SUSTAINABILITY BULLETIN
SMALL BREWERY CIP PROCESS & RECOVERY SYSTEM
What is a CIP Process & Recovery System?
A CIP process & recovery system is equipment (typically brinks and a heat exchanger) that allow you to minimizing your
water & energy (electricity) consumption, while lowering your wastewater volume/concentration. This is necessary for
sustainable operation of your brewery.
Why should a small brewery (< 1,000 bbl) consider implementing or optimizing their CIP
process & recovery system?
• A CIP process & recovery system will allow a small craft brewer to significantly reduce the amount of water and CIP
chemicals used in CIP processes.
• A CIP process & recovery system can help reduce costs, allowing a small brewery to save money in their CIP process.
Things to consider for a small brewery CIP process & recovery system
1. Use one or more moderately sized (15 - 50 gallon) brinks for CIP processes.
1. The brinks can be any vessel that is 304 stainless steel or better, equipped with a bottom drain port, and a
second connection port (perhaps a tangential inlet on the side of the vessel).
2. Brinks are simple small tanks that allow CIP solutions to be recovered and reused in CIP processes.
2. Use a heat exchanger in concert with a CIP brink
1. This allows the reheating of the recovered CIP cleaning solutions.
2. There are several types of heat exchangers that can be employed in the CIP process, but the steam heated shell
and tube heat exchanger with a prefilter seems to be the simplest, most robust and economical option.
SUSTAINABILITY BULLETIN
SMALL BREWERY CIP PROCESS & RECOVERY SYSTEMS
CASE STUDY – Wooly Pig Farm Brewery (Fresno, OH) – annual production = 550 bbl
Equipment:
• Two (2) portable 30-gallon 304 stainless steel brinks with inlet and outlet connections
• Used to recover, store, and reuse caustic and acid CIP solutions.
• One (1) small 316L stainless steel steam heated shell and tube heat exchanger with an inline pre-filter.
• About 2" in diameter and 12" long and the pre-filter is about the same size.
Project Background:
Steam is supplied to the heat exchanger and steam condensate is recovered and gravity fed to the boiler feed water tank. The
importance of the inline heat exchange is:
• It allows the CIP operator to heat up the CIP solution in use from room temperature to the desired CIP temperature as high as 205F
• It allows the CIP solution to maintain temperature during recirculation.
The combination of the two 30-gallon brinks and the heat exchanger enable several efficiencies:
1. Reduced volume of water used to preheat the tank, hose and pump loop of the CIP system.
2. CIP solution is recovered, allowing chemicals to be recovered for future use and saving water from the drain.
3. Increasing caustic CIP recirculation temperature from 140F to 180F reduces the amount of caustic needed to effectively CIP the
tank or heat exchanger.
In combination, this simple system reduces waste, cuts down on water and chemical requirements, and saves Wooly Pig money. Similar
systems are frequently used in large breweries, but this scaled-down version should be useful and approachable for breweries of any
size.
Equipment/Installation cost:
• $1,000 - cost to manufacture each stainless-steel brink
• Alternatives: less than $1,000 - larger homebrewing/nano brewing vessels such as half bbl to 1.5 bbl kettles or fermenters;
conical bottom vessels tend to have fewer issues with pump cavitation.
• $180 – heat exchanger (316L stainless steel) – should be 316L stainless steel or better
• Alternative (best): $304 - titanium heat exchanger
• $150 – pre-filter
• $300 - $2,000 – Installation cost
SUSTAINABILITY BULLETIN
SMALL BREWERY CIP PROCESS & RECOVERY SYSTEMS
CASE STUDY – Wooly Pig Farm Brewery (Fresno, OH) – annual production = 550 bbl
Savings: 20% - 70% reduction in water usage and effluent in the CIP processes and 40% reduction in total CIP chemicals used
General Notes:
• If you do not have steam, you can use in-line and/or in brink electric heating elements that are commonly employed in the world of home and nano brewing
Project Photos:
