Commissioning process helps to achieve the project goals. Have you ever wondered how large complex projects are commissioned and started up? There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes! Each project is different and must have a unique plan to achieve the desired outcome. However, the overall process to plan, commission, and startup a project is similar in each case. Let’s review the steps for commissioning and startup. For additional information, you can also check this article out to help you set your projects up on success Project Mindset Lifecycle
There are several activities that take place off-site prior to the commissioning team mobilizing to site during the design and construction phases of a project. During design and construction, the schedule and sequence of activities during commissioning are used to define the required construction milestones, in order to plan the project schedule. The construction milestones then define the required design milestones. From this sequence of milestones, the project team is then aware of what activities need to be compete and by when to ensure all the project components come together as a final system for testing.
The commissioning team is defined during the design/construction phase, to determine the core members of the commissioning team as well as the support resources required from elsewhere on the project. An important group to ensure are part of the commissioning team is the Owner’s operations team, as commissioning activities are the best opportunity for the Ops team to learn about the systems and become familiar with the new operating requirements prior to taking over the systems. Other members of the commissioning team are the electrical/mechanical/automation key discipline leads, consultant subject matter experts (SME), contractors, vendor reps, and owner’s reps. Roles and Responsibilities of the people who are involved in commissioning is one of the lessons in our courses, check it out here Commissioning Academy: Full System Commissioning
Commissioning documentation is defined and prepared in advance of the commissioning phase. This includes the test plans and test procedures to be executed during commissioning, and checklists required, as well as drawings. It is critical that the construction team deliver an accurate set of red-line drawings to the commissioning team in order that the correct installed configuration of equipment in the field is accurately documented.
As construction is completed and equipment installation is complete, the construction and commissioning teams will perform a walkthrough to identify any contract deviations or deficiencies, and list all items on a deficiency tracking list. Deficiencies are then classified as Type-A, Type-B, or Type-B, identifying when each must be complete. Type-A is a showstopper, and must be complete before proceeding to the next activity. Type-B does not need to be addressed immediately and does not impact subsequent activities, but must be rectified prior to handover to the owner. Type-C deficiencies are minor defects and are agreed by the owner to be rectified after handover to the owner.
Contractor document deliverables are defined, such as O&M manuals and training plans, to be delivered during the commissioning phase.
Any specialized test equipment or special tools are defined and procured prior to commissioning. If the constructor is required to provide any specialized equipment, this is defined as well.
Methods to gather test results need to be determined, either as data logging systems or manually recorded. Often there is a significant amount of information produced during commissioning, and a plan to gather, analyze, and report on the test results needs to be determined.
The stakeholders of the project will need to be informed on the commissioning progress, what is going well, and any issues encountered. What information needs to be conveyed and to who should be agreed to by all stakeholders prior to the start of commissioning.
And last but not least, safety management systems need to be established prior to commencing any commissioning activities, learn more about safety here Safety During Commissioning. The energy isolation procedures, also known as Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO) process, needs to be established and points of contact identified as responsible for the process.
FAT can consist of hardware verification such as dielectric testing of major equipment, or panel wiring of any control cabinets. FAT can also consist of integrated testing, where automation or protection/control logic is loaded into the hardware and verified for correct design and functionality. If this is specified in the contract, then this must be done before the equipment leaves the factory. Because field devices and wiring do not exist in the factory bench testing, interfaces will need to be simulated. Integrated FAT is the most thorough verification, and reduces schedule risk, in order that any errors are discovered prior to site testing. But this requires that the automation design be completed in advance. It is important during the procurement that schedules be planned to allow sufficient time for this to take place, as often the panel wiring and field device designs are not completed, and logic is difficult to complete without the full hardware design. However, thorough FAT will always make on-site commissioning go much better if it is known in advance that the hardware delivered to site already works with the logic design.
Mechanical completion occurs at the end of construction once equipment is installed. There is often a formal handover process with forms required to be signed confirming that equipment is installed per the design. The construction team and commissioning team will perform a walkthrough to inspect the installation and confirm there are no deficiencies. Any deficiencies are noted and added to the deficiency list, with associated classification. Confirmation of basic installation is confirmed, such as valves installed in the correct direction, and all wiring point-to-point checks and megger tests have been completed. P&ID drawings are traced in the field to ensure all air/oil/water auxiliaries are available. The construction team will verify that drawings are marked up (red-green drawings) to indicate the as-installed condition, and mechanical completion is the point in time when the red-line drawings are delivered to the commissioning team.
At each mechanical completion, a deficiency list is generated and any Type-A deficiencies rectified before moving into the pre-commissioning phase.
