capital plant commissioning - dr. ir. ron mcdowall …mcdowall.ac.nz/docs/commissioning.pdfpart one...

Capital Plant Commissioning

McDowall

ª  Chartered Professional Engineer

ª  Senior Lecturer Faculty of Business

ª  University of Auckland ª  PhD(Economics), M.Phil.(E.Eng),

BBS/BSc (Physics) ª  F.IPENZ, F.NZIM, M.RSNZ ª  CPEng, Int PE ª  UNEP Specialist Scientist/

Engineer Toxic Chemicals

Contents

Part One: Introduction

Part Two: The meaning of Commissioning

Part Three: Real-Time Commissioning Part Four : Tips

Part One - Introduction

ª Issues of Complexity

ª Course Objectives

Part One - Introduction ��Issues of Complexity : Is it simple?

Commissioning is a complex issue requiring:

ª  Planning ª  Leadership

ª  Teamwork

ª  Training•

Part One - Introduction ��Issues of Complexity : Factors

Factors that influence complexity are: ª  Plant size

ª  Process type (continuous or batch) ª Client infrastructure

ª Contractual arrangements

ª  Level of automation or control•

Part One - Introduction ��Issues of Complexity : Root causes of problems

Problems that occur during commissioning can include:

ª  Poor Planning ª  Ineffective Leadership ª  Rushed Installation ª  Poor Quality Work ª  Too Few Resources ª  Inexperienced Resources ª  Inadequate training ª  Poor design•

Part One - Introduction ��Issues of Complexity : Differing objectives

Differing Objectives can influence the commissioning process.

Construction personnel To finish plant construction and to leave site as soon as possible

Project Management To finish on time and on budget

Consultant To start next project and keep CAD department busy

Client To get all these construction people off site!

And the Commissioning manager……

Part One - Introduction ��Issues of Complexity : Differing objectives

Commissioning personnel…..

ª  to learn the plant ª  to learn the process

ª  to ensure the as-built plant will work as intended

ª  to test the installed equipment ª  to fully commission the plant•

Part One - Introduction ��Course Objectives : Provide exposure

ª  to the unique problems associated with the start up of process plants.

Part One - Introduction ��Course Objectives : Stimulate thinking

ª  orientation to the start up aspects of any type of plant in any industry.

Part One - Introduction ��Course Objectives : Establish frameworks

ª  for anticipating and avoiding financial, technical, operational and organisational problems associated with a start up.

Part One - Introduction ��Course Objectives : Execution

ª  in planning for and executing a successful plant start up.

CASE # 1

ª Fail Mode Strategy Test and the little things that go bang in the night!

And when it all turns to custard

Part Two: The Meaning of Commissioning

Part Two: The Meaning of Commissioning

ª Engineers and Others ª Mistakes ª Structure

ª What it really really is! ª Teams and Plans ª Realtime commissioning•

Part Two - The meaning of Commissioning : ��Engineers & Others

ª The process and methodology of capital plant commissioning and start up is often poorly understood

ª Often poorly executed by engineers to the detriment of the client’s project and business•

Part Two - The meaning of Commissioning : ��Mistakes

ª Commissioning has a different meaning to different engineering disciplines and, indeed, project managers and clients.

ª  Serious mistakes are often made during large and small projects because the meaning is perceived differently by the various players within the project grouping.

ª  Large-scale plant integration of multiple vendors can also be a fertile ground for misunderstandings in who is commissioning what and who is responsible for interfacing between packages.•

Part Two - The meaning of Commissioning : ��Structure

ª Useful to look at where commissioning fits in a project schedule

ª Next slide shows how commissioning integrates with the various project stages.•

Part Two - The meaning of Commissioning : ��What it really really is!

ª Commissioning starts at the project drafting stage, and is an activity that involves several stages throughout the project life.

ª Commissioning is a disciplined activity involving careful testing, calibrating and proving of all systems, software and networks within the project boundary.

