Method and composition for pulse dose cleaning of process streams

Abstract

Pulse dosing is used to administer a cleaning formulation into a fluid process stream flowing through structural components of a processing facility. The fluid process stream may contain corn, corn-derived products, or a combination thereof, or the fluid process stream may contain a process condensate, a rinse fluid, a cleaning fluid or any combination thereof. The processing facility may be an ethanol processing plant, a protein processing plant, a corn oil processing plant, an ethanol and corn oil processing plant, an ethanol and protein processing plant, or an ethanol, corn oil and protein processing plant. Pulse dosing may include administering the cleaning formulation into the fluid process stream for a period of x seconds every y minutes, with no administration of the cleaning formulation between the periods of x seconds.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising cleaning a structural component of a processing facility by using pulse dosing to administer a cleaning formulation into a fluid process stream flowing through structural components of the processing facility, the fluid process stream comprising (i) corn, a corn-derived product, or a combination thereof, wherein the corn-derived product comprises a mash, whole stillage, or thin stillage, or (ii) a process condensate comprising water and other volatile components, a rinse fluid, a cleaning fluid, or a combination thereof,
 wherein pulse dosing comprises administering the cleaning formulation into the fluid process stream for a period of x seconds every y minutes, with no administration of the cleaning formulation between the periods of x seconds, wherein x and y independently are from 1 to 500.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein x and y independently are from 5 to 150. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein x=y. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein x and y are different. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an amount of the cleaning formulation is administered into the fluid process stream to provide a concentration of 10 ppm to 50,000 ppm of the cleaning formulation in the fluid process stream during the period of x seconds. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the processing facility is an ethanol processing plant, a protein processing plant, a corn oil processing plant, an ethanol and corn oil processing plant, an ethanol and protein processing plant, or an ethanol, corn oil and protein processing plant. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the structural components of the processing facility are selected from a heating and liquefaction unit, a heat exchanger unit, a propagation unit, a fermentation unit, a distillation unit, an evaporation unit, a centrifuge unit, a fiber separation unit, a protein separation unit, an oil separation unit, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the cleaning formulation is administered into the fluid process stream at, or upstream of, at least one of the structural components. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the cleaning formulation is administered into the fluid process stream in, or upstream of, at least one of the heating and liquefaction unit, the heat exchanger unit, the evaporation unit, the fiber separation unit, the protein separation unit, the oil separation unit, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein pulse dosing is performed for a period of x seconds every y minutes at each of at least two of the structural components, wherein at each of the at least two of the structural components, x and y independently are from 1 to 500. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein an amount of the cleaning formulation administered into the fluid process stream at each of the at least two of the structural components independently provides a concentration of 10 ppm to 50,000 ppm of the cleaning formulation in the fluid process stream. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein:
 (i) x=y at each one of the at least two of the structural components; or   (ii) x and y at a first structural component of the at least two structural components are different than x and y, respectively, at a second structural component of the at least two structural components; or   (iii) an amount of the cleaning formulation administered at a first structural component of the at least two of the structural components provides a different concentration of the cleaning formulation in the fluid process stream than an amount of the cleaning formulation administered at a subsequent structural component of the at least two of the structural components; or   (iv) a chemical composition of the cleaning formulation administered at a first structural component of the at least two of the structural components is different than a chemical composition of the cleaning formulation administered at a subsequent structural component of the at least two of the structural components; or   (v) any combination of two or more of (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv).   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the fiber separation unit comprises one or more separation screens and the cleaning formulation is administered upstream of at least one of the one or more of the separation screens. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the fiber separation unit comprises a primary separation screen, a secondary separation screen, and a tertiary separation screen;   the cleaning formulation is administered via pulse dosing to the secondary separation screen to provide a first concentration of the cleaning formulation in the fluid process stream at or proximate the secondary separation screen; and   the cleaning formulation is administered via pulse dosing to the tertiary separation screen to provide a second concentration of the cleaning formulation in the fluid process stream at or proximate to the tertiary separation screen.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the second concentration is less than the first concentration. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the fluid process stream comprises corn, corn-derived products, or a combination thereof, and wherein:
