Dairy CIP hot water from heat pumps
How a 1.5 lakh litre-per-day dairy can heat all of its CIP lye, acid and rinse water with heat pumps, against a furnace-oil fired boiler.
▶Video: Process hot water for food, dairy and beverages
V02 · 2–2.5 minPasteurisers, CIP, cooking and washing on stored hot water instead of boiler steam
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- CIP runs round the clock. With many circuits in a large dairy, CIP is the one hot-water load that runs on all three shifts, so the boiler cannot be shut down at night.
- Steam injection dilutes and overheats. Direct steam into lye and acid tanks dilutes the solution and creates hot spots. Concentration then has to be topped up with more chemical.
- Temperature drift hurts cleaning. Lye below 75 °C or acid below 65 °C does not clean properly. Cycles get extended or repeated, which wastes water, chemicals and time.
- Losses between fuel and process. Burning furnace oil in a boiler or heater and distributing the heat loses a quarter or more of the fuel's energy before it reaches the process.
- Compliance, safety and handling. Fired equipment brings boiler inspections, fuel storage and unloading, flue emissions and an attendant on every shift.
02Use case
The reference dairy receives 1.5 lakh litres of milk a day by tanker. A central CIP station with recovery tanks cleans silos, pasteurisers, fillers and process lines, running about eight cycles a day. A separate CIP set cleans around 12 milk tankers a day at the reception bay.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lye (1.5% NaOH) reheat | 80 °C | 8 cycles × 3,000 L, recovered at 65 → 80 °C, 10% losses | 460 |
| Acid (0.8% HNO₃) reheat | 70 °C | 8 cycles × 2,500 L, recovered at 55 → 70 °C, 10% losses | 383 |
| Hot water sanitising rinse | 85 °C | 8 cycles × 1,500 L, 30 → 85 °C | 766 |
| Tanker CIP bay | 75 °C | 12 tankers × 1,000 L, 30 → 75 °C | 627 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 112 |
| Total useful heat | 2,348 | ||
Averaged over 20 running hours, the heat pumps need about 117 kW.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- 5 × SE-SHT-25C (125 kW total) (SE-SHT cascade heat pump) delivering 90 °C, covering the day's 2,348 kWh in about 18.8 running hours.
- A 4,000 L insulated storage tank decouples the heat pumps from the process peaks.
- The furnace-oil fired steam boiler stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- Lye and acid are heated through their own plate heat exchangers in the CIP supply line. No steam enters the solution, so concentration stays where it is set.
- The recovery tanks return solution at 55–65 °C, so most of the CIP heat is a small top-up that suits heat pumps well.
- Stored hot water covers peak demand when several circuits start together after a production change-over.
- The tanker bay takes hot water from the same loop, so a separate boiler line to reception is not needed.
Selected equipment
| Model | SE-SHT-25C × 5 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 25 kW each, 125 kW total |
| COP | 2.6 at A20 °C / W90 °C (data sheet T1) |
| Power input | about 46.5 kW total at rated conditions |
| Rating | cascade R410A + R515B, rated 90 °C, 95 °C maximum |
| Supply temperature | 90 °C |
| Storage | 4,000 L insulated tank |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
TT-101 at the tank top starts the heat pumps below 85 °C and stops them at 90 °C, staging units in turn. TIC-201 and TIC-202 hold lye at 80 °C and acid at 70 °C on the CIP supply. TT-102 at the tank bottom gives an early start when the CIP PLC signals a cycle. If the tank top falls below 78 °C, the existing steam heater is enabled as standby.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| Cost per 1,000 L milk | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
Stable CIP temperatures
Each circuit gets lye and acid at its set temperature, so cycles finish first time.
Less chemical top-up
No condensate dilution, so caustic and acid concentration hold steadier between top-ups.
Boiler off at night
With CIP on heat pumps, the boiler can be turned down or off outside processing hours.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 2.6 kWh of heat at the required temperature, against well under one kWh of useful heat per kWh of fuel burnt.