ª  This presentation outlines the triple colour based pre-testing system along with the 100% tested approach.•

Part Two - The meaning of Commissioning : ��Teams and plans

ª Commissioning teams should be formed up of specialist engineers, vendors, electrical instrumentation technicians, electricians, client engineers, maintenance and lastly but no less important the production personnel.

ª Written commissioning plan ª  In the commissioning plan hold points should be identified

and decision to proceed points nominated and the go-no-go criteria indicated.•

Part Two - The meaning of Commissioning :��Commissioning & the Consulting Engineer

ª The conflict for the consulting engineer (CE). ª Should the CE “do” commissioning. ª How should the CE “do” commissioning.

ª Who can be a commissioning engineer. ª Put it in tenders. ª Educate the client.•

Part Two - The meaning of Commissioning : ��Real-time Commissioning

ª Drafting and Nomenclature ª  Factory Acceptance Testing

ª Mechanical/electrical/process clearance ª  Pre Commissioning

ª Commissioning

ª  Process Software Commissioning ª  Process Commissioning

ª  Start Up ª Otimization

CASE #2

ª Kinleith - Simple project but complex client

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal

ª All engineers and especially commissioning engineers MUST keep a professional Journal.

ª Why should I, a professional engineer keep a journal? What is a professional journal.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - Database!

ª A well-kept journal becomes a database of information that you can refer to when you are solving problems, setting goals, making decisions or looking for creative ideas.

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - New Ideas

ª Small observations, recorded faithfully, may open streams of new ideas and insights that otherwise might have been lost.

ª Being able to recall in detail how you solved one problem may help you to see the solution to another.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - Memory

ª The Journal becomes the keeper of what happened and importantly when did it happen.

ª It records who said what and when. ª When the forces of the dark side come to

bayonet the innocent after the battle your professional journal will protect you.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - What should I write?!

ª The journal is the keeper or the translator of what would be normally perishable into what must last.

ª Without a journal, almost everything we do or say or think or feel slips very quickly into oblivion.

ª Our memories are poor librarians especially related to timing of events.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - Language

ª “One small step man one giant step for mankind” or “Today we landed on the moon” or….

ª At first, you might be tempted to write long passages describing the weather, your surroundings, or memories.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - Focus

ª A professional journal, however, should focus on the people, situations and inter- actions that occur.

ª Some people make quick notes during the day to record dates, names, and one- or two- sentence descriptions of events; later, they take the time to reflect on their thoughts, feelings and decisions, using the facts as reminders.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - Learning

ª Over time, you learn which information you need and which information can safely slip very quickly into oblivion.

ª Concentrate on conversations. Blythe writes: “. . . one of the first things the diarist knows he must get right is talk.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - Conversation

ª The discipline of memorizing conversation and putting it down on the page hours later can help the diarist in other ways.” Make detailed lists.

ª A list is “a summary of what you need, want, or have, or see at a particular moment in time. It’s a survey, an overview, a summary of the crucial facts of the state of one aspect of the project.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Journal - Some notes

ª After running the engine and propellers a few minutes to get them in working order, I got on the machine at 10:35 for the first trial. The wind, according to our anemometers at this time, was blowing a little over 20 miles (corrected) 27 miles according to the Government anemometer. On slipping the rope the machine started off increasing in speed to probably 7 or 8 miles an hour. The machine lifted from the truck just as it was entering on the fourth rail. Mr. Daniels took a picture just as it left the tracks.

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning

ª Drafting and Nomenclature ª  Factory Acceptance Testing ª Mechanical/electrical/process clearance ª  Pre Commissioning ª Commissioning ª  Process Software Commissioning ª  Process Commissioning ª  Start Up ª Otimization

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Drafting and Nomenclature

Plant drawings and schematics are essential in commissioning

ª Nomenclature is very important to get it right at the beginning as the drawings are produced.

