Intelligent and adaptive tank cleaning using motor-driven jet cleaners and optical inline sensors

Efficient tank cleaning in the food industry is considered crucial for reducing resource consumption and ensuring hygienic safety.Conventional cleaning-in-place systems are typically designed for worst-case conditions and are unable to adapt to the varying cleaning intensities required for different tank areas, resulting in increased resource usage.In response, a technical solution was developed that integrates motor-driven jet cleaners with optical inline sensors to create an adaptive cleaning system.The motor-driven jet cleaner, equipped with two independently controllable axes, is designed to deliver targeted mechanical action through cleaning patterns adjusted according to soiling characteristics.An optical inline sensor employing fluorescence detection is utilized to provide spatially resolved data on soiling by detecting proteins, oils, and other fluorescent compounds.An iterative optimization process was implemented using a cleaning model based on a Random Forest algorithm and further refined via a metaheuristic algorithm.It is anticipated that this approach will enable dynamic adjustment of cleaning patterns based on actual soiling conditions.Previous industrial studies using similar methods without the optical sensor demonstrated cleaning time reductions of up to 32%, and incorporation of the sensor is expected to further improve efficiency.