No flame on site
No burner, flue or fuel tank for this duty, and no fuel deliveries to schedule.
Built-in redundancy
Several machines share the load. If one is serviced, the others and the storage carry most of the day, with the existing heater in reserve.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Number of CIP circuits and cycles per day
- Volumes and set temperatures for lye, acid and rinse
- Recovery tank sizes and return temperatures
- Tanker CIP count per day
- Existing steam heater duty on the CIP station
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
- Winter minimum ambient at site
Design notes
- Exchanger materials. Use SS316 plates and EPDM gaskets rated for hot caustic. Nitric acid duty needs gaskets compatible with oxidising acids.
- Recovery matters. Measure actual return temperatures and tank losses. Poorly insulated recovery tanks can double the reheat duty.
- Logging. Record CIP temperature at the return line, not only at the supply, for food-safety audits.
- Electrical. About 46 kW of heat pump input at rated conditions, plus pumps and fans. Check spare sanctioned load before ordering.
- Winter output. The SE-SHT cascade gives about 80% of rated output at 7 °C ambient and still runs at −20 °C. Size on the coldest design day for northern sites.
- Water quality. Scale forms quickly above 60 °C. Use softened make-up and keep the heat pump loop closed, with process fluids on the far side of an exchanger or coil.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.
Talk to us
Dairy CIP hot water from heat pumps
How a 1.5 lakh litre-per-day dairy can heat all of its CIP lye, acid and rinse water with heat pumps, against a furnace-oil fired boiler.
▶Video: Process hot water for food, dairy and beverages
V02 · 2–2.5 minPasteurisers, CIP, cooking and washing on stored hot water instead of boiler steam
Video coming soon01Problem statement
- CIP runs round the clock. With many circuits in a large dairy, CIP is the one hot-water load that runs on all three shifts, so the boiler cannot be shut down at night.
- Steam injection dilutes and overheats. Direct steam into lye and acid tanks dilutes the solution and creates hot spots. Concentration then has to be topped up with more chemical.
- Temperature drift hurts cleaning. Lye below 75 °C or acid below 65 °C does not clean properly. Cycles get extended or repeated, which wastes water, chemicals and time.
- Losses between fuel and process. Burning furnace oil in a boiler or heater and distributing the heat loses a quarter or more of the fuel's energy before it reaches the process.
- Compliance, safety and handling. Fired equipment brings boiler inspections, fuel storage and unloading, flue emissions and an attendant on every shift.
02Use case
The reference dairy receives 1.5 lakh litres of milk a day by tanker. A central CIP station with recovery tanks cleans silos, pasteurisers, fillers and process lines, running about eight cycles a day. A separate CIP set cleans around 12 milk tankers a day at the reception bay.
| Heat user | Process temp. | Basis | Heat, kWh/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lye (1.5% NaOH) reheat | 80 °C | 8 cycles × 3,000 L, recovered at 65 → 80 °C, 10% losses | 460 |
| Acid (0.8% HNO₃) reheat | 70 °C | 8 cycles × 2,500 L, recovered at 55 → 70 °C, 10% losses | 383 |
| Hot water sanitising rinse | 85 °C | 8 cycles × 1,500 L, 30 → 85 °C | 766 |
| Tanker CIP bay | 75 °C | 12 tankers × 1,000 L, 30 → 75 °C | 627 |
| Storage and pipework standing losses | – | about 5% | 112 |
| Total useful heat | 2,348 | ||
Averaged over 20 running hours, the heat pumps need about 117 kW.
03P&ID
Tags: HP heat pump, TK tank, SG steam generator, P pump, PHE plate heat exchanger, TCV temperature control valve, TIC temperature indicating controller (panel), TT temperature transmitter, MT moisture transmitter, PT pressure transmitter, LT level transmitter, FS flow switch, NC normally closed. Process fluids are heated through their own exchanger, coil or jacket.
