An intelligent cleaning system for a biologic production pipeline

Abstract

The utility model discloses an intelligent cleaning system of biological product production pipeline belongs to pharmaceutical equipment cleaning technical field, including external water system, actuating mechanism, detection structure and controller, and external water system is connected to the water inlet end and water outlet end of biological product production pipeline through water inlet pipe and water outlet pipe respectively and forms the cleaning loop, and actuating mechanism includes the heating device and water pump of being established on water inlet pipe, and detection mechanism includes the conductivity meter of being established on water outlet pipe and the optical sensor of being established in biological product production pipeline inside, and controller is connected conductivity meter, optical sensor, heating device and water pump respectively. Can solve the problem that the single sensor system of present adoption cannot identify all kinds of pollutants comprehensively, leads to not completely clean, and the system energy consumption and low cleaning efficiency possibly caused by adopting normal temperature water, can realize the comprehensive monitoring and efficient removal of multiple pollutants, completely satisfy the strict requirement of biological product (for example vaccine) production to pipeline cleanliness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to an intelligent cleaning system for bioproduct production pipelines, specifically a pipeline cleaning and energy management system (EMS system) based on multi-sensor collaborative monitoring, belonging to the field of pharmaceutical equipment cleaning technology. Background Technology

[0002] The production of biopharmaceuticals (such as vaccines) has stringent cleanliness requirements, with the cleanliness of production pipelines being particularly critical. Existing cleaning systems suffer from the following technical shortcomings: First, they rely on single sensors for monitoring, failing to comprehensively assess contamination levels. For example, when using conductivity meters, they cannot fully detect non-conductive residues, leading to missed contamination detection. Second, they lack heating devices, relying solely on room-temperature water for cleaning. Cleaning at room temperature is inefficient and consumes more water, increasing energy consumption and water costs over the long term. Third, they employ fixed initial flow rate operation modes, typically set based on experience, making it difficult to adapt to varying levels of contamination. These technical shortcomings result in three major problems in the cleaning process: unstable cleaning efficiency and quality, high risk of contaminant residue, and excessive resource consumption, severely hindering the assurance of cleanliness in biopharmaceutical production. Therefore, the development of intelligent, dynamic cleaning systems is imperative.

[0003] Utility model patent CN210450154U discloses a pipeline cleaning system. This system mainly consists of a solution tank, a cleaning pump, a booster pump, and a cleanliness detector. The cleaning pump delivers the cleaning solution from the solution tank to the pipeline to be cleaned. Simultaneously, the cleanliness detector integrated within the pipeline monitors the cleanliness of the cleaning solution in real time. The booster pump is linked to the cleaning pump and can automatically adjust the flow rate of the cleaning solution according to different pipe diameters, ensuring that the average flow rate within the pipeline is always higher than a preset threshold, thereby achieving efficient and controllable pipeline cleaning operations. However, this cleaning system is not suitable for cleaning biopharmaceutical production pipelines because the existing technology can only monitor particulate contaminants. Biopharmaceutical production pipelines not only need to avoid particulate contaminants but also need to eliminate other contaminants (including but not limited to microorganisms and ionic contaminants). The existing cleaning system cannot monitor these other types of contaminants. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an intelligent cleaning system for bioproduct production pipelines. Through the coordinated monitoring of conductivity meters and optical sensors, combined with intelligent control of the heating device and water pump by a controller, the system can automatically adjust the heating temperature and water pump flow rate based on real-time detection data. This allows for dynamic matching of cleaning parameters with the degree of contamination, achieving dynamic cleaning control. The synergistic effect of high temperature and high flow rate improves cleaning efficiency, ensuring no contaminant residue and achieving highly efficient cleaning. This forms a "monitoring-feedback-adjustment" system, overcoming the shortcomings of traditional fixed-parameter cleaning and achieving intelligent feedback control.

