In engineering and design of industrial projects the word “Package” is frequently used in different technical documents, but what is the meaning of it?
Package Definition and Supply Cycle
The “Package” word is used as a title for a set of combinations of equipment, devices, and instruments that provide some required process functions, like Material /Fluid Transfer, Compression, Temperature/ Heat Exchange, Material Mixing /Combinations, and so on.
Usually in Engineering Companies, based on the type of required process function or physical characteristics, each Package will be followed for Engineering Design or Purchasing by one dedicated technical discipline known as an Originator, although such package will have technical items relevant to other disciplines too.
In fact, the Originator is a coordinator or a bridge for interfacing with the package vendor for discussion or transferring all technical (and maybe other) points with them.
Figure 1: Package Design Engineering and Supply Cycle
Figure 1 shows a simplified Design Engineering and Supply Cycle in Detail Design Engineering Company for some packages which are followed by Package Originator (as an example Rotary Machines Department).
As it is clear, the Package Originator will be front face on communication channels with Package Vendor(s) during the Procurement Cycle, while at the early stages of the project, they shall get all other (company) technical discipline’s comments and requirements for providing complete engineering detail design and accordingly Material Requisition.
Instrumentation Engineering Roles in Package Design and Supply Cycle
Usually, in all Industrial Plant Design, the I&C Engineering Team has vital roles in almost all Package Requisitions with their important effects or consequences, but why?
Since all process parameters of Packages are similar to other plant process functions to be monitored and controlled, so all Packages need some systems and instrumentations for monitoring, control, and protection too. Such required systems and instrument signals may be implemented by plant DCS and ESD or may be applied in dedicated package panels or cabinets.
Regardless of the mentioned cases for required systems, however, the I&C Engineering Team shall provide the required data for detailed design and relevant material requisitions, while they shall continue their designs and activities by monitoring (and commenting on) vendor documents accordingly in harmony with total plant design.
By starting the project, the I&C Engineering Team shall get and analyze the project inputs (similar to other technical disciplines) in order to provide the Control Philosophy requirements of the project and then provide some documents in the same harmony for process plant and package control, monitoring, and safety functions.
Here it shall be emphasized that making the harmony and synchronous design for the whole project plant and packages is very important and all project successes in future phases of plant operation and maintenance (and of course total performance efficiency) have close relationships with the mentioned goal. So the I&C Engineering Team shall consider seriously such design harmony approaches in providing Package System Architecture and Standard (Requirements) Specifications Documents for Packages too (See Figures 1 and 2).
Procurement Phase of the Project
During the Procurement phase of the project, I&C Engineering Team shall provide help and assistance to Package Originators for reviewing the different vendor’s offers on the satisfaction of project requirements and making suitable comments (or even transferring data) in order to make balances for all vendor’s offers (especially from I&C point of view).
Vendor Selection
After vendor selection, the I&C Engineering Team will provide more detailed project requirements to selected vendors during meetings (especially Kick-Off Meeting =KOM) and other project communications and document transfers. In fact they help vendors to reach the best results on system configurations and required instrumentations via clarifications and making comments on vendor documents.
Complex Packages
In some cases (especially for complex packages that have a dedicated system) I&C Engineering Team will attend in Factory Acceptance Test to check successful vendor progress on providing project requirements.
Also for complex packages that need the attendance of package specialists at the project site (such as Site Acceptance Test = SAT or Site Assistance for Commissioning and Start-up), the I&C Engineering Team may have roles for Assistances or Acceptances too. (Again refer to Figures 1 and 2).
Figure-2: Package Design and Supply Cycle as one of the Main Parts of I&C Engineers Roles and Responsibilities (In Detail Design Engineering Company)
Package System Architecture Design Document
As mentioned above, the I&C Engineer Team shall help the package originator and also vendors to better understand the details of project requirements on package system requirements (in harmony with the process plant). Such a target may be achieved by producing a Package Control Block Diagram or Package System Architecture Diagram by the I&C Engineering Team. Since some packages may not have any dedicated system, sometimes this document is called a Package Interfacing Diagram (which may be a better title).
The main approach of such a document shall be clarifying the main required systems and signals interfacing of the package with process plant (main) control and safety systems (DCS & ESD) further to the definition of different important locations in which those packages may have interfaces with them.
If a Package System Architecture Diagram is provided based on Design Document System Architecture, it may be more useful since their definitions and locations may be uniform. Format uniformity of System Architecture Documents will help the I&C Engineering Team to extract required similar data for the provision of data in other documents like Layouts, Power Consumption, Wiring Diagrams, and so on, while generally, it will help any study on plant process control philosophy for everyone to be understandable easily.
Package Interfacing Diagram
Figure 3 shows a sample of a schematic template for providing a Package System Diagram or Package Interfacing Diagram in Detail Design Engineering Company, which is applicable for almost all Package System Architecture /Interfacing types.
(If it is compared with the Design Document for Project System Architecture Diagram mentioned in References you may find similarities in the format of documents).
Figure 3: Package Systems Architecture / Package Interfacing Diagram Schematic Template. (Provided by Detail Design Company)
Considerations on Package Systems Architecture
By reviewing Figure 3 we can mention some considerations on the Design Document for Package System Architecture below:
This template can cover all types of packages with different system /signal interfacing types, so you may easily provide a Typical or Dedicated Diagram for all project packages.