 (i) the cleaning formulation is administered into, or upstream of, the heating and liquefaction unit, and a mean pressure increase over time within the heating and liquefaction unit is smaller than a mean pressure increase over time when the cleaning formulation is not administered using pulse dosing; or   (ii) the cleaning formulation is administered into, or upstream of, the heat exchange unit, and a mean pressure increase over time within the heat exchange unit is smaller than a mean pressure increase over time when the cleaning formulation is not administered using pulse dosing; or   (iii) the cleaning formulation is administered into, or upstream of, the heating and liquefaction unit, and a mean temperature drop over time within the heating and liquefaction unit is smaller than a mean temperature drop over time when the cleaning formulation is not administered using pulse dosing; or   (iv) the cleaning formulation is administered into, or upstream of, the heat exchanger unit, and a mean temperature drop over time within the heat exchanger unit is smaller than a mean temperature drop over time when the cleaning formulation is not administered using pulse dosing; or   (v) the cleaning formulation is administered into, or upstream of, the fiber separation unit, and a mean flow rate over a period of time through the fiber separation unit is greater than a mean flow rate over the period of time through the fiber separation unit when the cleaning formulation is not administered using pulse dosing; or   (vi) the cleaning formulation is administered into, or upstream of, the protein separation unit, and a mean flow rate over a period of time through the protein separation unit is greater than a mean flow rate over the period of time through the protein separation unit when the cleaning formulation is not administered using pulse dosing; or   (vii) the cleaning formulation is administered into, or upstream of, the oil separation unit, and a mean flow rate over a period of time through the oil separation unit is greater than a mean flow rate over the period of time through the oil separation unit when the cleaning formulation is not administered using pulse dosing; or   (viii) any combination of two or more of (i)-(vii).   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 ceasing flow of a first fluid process stream comprising corn, a corn-derived product, or a combination thereof through at least one of the structural components;   initiating flow of a subsequent fluid process stream comprising the process condensate, rinse fluid, or combination thereof through the at least one of the structural components; and   using pulse dosing to administer the cleaning formulation into the subsequent fluid process stream.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein an amount of the cleaning formulation is administered into the subsequent fluid process stream to provide a concentration of 10 ppm to 50,000 ppm of the cleaning formulation in the subsequent fluid process stream during the period of x seconds. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning formulation comprises a detergent, a scale inhibitor, a pH modifier, an oxidizer, a caustic solution, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         20 . A method of cleaning structural components of a processing facility, the method comprising cleaning the structural components of the processing facility by using pulse dosing to administer a cleaning formulation into a fluid process stream flowing through structural components of the processing facility using pulse dosing, wherein:
 the processing facility is an ethanol processing plant, a protein processing plant, a corn oil processing plant, an ethanol and protein processing plant, an ethanol and corn oil processing plant, or an ethanol, corn oil and protein processing plant;   the fluid process stream comprises (i) corn, a corn-derived product, or a combination thereof, wherein the corn-derived product comprises a mash, whole stillage, or thin stillage, or (ii) a process condensate comprising water and other volatile components, a rinse fluid, a cleaning fluid, or a combination thereof;   pulse dosing comprises administering the cleaning formulation into the fluid process stream for a period of x seconds every y minutes, with no administration of the cleaning formulation between the periods of x seconds;   x and y independently are from 5 to 150;   the cleaning formulation comprises a detergent, a scale inhibitor, a pH modifier, an oxidizer, a caustic solution, or any combination thereof; and   an amount of the cleaning formulation is administered into the fluid process stream to provide a concentration of 10 ppm to 50,000 ppm of the cleaning formulation in the fluid process stream during the period of x seconds.