ª Electrical, instrumentation, piping, vendor plant, mechanical, process plant, hold card and PID schematic standards are also very important to get right at the beginning.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning�� Drafting and Nomenclature : Fully Zonal

ª All drawings and schematics should be fully zonal ª The entire drawings set should then follow the

process flow. Use IEC. ª Plant labeling for MCCs, HV switchgear, control

desks, drives, vendor packages, cables, distribution, HVAC systems etc all must have comprehensive labeling that reflects nomenclature and the hold card system.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning�� Drafting and Nomenclature : PID

ª All process piping is to have the industry standard labels for pipe type, internal product and direction of flow.

ª The plant PID should be suitable for wall charting and be coloured for the various piping arrangements etc.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning�� Drafting and Nomenclature : Vendor packages

ª All vendor packages must also have retrofitted the label standard for all motors cables, control panels, instrumentation panels and discrete devices.

ª The requirement for these labels and pipe labels to be on the vendor packages may be incorporated in the purchase specification.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning�� Drafting and Nomenclature : Vendor packages

• Many vendor packages have a wholly inadequate drawing standard.

• In some cases however a simple interface drawing may be all that is required to bring the vendors set into the plant drawing set.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Factory Acceptance Testing

ª Many vendor-supplied packages include factory acceptance testing (FAT).

ª The veracity of such testing can be quite variable. ª In any case it is crucial that the assigned

commissioning engineer be present.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Factory Acceptance Testing

ª Complex elements such as DCS systems as well as process units.

ª In some circumstances the commissioning engineer may consider it unnecessary.

ª Judgments that are the commissioning engineers call.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Vendor packages - Interfacing

ª Interfacing is one of the main areas that is often overlooked..

ª Lack of junction boxes for cable inter-connections or pipe junctions missing.

ª Discrete components set up for conduit wiring.

ª Poor drawings for interfacing piping, air systems, electrical, instrumentation.

ª Incorrect wire or piping colours.•


ª pre-tested in a manner that not only tests and checks the interfacing connections but the devices.

ª how important it is to get vendor package interfacing correct.

ª Some commissioning engineers on mission critical plant will go as far as field calibration of instrumentation on vendor-supplied packages.•


ª Matter of judgment on the part of the experienced commissioning engineer.

ª Dependent on the level and quality of the factory acceptance testing.

ª Criticality of the element or unit.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Utility Pre-Testing

ª Most capital plant have extensive utilities. ª A commissioning engineer working on the 100%

principle will apply a full set of inspections and tests during the pre-testing utilities phase.

ª Working out from the switchgear he will check the connected motors for specification…

ª Again the degree to which you want to go with this level of testing depends on the criticality.

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning��Mechanical/Electrical/Process Clearance

ª Clear structured system essential. ª Integrated with Hold card system. ª Single overall authority.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning��The Colours

ª Cold yellow ª Hot Green ª Soft Pink

ª Running Purple

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning��Witness Documentation

ª Coloured drawings and specifications become the witness documents.

ª There are various check list and witness forms for the different types of project commissioning.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Pre-Commissioning (Cold Yellow Testing)

ª Pre-commissioning or so-called “cold yellow testing” involves the use of the prepared commissioning drawing sets.

ª All field devices are exercised and manipulated to provide on/off inputs to the PLC or DCS without voltage or active auxiliary supplies.

ª The commissioning engineers work in teams with radio communication using different channels for each team.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Cold Yellow Pre-Commissioning

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Hot Green Commissioning

ª Commissioning or the so called hot green testing involves bringing on the HV switchgear, livening the power transformers, switching on the MCC Circuit Breakers and livening the Motor control centers and all auxiliary supplies and power supplies for instrumentation control panels and the like.


ª For capital plant commissioning there must be an extensive bullet proof hold card system.

ª A commissioning hold card will have sections on it for mechanical and process clearance.

ª Frigs should be long red wires with a tag.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Soft Pink Process Software Commissioning

ª This phase of commissioning, so called soft pink testing, involves proving the software and ladder logic.