Notice that each diagram can be provided based on different scopes of package inclusions, while easily being modified due to more detailed negotiation with package vendors (if required) accordingly. (See Figures 4, 5, 6)
Figure-4: Heater Package System Architecture Diagram (Package Interfacing Diagram) – Simple Package without Control/Auxiliary Panel
Such a design diagram shows a general view of required functions or system parts of the package, and not necessarily the exact type of them. On the other hand, it is schematically and not a detailed document. As an example, the shown symbols for panels or cabinets are schematically and not representations of the exact dimensions (models) or quantity of them.
This document easily helps vendors to better understand the different main locations of the project plant and so their package parts distribution accordingly. However, it easily defines the battery limits for the scope of supplies (and works) of different parts.
As an example, the vendor can see the exact scope of supply for required powers and cables (which are crucial points in making future conflict problems or discussions) and the technical basis for any limitations discussions (like special cables, or cable length limits).
Figure-5: Antifoam Dosing Package System Architecture Diagram (Package Interfacing Diagram) – Simple Package without Control/Auxiliary Panel
Detailed Design Projects
Some detailed design projects or companies may not produce a Design Document for Package System Architecture Diagram and they transfer project conditions by some texts or explanation documents.
Although they follow their procedures for doing the jobs, it shall be noticed that sometimes (and especially for complex packages) such diagrams can easily represent better and faster than several text sheets.
Bid Phase of the Project
During the bid phase of the project, all package vendors were asked to prepare primary Package Vendor System Architecture based on Design Document One.
Then balancing and comparison of different received offers would be done better (uniformly) and easily. However, selected vendors can prepare detailed documents accordingly with more details.
Figure-6: Refrigeration Package System Architecture Diagram (Package Interfacing Diagram) – Simple Package with Complete Dedicated Control/Auxiliary Panel
Detail Engineering Phase of Vendor Activities
Since during the detail engineering phase of vendor activities, they should provide a type of document for defining their package interfacings.
So using the Design Document for Package System Architecture will be a good guide for their document format and (required) information, while Package Vendor System Architecture shall have more exact details including detail types, models, and also quantities. (See Figure-7)
Figure-7: Sample of Vendor Document for Package System Architecture Diagram (Package Interfacing Diagram) – Boiler Package
Although the Design document for Package System Architecture may be very useful, but it shall be attached to other explanation documents which define the exact project requirements and specifications. I&C Engineering Team may provide such items as Tag Number Ranges, Requisition Notes (mentioned in Package Requisition), Standard Specification for Instrumentations Supplied with Packages, Standard Specifications for Control and Safety Systems (PLCs) supplied with Packages (sometimes instead of two specifications Detail Design Company may provide just one specification as “Standard Specification for Instrumentation and Control & Safety Systems supplied with Packages”).
Industrial Process Plant Projects
Usually, Industrial Process Plant Projects include so many packages, and so several I&C specialists (from the I&C team) work on different packages, or even during the project execution cycle, one package may be followed by a sequence of specialists, while any difference in their approaches may cause some problems in project progress (or in the integrity of Overall Project Control Philosophy). Using the same schematic template for Package System architecture can make uniformity and continuity approaches for all of them.
Referring to Figure 1, some package vendors may use separate external I&C team or even sub-vendors for the implementation of the Instrumentation and System Requirements of their package. In such cases, Design Document of Package System Architecture can help package vendor to better and faster discuss with their sub-vendors on transferring project requirements (for their estimations and setting project schedules).
Design Document for Package System Architecture further to the I&C Engineering Team can help other technical disciplines for definition of their battery limits and required scope of supply (As an example such a diagram will help the originator and also the Electrical Team to clarify such items like skids and power requirements).
In some projects or companies, instead of using the same schematic template, they may use separate and different formats of diagrams (and they may use them just for some limited packages).
Overall Project Control Philosophy
Please notice that although in such a trend, they will make their project targets, but it may cause some dispersions on the integrity of the Overall Project Control Philosophy. Sometimes a bit of dispersion may cause big future problems in process plant operations and related activities like operator training, supplying spare parts/ items, special safety notices for different types of operation and maintenance, and so on.
Although using the same schematic template will help the I&C Engineering Team keep convergence on their activities, but sometimes, and for special cases they may need further auxiliary diagrams to define more detail of project requirements too.
Figure 8 shows a sample auxiliary diagram provided for one special case of the package (Belt Conveyor) which shall have exact signals based on project requirements. (See Figure-8)
Figure-8: Sample of Auxiliary Document for Package System Architecture Diagram (Package Interfacing Diagram) – Belt Conveyor Required Detail Signals
Conclusion
Providing a Package System Architecture Diagram by the I&C Engineering Team (in Detail Design Engineering Company) before the BID stage will be very useful for project progress (better and faster) while it may help keep the same approach as Plant Control and Safety Systems (DCS and ESD) and accordingly keeping uniform integrity of Project Control Philosophy. However, package vendor can use it for issuing their similar document for representing package detail interfacings.
References:
- Instrumentation and Control Project Package
- Design Document for Project System Architecture
- Vendor Document for Project System Architecture