[0005] This utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: an intelligent cleaning system for a bioproduct production pipeline, comprising an external water system, an actuator, a detection structure, and a controller. The external water system is connected to the inlet and outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline through inlet and outlet pipes, respectively, forming a cleaning loop. The actuators include a heating device and a water pump mounted on the inlet pipe; The testing equipment includes a conductivity meter installed on the water outlet pipe and an optical sensor installed inside the bioproduct production pipeline; The controller is connected to the conductivity meter, optical sensor, heating device and water pump respectively.

[0006] Preferably, temperature sensors are installed on the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, and the temperature sensors are connected to the controller. More preferably, the temperature sensor on the inlet pipe is located near the inlet end of the biological product production pipeline, and the temperature sensor on the outlet pipe is located near the outlet end of the biological product production pipeline.

[0007] Preferably, flow meters are installed on the inlet and outlet pipes, and the flow meters are connected to a controller. More preferably, the flow meters are electromagnetic flow meters, which are installed near the inlet and outlet ends of the biological product production pipeline.

[0008] Preferably, pressure sensors are installed on the inlet and outlet pipes, the pressure sensors are connected to the controller, and an alarm is installed on the controller.

[0009] Preferably, the conductivity meter is located near the water outlet of the biological product production pipeline.

[0010] Preferably, the optical sensor is a through-beam photoelectric sensor or a laser scattering sensor.

[0011] Preferably, the heating device is an electric heater and / or a steam heat exchanger.

[0012] Preferably, the water pump is a variable frequency water pump.

[0013] Preferably, the biological product production pipeline is a vaccine production pipeline.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, this utility model has the following advantages and beneficial effects: (1) This utility model can significantly improve cleaning efficiency. It uses a conductivity meter and an optical sensor to determine the cleanliness from two dimensions: water quality and pipe wall. Combined with the dynamic adjustment of temperature and flow rate, it can effectively eliminate dead corner residues in the pipeline, reduce the risk of pollution in the production of biological products, and meet the GMP requirements for high cleanliness.

[0015] (2) This utility model can effectively reduce energy consumption. It uses multi-sensor (conductivity meter, optical sensor, temperature sensor, flow meter) linkage control to achieve "on-demand adjustment", avoiding excessive consumption of traditional fixed programs. According to calculations, the cost of purified water and heating energy consumption can be reduced by more than 20% compared with the previous version.

[0016] (3) This utility model can realize automated and intelligent control with high control accuracy. It uses multiple sensors (conductivity meter, optical sensor, temperature sensor, flow meter) to provide real-time feedback data and link the control module to automatically adjust the actuators such as variable frequency water pump and heating device. The temperature control accuracy reaches ±0.5℃ and the flow rate is ±0.01m / s.

[0017] (4) The present invention has strong operational safety. The pressure sensor monitors the pipeline pressure in real time. When the pressure exceeds the threshold, the controller is triggered to adjust the flow rate to achieve pressure reduction protection. Combined with material matching, it prevents pipeline damage caused by high temperature and high pressure and ensures stable operation of the system.

[0018] (5) This utility model also has data traceability and compliance. The controller can record the parameters of the whole process in real time through the storage module, forming a continuous data curve, which meets the audit traceability requirements of biological product production and reduces compliance risks.

[0019] (6) The utility model is flexible in adaptability and can dynamically adjust parameters according to the degree of pipeline pollution to adapt to different working conditions and avoid the waste of resources in "one-size-fits-all" cleaning. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 2 This is the logic control diagram of this utility model.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the ratio of electrical conductivity to water consumption (the "actual situation" curve in the diagram corresponds to the prior art, and the "ideal best" curve corresponds to this utility model).

[0023] Among them, 1—inlet pipe, 2—outlet pipe, 3—heating device, 4—water pump, 5—conductivity meter, 6—optical sensor, 7—temperature sensor, 8—flow meter, and 9—pressure sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The utility model's purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects will be further explained in detail below.

