are valved separately and the pump is sized for the hardest one.

How much water per cycle? Depends on line volume and rinse steps; give us your pipe schedule and we calculate it.

Is PLC control necessary? Not always. If operators run the same three recipes, a semi-automatic panel is often enough.

Request a configuration

To recommend the right unit, tell us your industry and product, tank and pipe details, required cleaning capacity, heat source, automation level, stainless grade, and installation site. We manufacture in-house and will come back with a layout and a price.