ª All inputs and outputs of all PLCs and DCS are now fully tested and operational and the ladder logic is now brought on in sequence.•


ª Sections of the ladder logic must be locked off so that some errant logic step doesn’t complete and interlock further down the sequence

ª As each rung in the ladder is worked and its interlocks and stepwise logic is checked then the appropriate section in the software printout is coloured with a PINK highlighter pen.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Run Purple Process Commissioning

ª Process Commissioning or the so-called running purple phase.

ª concerned about commissioning the actual process the plant is actually supposed to be doing.

ª At this time the plant has been tested three times, the logic completely tested, all interlocks successfully negotiated and worked through, faulty logic has been fixed or replaced and all “frigs” removed.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Run Purple Process Commissioning

ª As each section of the plant is brought up to pressure or temperature or the kitchen is run the PID is marked up in a PURPLE highlighter.

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Start up

ª Before any capital plant is operated an experienced plant engineer should walk the plant and ensure that no “space junk” has been left in the equipment.

ª Start up occurs as an output of the process commissioning phase.

ª As sections of the plant are process commissioned and the entire PID is purple then the operating staff can go for a complete run.•

Part Three - Real-Time Commissioning ��Optimization

ª After startup and sometimes much later optimization is carried out. Often this occurs long after the commissioning engineer has left site and is usually performed by specialist engineers and operating staff.

CASE #3

ª 350 million dollars worth of project commissioned in 21 days

ª Yeah right!

Part Four : Tips

Part Four ��Tips : Project Managers

ª Project Managers. ª Some project managers can be a significant block

to commissioning success.

ª The propensity to ignore expert advice because it does not fit the project criteria.

ª Be professional and maintain your position.

Part Four ��Tips : Last cab off the block syndrome

ª Particularly applies to vendors or other commissioning engineers who arrive late in the project.

ª Sometimes very hard to control the last cab off the rank but walk them through the project carefully explaining that his section is late because it is essential that it is right and its taken some time to get it so.

Part Four ��Tips : Schedule site time and attendance

ª Do not allow all decisions to reach you. ª Resource problems are the biggest hassles during

commissioning but are usually the easiest to resolve.

ª Personal time is important to avoid the commissioning stress blues.•

Part Four ��Tips : Must have responsible person��

ª You must have a responsible person for each and every major area so that the sub decisions can be made and so that when commissioning meetings occur someone is on the mat and can be accountable.

Part Four ��Tips : Commissioning and start up is done on behalf

of the company client.

ª This means that nothing and nobody during pre-commissioning should compromise the start up including their own managers.

ª As commissioning and startup manager you must have complete control of all sectors and that includes that of their own management production and maintenance.

ª At the end of it all your actions are done in order to protect the project, its end date and the client.•

Part Four ��Tips : Commissioning Teams

ª Should be formed up of vendor representatives, electrical instrumentation technicians, electricians, client engineers, maintenance and lastly but no less important the production personnel.

Part Four ��Tips : Commissioning Meetings

ª Should be short and follow predetermined pattern.

ª They must not be hijacked by the latest drama or the latest disaster.

ª The meeting must not become the battle ground of “tit for tat insurgency’ or finger pointing.

ª Contractual niceties should not compromise start up. That sort of scenario can be punched up later.

ª Hit lists come out of the commissioning meeting.•

Part Four ��Tips : Finger pointing

ª This is the most damaging and potentially the area that most compromises the start up.

ª It should be eliminated from the project culture at the beginning of the job by the commissioning/startup manager.•

Part Four ��Tips : No Changes

ª No changes to the design and constructional elements during the last phase.

ª These requirements are added to a hit list for later action.•

Part Four ��Tips : Triple Coloured Commissioning system

ª Follow the coloured triple pre-testing systems you will always have a successful commissioned on time project.

capital plant commissioning - dr. ir. ron mcdowall …mcdowall.ac.nz/docs/commissioning.pdfpart one...

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