[0025] It should be noted that the following detailed description is exemplary and intended to provide further explanation of the claimed invention. Unless otherwise stated, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0026] This invention aims to solve the problems of existing single-sensor systems (such as conductivity meters) being unable to comprehensively identify various pollutants, resulting in incomplete cleaning and potential contamination of bioproducts, as well as the low system energy consumption and cleaning efficiency caused by using room temperature water. It innovatively proposes an intelligent cleaning system that, through multi-sensor collaborative detection and intelligent control technology, can achieve comprehensive monitoring and efficient removal of various pollutants, including but not limited to: microbial metabolites (such as bacterial cell fragments and extracellular polysaccharides), unconsumed culture medium components (proteins, sugars), inorganic salt crystals (calcium phosphate, magnesium sulfate), biofilm communities (bacterial / fungal adhesion layers), denatured protein polymers, and cleaning agent residues (NaOH / HCl), fully meeting the stringent requirements for pipeline cleanliness in bioproduct production.

[0027] See Figure 1 As shown, this utility model mainly achieves comprehensive monitoring and efficient removal of pollutants through the following aspects: (a) Water temperature heating and monitoring: Connect the external water system to the biological product production pipeline, that is, connect the external water system inlet pipe 1 ( Figure 1 The section shown by the red line in the middle) is connected to the biopharmaceutical production pipeline ( Figure 1 The inlet end of the blue pipeline (shown in the middle), and the outlet pipe 2 of the external water system ( Figure 1 The section shown by the red line in the middle) is connected to the biopharmaceutical production pipeline ( Figure 1 The outlet of the section shown in blue in the middle ultimately forms a cleaning loop, which can be used to achieve water circulation using water treatment devices in an external water system.

[0028] Purified water is used in the external water system. The preparation of purified water involves a series of physical, chemical, or physicochemical methods to remove impurities such as suspended solids, colloids, organic matter, ions, and microorganisms from the raw water, bringing it to a specific purity standard. During the cleaning process, a heating device 3 is installed in the external water system (such as inlet pipe 1) to raise the temperature of the purified water to 90°C before it is used for pipe cleaning, improving cleaning efficiency and reducing cleaning costs. Simultaneously, temperature sensors 7 are installed in both inlet pipe 1 and outlet pipe 2 to monitor the water temperature in different areas of the pipe in real time.

[0029] It should be noted that increasing water temperature improves pipe cleaning efficiency because higher temperatures accelerate the thermal motion of water molecules, enhancing the impact of water flow on contaminants on the pipe walls. Simultaneously, it reduces water viscosity, increasing fluidity and making it easier to penetrate into pipe dead zones. Increasing water temperature also reduces cleaning costs because the current cost of preparing purified water is approximately 100 yuan / ton, and the cost of heating purified water from 25℃ to 90℃ is approximately 50 yuan / ton. Using high-temperature purified water instead of room-temperature purified water reduces the amount of purified water used per unit of cleaning operation. Calculations show that the cost savings from reduced water consumption exceed the additional cost of heating, resulting in a net cost reduction.

[0030] (II) Flow velocity detection and monitoring: A water pump 4 is installed on the inlet pipe 1 of the external water system. The water pump 4 pumps purified water into the bioproduct production pipeline at a certain flow rate to clean contaminants. After cleaning, the purified water is sent out through the outlet pipe 2 and returned to the external water system for further treatment and recycling. This invention uses flow meters 8 installed on the inlet pipe 1 and the outlet pipe 2 respectively for real-time monitoring of the flow rate at the inlet and outlet ends of the bioproduct production pipeline.

