Pure water system remediation with Ice Pigging
Pharmaceutical processing plants typically use a pure water supply loop to supply water that has been processed to an exceptional level of purity onsite.
This water is then used across the plant in numerous processes and is critical to the entire production system.
This pure water system is monitored constantly and routinely cleaned and inspected. In some situations, systems can become contaminated with foreign object debris or biofilm. Getting a system back to the standard required in the pharmaceutical industry can be extremely challenging. Ice Pigging is used as part of the remediation process in a number of plants.
How Ice Pigging helps the multistep process for the remediation of pure water systems
Numerous methods are available for remediation, from simply repeating the standard plant clean in place process (CIP), to a full line replacement. Ice Pigging has been successfully implemented as a step in an overall remediation process to provide a mechanical clean with the following advantages:
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Mechanical cleaning
Ice moves through a pipe as a solid plug concentrating shear on the pipe wall enabling the efficient removal of lightly adhered debris.
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Carrying capacity
Once loose debris is picked up by the ice it is bound up within the ice. This means that material is quickly and efficiently removed from the pipeline.
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Whole system clean
Ice is able to navigate around bends and deal with changes in diameter meaning entire systems can be cleaned from beginning to end in a single step.
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Low risk
The ice cannot get stuck in the line, if a blockage does occur the ice will simply melt and can be flushed from the system.