Why Remove CO2 Before CIP Cleaning?
The presence of leftover CO2 from fermentation in brewery vessels leads to a plethora of problems for CIP processes that are both environmentally and financially costly to breweries:
1. Tank Damage: Residual CO2 can lead to rapid pressure decreases when combined with caustic cleaning chemicals, potentially causing damage to your brewery vessels if not vented properly. Sodium hydroxide based cleaning liquids can react with the leftover CO2 gas to create a solid sodium bicarbonate – a rapid reaction that causes intense vacuum forces that at minimum can damage internal cooling jackets, and at worst collapse an entire tank.
2. Reduced Cleaning Efficacy: The CO2 can neutralize caustic cleaning agents, diminishing their effectiveness and leading to sub-par hygiene levels in your brewing vessels. Operators can be tricked into thinking they are cleaning with the right concentration of chemicals, however after the CO2 neutralization occurs, they may end up merely rinsing with clean water which will not provide proper sanitization. Not only will you be wasting expensive chemicals, but the reaction that forms sodium bicarbonate can create foam and particulates that can potentially make their way into the next batch of beer.
3. Increased Water Usage: The neutralization process necessitates the use of additional CIP chemicals and rinse water, thereby increasing municipal water consumption and sewage disposal. Not only does this increase the operational costs for the brewery, but wastes precious clean water resources that neighboring communities depend on.
4. Elevated Labor Costs: The above complications culminate in reduced cleaning efficiency, leading to increased labor costs, as more time and resources are required to achieve desired cleanliness levels. Brewery vessels are cleaned every day, with different operators, sometimes using different methods. Without careful process oversight and well defined standard operating procedures (SOP’s), breweries can find themselves in an expensive and dangerous situation.
The BrewOps Purge: The Solution to Brewery CIP Related CO2 Challenges
Faced with these challenges, it’s clear that breweries need an innovative solution. Enter the BrewOps Purge, a game-changing tool designed to enhance your brewing operations.
The BrewOps Purge offers remarkable advantages. This fast to install and easy to use portable solution can be used not only during the traditional CO2 purge process of brite tanks but also on the drain of fermenters to ensure leftover CO2 from fermentation is effectively removed. This is achieved by driving out the residual CO2 with compressed air, while monitoring the exiting oxygen concentration from the drain of the vessel.
BrewOps Purge provides transparency and repeatability, notifying operators with visible LED blink patterns and mobile app notifications, when oxygen levels are back to acceptable levels. Regardless of how long the tank was vented prior to blowing down with compressed air, BrewOps Purge provides a clear signal that you can proceed with the cleaning process without the fear of CO2-related complications.
When using BrewOps Purge you can
1. Increase Transparency: By monitoring oxygen levels, it becomes straightforward to understand when the CO2 purge process is complete, saving time and money.
2. Improve Consistency: Each purge operation can be executed with the same level of effectiveness, regardless of operator, ensuring a consistent cleaning process.
3. Decrease Material Waste: By optimizing the CO2 purge process, chemical and water waste is significantly reduced.
4. Boost Efficiency: By ensuring complete CO2 removal, cleaning effectiveness is enhanced, labor costs are minimized, and brewery profits are increased.
Conclusion
In the craft brewing industry, efficiency, consistency, and quality are paramount. BrewOps Purge facilitates all these and more by ensuring effective CO2 removal before CIP cleaning. Don’t let residual CO2 damage your expensive equipment, compromise the quality of your product, or disrupt your brewing process wasting precious financial resources. Embrace BrewOps Purge and watch your operations transform, allowing you to spend less effort cleaning, and more time brewing delicious beverages.
By incorporating BrewOps Purge into your brewery, you can not only mitigate the risks associated with CO2 but also enjoy a more streamlined, eco-friendly, and cost-effective cleaning process. Cheers to that!
