Improving CIP performance in an industrial freezing tunnel

Effective cleaning is essential in food processing, particularly in installations where product residues and complex equipment layouts create additional challenges. At a large potato processing facility, an existing Clean-in-Place (CIP) system was not delivering the required cleaning performance. Despite automated cleaning, significant manual intervention was still necessary. ANRO addressed this challenge by upgrading the pre-cooling section of an industrial freezing tunnel with GyraFlex rotary spray heads. The first tests showed promising improvements in cleaning action and spray coverage.

The challenge: when CIP alone is not enough

The freezing tunnel was already equipped with an automated CIP system. However, the cleaning process remained time-consuming, with additional manual cleaning required to achieve the desired results. The existing installation used slowly rotating spray heads mounted on a structure designed to provide both horizontal and vertical movement. In practice, some spray heads did not rotate properly, resulting in areas receiving insufficient cleaning coverage. This created an opportunity to improve the effectiveness of the existing cleaning process through a targeted technical upgrade.

Initial test observations

During the initial tests, the GyraFlex spray heads demonstrated visibly stronger cleaning action compared with the previous system.The rotating spray pattern provided more direct and uniform coverage of the surrounding surfaces, addressing one of the main limitations of the original installation. These first observations are encouraging and provide a starting point for evaluating the system under regular production conditions.

Next Steps: evaluating performance in daily production

The upgraded section will now be evaluated over multiple production runs and scheduled CIP cycles. The objective is to assess how effectively the GyraFlex system removes contamination and whether the improved cleaning action translates into operational benefits.

The evaluation will focus on potential improvements in:

Cleaning effectiveness and consistency
Manual cleaning requirements
Water and cleaning chemical consumption
CIP cycle duration
Production downtime and restart efficiency

The results will help determine whether additional sections of the freezing tunnel could benefit from a similar upgrade.

Looking to Improve Your CIP cleaning performance?

Existing cleaning systems do not always deliver the results required in demanding food processing environments. ANRO helps manufacturers evaluate cleaning challenges and identify suitable spray technology solutions for their installations. Discover our approach to CIP optimization or contact our team to discuss your application.