Withstanding severe cleaning regimes
Automated CIP (Cleaning In Place) and SIP (Sterilization In Place) are currently the best methods for cleaning processing systems. They ensure safety and efficiency, prevent toxic contamination of products and minimize recontamination of the process. Their complex formulations of chemicals can rapidly cause severe damage to elastomeric seals, especially in applications with load and pressures. With high temperatures and steam sterilization, which is now commonly up to 150°C / 302°F, this deterioration is intensified.
Cost-effective solutions compliant to standards
Matching the seal material to the system media and the cleaning chemicals can maximize intervals between planned maintenance and production yield. With details of your specific requirements, we can propose cost-effective solutions that are compliant to all major standards and are proven to stand up to almost all known cleaning regimes, however stringent.
Choose from the following material types:
CIP cleaning and disinfecting media are essential; their uses include:
The main categories of commercially available CIP cleaning and disinfecting media are as follows:
The following factors are critical in ensuring optimal seal life:
Specifying the right seal material when CIP and SIP is used is not a simple matter and standards do not really help. They only offer general information and refer just to groups of elastomeric materials and their compliance with standards. This is why Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has undertaken their own tests to support customers in recommending the optimum sealing material for specific applications.
Material Compatibility tests in CIP and SIP media
Comprehensive studies undertaken by Trelleborg Sealing Solutions have evaluated the performance of materials in a wide range of commercially available and commonly used CIP fluids and solvents. As the CIP process is now usually followed by sterilization in superheated steam up to 150°C / 302°F, tests were also carried out in these conditions.
The most important properties, such as:
Recommendations based on results
As expected, the intensive CIP fluids and high temperatures brought some elastomers tested to their performance limits. Importantly though, results from different materials, even within the same family of basic polymers, were vastly different. This has allowed Trelleborg Sealing Solutions to engineer materials that give maximized performance in CIP and SIP regimes.
Overall conclusions:
CIP and SIP test results
The table below provides an easy overview of the performance of the Trelleborg Sealing Solutions material portfolio in test conditions.
To obtain the best recommendation for a specific application, please contact your local Trelleborg Sealing Solutions marketing company.
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Choosing the right material to extend life
Although standard immersion tests provide detailed information about the suitability of materials in certain fluids, they are not very helpful in predicting length of life of sealing materials. This is why Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has extended our testing over a wider range of temperatures, high concentrations of chemicals and longer immersion times.
In the first test, a variety of FKM materials were tested at two different temperatures. At the lower one, all compounds showed good results. However, it was not until the test was repeated at a higher temperature that the differences between the material characteristics became clear. In the second test, the concentration of CIP medias was changed from 1% to 2%. Again, the differences only became apparent in the more demanding conditions.
By undertaking these more extensive tests, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions can recommend seals that: