Electrolytic cip-cleaning process for removing impurities from the inner surface of a metallic container

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel electrolytic process for removing impurities from the inner surface of a metallic container. The process is particularly useful for cleaning process reactors used for culturing microorganisms, and storage tanks used for storing metabolites formed in the process reactor, as well as containers for dairy products.

1 . A medical delivery system comprising: a) a container adapted to contain a medicament in a reservoir and to contain a slideably arranged piston which is moveable along a first axis in a distal direction towards an outlet of the reservoir so as to reduce the volume of the reservoir and expel the medicament through the outlet, the container further comprising a first protrusion, the location of the first protrusion representing at least one parameter associated with the container; b) a dosing assembly adapted to be secured to the container so as to allow driving means of the dosing assembly to move the piston of the container in the distal direction, the dosing assembly further having electric circuitry configured for identifying the location of the first protrusion on the container,
 wherein the medical delivery system comprises a first electric resistive track disposed in the dosing assembly, and, in use, a first wiper slideably engaging said first electric resistive track, the first wiper being associated with said first protrusion when the container is secured to the dosing assembly, the first electric resistive track and the first wiper being coupled to the electric circuitry so as to detect the relative position of the first wiper with respect to the first electric resistive track to thereby identify said container.   
     
     
         2 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein the dosing assembly comprises a first switch element which is adapted to cooperate with a second protrusion disposed on the container, the first switch element and the electric circuitry being adapted to detect when the container is correctly secured to the dosing assembly. 
     
     
         3 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 2 , wherein the dosing assembly comprises a second switch element which is adapted to cooperate with said second protrusion disposed on the container, the second switch element being adapted to activate a controller of said electric circuitry responsive to initial coupling of the container to the dosing assembly. 
     
     
         4 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein the medical delivery system comprises a second electric resistive track disposed in the dosing assembly, and a second wiper slideably engaging said second electric resistive track, and wherein the container comprises a third protrusion, the second wiper being associated with the third protrusion when the container is secured to the dosing assembly. 
     
     
         5 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein the container has a proximal end adapted to be at least partly received in the dosing assembly and wherein at least one of said protrusions is/are arranged on the proximal end of the container extending in the proximal direction. 
     
     
         6 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein the container has a generally cylindrical section and wherein at least one of the protrusions are arranged on the external face of the cylindrical section. 
     
     
         7 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein the electric resistive track is a thin film potentiometer or a thick film potentiometer. 
     
     
         8 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said wipers are spaced away from its respective electric resistive track when the container is spaced away from the dosing assembly. 
     
     
         9 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and/or the third protrusion of the container functions as said wiper(s), when the container is secured in the dosing assembly. 
     
     
         10 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein the container comprises first fastening means releasably coupleable to second fastening means of the dosing assembly by a sequence of movements comprising a relative axial movement along a first axis followed by a relative rotational movement around the first axis. 
     
     
         11 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 1 , wherein the container comprises first fastening means releasably coupleable to second fastening means of the dosing assembly by a purely axial movement along the first axis and where the dosing assembly comprises means for rotational aligning the container with the dosing assembly. 
     
     
         12 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 10 , wherein the first and the second fastening means are configured to allow the container to be secured to the dosing assembly in a single predefined rotational orientation with respect to the dosing assembly. 
     
     
         13 . The medical delivery system according to  claim 10 , wherein the first and the second fastening means are configured to allow the container to be secured to the dosing assembly in two predefined rotational orientations with respect to the dosing assembly, the two rotational orientations being opposed by 180 degrees. 
     
     
         14 . A container for use in the medical delivery system accordingly to  claim 2 , the container being adapted to contain a medicament in a reservoir and to contain a slideably arranged piston which is moveable along a first axis in a distal direction towards an outlet of the reservoir so as to reduce the volume of the reservoir and expel the medicament through the outlet, the container further comprising a proximal end having a cavity adapted to receive driving means of the dosing assembly, the proximal end including a portion having a circular cross-section, wherein first and a second protrusions and optionally additional protrusion(s) are located along the periphery of the circular section of the container and extends in the proximal direction, and wherein for at least one of said protrusions, the centre-to-centre spacing between said at least one protrusion and each of its neighboring protrusions are non-equidistant. 
     
     
         15 . The container according to  claim 14 , wherein the container comprises first fastening means for securing the container to second fastening means of the dosing assembly, the first fastening means comprising two radially extending male members. 
     
     
         16 . The container according to  claim 14 , wherein at least one of said protrusions have a peripheral width along the periphery of the circular section corresponding to less than 45 degrees, preferably less than 30 degrees, more preferably less than 20 degrees.