Posted On February 25, 2025
Ice cream producer Blue Bell Creameries in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma was looking to optimize their clean in place (CIP) and clean out of place (COP) operations. They were using a hot water tank with a steam heat tube bundle. This system had a fixed volume of water capacity with a long recovery time. The system’s limitations were especially frustrating during transition periods of full production to cleaning.
“The standard for reliability is how long can equipment be used with scheduled maintenance with no unplanned downtime. This equipment will operate for months and months with no downtime with a variety of skill level operators.” – Mike Tate, Maintenance Manager at Blue Bell Creameries
SOLUTION
After researching alternative options, Blue Bell Creameries selected a Hydro-Thermal 2-inch EZ Heater skid with a 3-inch steam line. The system has been in production since August 2015, and it can fill multiple tanks quickly at proper temperatures.
Operators can also quickly and easily adjust temperatures, which fixed problems during transition periods that occurred with their previous equipment.
GOAL
• Clean-in-Place (COP) optimization
• Clean-out-of-Place (COP) optimization
• Improved processing transitions
• Improve employee safety
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Able to fill multiple tanks quickly at proper temperatures (reliable hot water on demand)
• Quick, easy temperature adjustments
• Efficient transition periods between full production and cleaning