04Solution
System description
- 5 × SE-SHT-25C (125 kW total) (SE-SHT cascade heat pump) delivering 90 °C, covering the day's 2,348 kWh in about 18.8 running hours.
- A 4,000 L insulated storage tank decouples the heat pumps from the process peaks.
- The furnace-oil fired steam boiler stays connected behind a normally closed valve as standby.
- Lye and acid are heated through their own plate heat exchangers in the CIP supply line. No steam enters the solution, so concentration stays where it is set.
- The recovery tanks return solution at 55–65 °C, so most of the CIP heat is a small top-up that suits heat pumps well.
- Stored hot water covers peak demand when several circuits start together after a production change-over.
- The tanker bay takes hot water from the same loop, so a separate boiler line to reception is not needed.
Selected equipment
| Model | SE-SHT-25C × 5 |
|---|---|
| Heating capacity | 25 kW each, 125 kW total |
| COP | 2.6 at A20 °C / W90 °C (data sheet T1) |
| Power input | about 46.5 kW total at rated conditions |
| Rating | cascade R410A + R515B, rated 90 °C, 95 °C maximum |
| Supply temperature | 90 °C |
| Storage | 4,000 L insulated tank |
Ratings from the Sunniva TDS 2026 data sheets.
Control philosophy
TT-101 at the tank top starts the heat pumps below 85 °C and stops them at 90 °C, staging units in turn. TIC-201 and TIC-202 hold lye at 80 °C and acid at 70 °C on the CIP supply. TT-102 at the tank bottom gives an early start when the CIP PLC signals a cycle. If the tank top falls below 78 °C, the existing steam heater is enabled as standby.
05Energy saving and ROI
Change any input to match a customer's site. Defaults are typical Indian prices for October 2026. The installed cost is a placeholder; replace it with the actual quotation.
| Existing | Heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily consumption | – | – |
| Annual energy cost | – | – |
| Cost per 1,000 L milk | – | – |
| CO₂ per year | – | – |
06Benefits
Stable CIP temperatures
Each circuit gets lye and acid at its set temperature, so cycles finish first time.
Less chemical top-up
No condensate dilution, so caustic and acid concentration hold steadier between top-ups.
Boiler off at night
With CIP on heat pumps, the boiler can be turned down or off outside processing hours.
Lower energy cost
Each kWh of electricity delivers about 2.6 kWh of heat at the required temperature, against well under one kWh of useful heat per kWh of fuel burnt.
No flame on site
No burner, flue or fuel tank for this duty, and no fuel deliveries to schedule.
Built-in redundancy
Several machines share the load. If one is serviced, the others and the storage carry most of the day, with the existing heater in reserve.
07Engineering pointers
Site data to collect
- Number of CIP circuits and cycles per day
- Volumes and set temperatures for lye, acid and rinse
- Recovery tank sizes and return temperatures
- Tanker CIP count per day
- Existing steam heater duty on the CIP station
- Present fuel or electricity use and monthly bill
- Sanctioned electrical load and spare capacity
- Space for the heat pumps and storage, with service access
- Winter minimum ambient at site
Design notes
- Exchanger materials. Use SS316 plates and EPDM gaskets rated for hot caustic. Nitric acid duty needs gaskets compatible with oxidising acids.
- Recovery matters. Measure actual return temperatures and tank losses. Poorly insulated recovery tanks can double the reheat duty.
- Logging. Record CIP temperature at the return line, not only at the supply, for food-safety audits.
- Electrical. About 46 kW of heat pump input at rated conditions, plus pumps and fans. Check spare sanctioned load before ordering.
- Winter output. The SE-SHT cascade gives about 80% of rated output at 7 °C ambient and still runs at −20 °C. Size on the coldest design day for northern sites.
- Water quality. Scale forms quickly above 60 °C. Use softened make-up and keep the heat pump loop closed, with process fluids on the far side of an exchanger or coil.
Service and warranty
Sunniva has supplied 5,000+ heat pumps since 2012, with nine service technicians across India, including remote sites such as Leh. All components carry a one-year warranty.