Clean in Place Immersion Probes

Many industries rely on the principle of Clean in Place (CIP) as a method of maintaining the integrity of interior surfaces of pipes, but this has rarely been applied to optical immersion probes until now.

With immersion spectroscopy in the mid infrared becoming more prevalent in pharmaceutical production, Fibre Photonics can now offer the CIP functionality to its range of ATR immersion probes in the spectral range 0.18-18μm (550cm-1 to 55500cm-1).

A range of Fibre Optic Spectroscopy (FOS) ATR immersion probe systems are now available with automated CIP. Cleaning is now faster, less labour intensive, more repeatable, and poses less of a chemical exposure risk to people. Maintaining the integrity of optical analysis methods is critical in applications such as: reaction monitoring; crystallisation development and screening; process analytical technology (PAT); analytical characterisation; and biopharmaceutical analysis.

Only an optical system with automated CIP can allow reliable analysis at any time during chemicaland biological processes. The semi or fully automated SensoGate-FOS and remotely operated Ceramat-FOS with UNICAL-FOS 9000 controller are designed such that fibre optic immersion probes can be cleaned and used with ease. Monitoring of the cleaning process with a detector/analyser is possible, and when the baseline is reached, drying starts and the probe is pushed back into the process measurement position.