[0031] (III) Simultaneous detection of conductivity and pipe wall deposits: This invention includes a conductivity meter 5 installed on the outlet pipe 2 of the external water system, and an optical sensor 6 installed at a corresponding position inside the bioproduct production pipeline. The conductivity meter 5 is used to detect the conductivity of the water at the outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline, which can determine the content of ions in the water (such as metal ions, corrosive ions, and nutrient ions), thereby determining whether the pipeline is clean. The optical sensor 6 is installed on one side inside the bioproduct production pipeline to be tested, such as at the top or upper side, or the transmitter and receiver elements of the optical sensor 6 are placed on opposite sides inside the bioproduct production pipeline to be tested, so as to detect the deposits on the pipe wall. The detectable deposits mainly include microbial metabolites (such as bacterial cell fragments, extracellular polysaccharides), unconsumed culture medium components (proteins, sugars), inorganic salt crystals (calcium phosphate, magnesium sulfate), biofilm communities (bacterial / fungal adhesion layers), denatured protein polymers, and detergent residues (NaOH / HCl), etc.

[0032] (iv) Monitoring / Detection Data Feedback and Control: The controller receives data detected / monitored by the aforementioned sensors, specifically including: real-time temperature data monitored by temperature sensor 7, real-time flow data monitored by flow meter 8, conductivity data detected by conductivity meter, and pipe wall reflectivity deviation data detected by optical sensor 6. The controller is connected to temperature sensor 7, flow meter 8, conductivity meter 5, and optical sensor 6 via electrical signals (electrical or wireless connection). Temperature, flow, and other data are transmitted to the controller in real time. The controller is equipped with a storage module to store this data and generate continuous data curves through relevant calculation modules, meeting the traceability requirements for bioproduct production audits. Additionally, the controller is also connected to heating device 3 and water pump 4 via electrical signals (electrical or wireless connection). Based on preset control logic and parameters, the controller controls heating device 3 and water pump 4 to automatically adjust water temperature and flow rate.

[0033] See Figure 2 As shown, in this invention, the conductivity meter 5 and the optical sensor 6 constitute the core judgment layer for cleaning effect. The former reflects the residual soluble impurities by detecting the water ion content, while the latter monitors the attachment status by using the pipe wall reflectivity deviation. The data from both corroborate each other (any failure to meet the standard triggers adjustment), avoiding misjudgment based on a single indicator. The temperature sensor 7 (monitoring the water temperature gradient at the inlet and outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline) and the flow meter 8 (monitoring the flow velocity difference between the inlet and outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline) serve as the adjustment feedback layer, providing real-time calibration basis for the heating device 3 (ensuring uniform heating) and the water pump 4 (matching turbulence requirements), respectively, ensuring the adjustment accuracy of the actuator. All sensor data are aggregated to the controller (EMS system), forming a control logic of "cleaning effect not meeting the standard → combining the current temperature / flow rate command to execute the mechanism → real-time correction through temperature / flow sensor → until both conductivity and optical sensor 6 meet the standard," achieving precise and coordinated cleaning adjustment.

[0034] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates the ratio of electrical conductivity to water consumption. The graph uses changes in electrical conductivity and water consumption as key indicators, visually representing the ratio between the "actual situation" and the "ideal optimal value" through two curves: (1) Under the same initial conductivity and the same conductivity change value, compared with the existing technical solution (washing with room temperature water at a constant flow rate), the present invention (washing with pure water at a variable temperature and flow rate) requires less water (see the red / green boxes in the figure). (2) Under the same water consumption, the conductivity of this utility model is lower than that of the existing technical solution, indicating that its cleaning effect is better.

[0035] It can be seen that, through Figure 3It can be seen that this utility model can effectively achieve precise control of water consumption, thereby achieving the goal of reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

[0036] The specific implementation of this utility model will be described below with reference to the embodiments. Of course, the protection scope of this utility model is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0037] Example 1: This embodiment adopts Figure 1 The intelligent cleaning system shown.

[0038] In this embodiment, temperature sensors 7 (such as Endress+Hauser iTHERM TMT182) are respectively installed on the inlet pipe 1 near the inlet end of the biological product production pipeline and on the outlet pipe 2 near the outlet end of the biological product production pipeline. They are used to detect the water temperature at the inlet and outlet ends of the biological product production pipeline (with an accuracy of ±0.5℃) and transmit the data to the controller to obtain the water temperature gradient.

[0039] Flow meter 8 uses an electromagnetic flow meter (such as Krohne OPTIFLUX 4300C). The electromagnetic flow meter is installed near the inlet and outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline to detect the flow rate at the inlet and outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline (accuracy is ±0.01m / s).

[0040] The conductivity meter 5 (such as Mettler ToledoInPro 7000VP) is installed near the outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline to detect the flow rate at the outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline (accuracy of ±0.1μS / cm).

[0041] Optical sensor 6 uses a through-beam photoelectric sensor (such as SICK WSE4S-3P2130V), whose transmitter and receiver are set on opposite sides inside the bioproduct production pipeline (the through-beam photoelectric sensor has its transmitter and receiver placed on opposite sides inside the pipeline. When the deposits in the pipeline block the light beam, the receiver signal changes and triggers detection. Its detection principle is to use the interruption or weakening of the light path to trigger the change of the electrical signal to realize the detection of deposits), used for the detection of deposits on the pipe wall, to obtain the pipe wall reflectivity deviation (<5%).

[0042] Heating device 3 uses an electric heater (such as the EFD series pipe heater controlled by Watlow F4T Temperature Controller + STF) and an (industrial) steam heat exchanger (steam is supplied by an external pipeline).

[0043] Pump 4 is a variable frequency pump (such as GrundfosCRE Series).

[0044] Example 2: This embodiment adds a pressure sensor 9 to the existing embodiment 1. The pressure sensor 9 can be installed on the inlet pipe 1 and the outlet pipe 2 to monitor the pipe pressure in real time and transmit the pipe pressure data to the controller. If the pressure exceeds the safe range (≥10 bar), the alarm module of the controller is triggered to issue an alarm and take corresponding pressure reduction measures (such as adjusting the flow rate through the controller to reduce pressure) to ensure the safe operation of the system.

[0045] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model in any way. Any simple modifications or equivalent changes made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present utility model shall fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An intelligent cleaning system for a bioproduct production pipeline, characterized in that: This includes the external water system, actuators, detection structures, and controllers. The external water system is connected to the inlet and outlet of the bioproduct production pipeline through inlet pipe (1) and outlet pipe (2) respectively, forming a cleaning loop; The actuator includes a heating device (3) and a water pump (4) installed on the water inlet pipe (1); The testing apparatus includes a conductivity meter (5) installed on the water outlet pipe (2) and an optical sensor (6) installed inside the bioproduct production pipeline. The controller is connected to the conductivity meter (5), the optical sensor (6), the heating device (3), and the water pump (4), respectively.

2. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Temperature sensors (7) are installed on the inlet pipe (1) and the outlet pipe (2), and the temperature sensors (7) are connected to the controller.

3. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 2, characterized in that: Temperature sensor (7) is installed on the inlet pipe (1) near the inlet end of the biological product production pipeline, and temperature sensor (7) is installed on the outlet pipe (2) near the outlet end of the biological product production pipeline.

4. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A flow meter (8) is installed on the inlet pipe (1) and the outlet pipe (2), and the flow meter (8) is connected to the controller.

5. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The flow meter (8) is an electromagnetic flow meter, which is installed near the inlet and outlet of the biological product production pipeline.

6. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Pressure sensors (9) are installed on the inlet pipe (1) and outlet pipe (2). The pressure sensors (9) are connected to the controller, and an alarm is installed on the controller.

7. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductivity meter (5) is installed near the water outlet of the biological product production pipeline.

8. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical sensor (6) is a through-beam photoelectric sensor or a laser scattering sensor.

9. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating device (3) is an electric heater and / or a steam heat exchanger.

10. The intelligent cleaning system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water pump (4) is a variable frequency water pump.

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