Pre-commissioning or Commissioning Activities

What are the things to be checked carefully during pre-commissioning or commissioning activities for instrument engineer?

Contents

Pre-commissioning or Commissioning Activities

Before a plant or facility is handed over for normal operation, it should be inspected, checked, cleaned, flushed, verified and tested. This process is called commissioning and involves both the contractor and operator of a facility.

The transition from construction to operation is the commissioning and startup. Processing plant commissioning embraces activities such as cleaning, flushing, verifications, leak tests, performance evaluation and functional tests essential for bringing a newly installed plant or facility into routine operation.

Also Read: DCS Commissioning

Correct commissioning is vital to the satisfactory operation of any plant or facility. A schedule must be established with benchmarks and monitoring activities in order to keep track of progress.

Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) Management plan:

HSE Plan should be developed for the project. In addition, other plans and procedures to cover the inherent risks associated with pre-commissioning, commissioning, and other activities as well as risks associated with the performance of these activities while others are working in adjacent areas of the facility.

Instrumentation Commissioning takes place when Mechanical completion is completed for a system or part of a system.

Commissioning can be divided into three main activities:

Commissioning preparation
Commissioning execution
Commissioning documentation and handover to operation

Commissioning Preparation

commissioning preparation required to maintain two types of records

1. Commissioning Preparation Check Record

Valves and equipment flow direction correct.

Orifice plates installed check plate tab and its description.

All instruments hooked up.

Also Read: Commissioning Documents

2. Instrument Installation and Inspection Installation check

Check the instrument against the datasheet.
Check CE marking.
Check calibration certificates.
Installation check.
Leakage test.
Flushing carried out.

Few example checklists:

Commissioning Execution

Calibration and testing of instruments prior to installation.
Visual inspection for complete and correct installation.
Insulation and continuity testing of cables.
Cleaning, flushing, pressure and leak testing of pneumatic and hydraulic tubing.
Adjustment of control, alarm and shutdown settings.
Loop testing.
Function testing of control systems.
Function testing of field instruments.
Punch point list for field instruments
Area completion.

Commissioning Documentation Preparation & Handover

Following are the documentation is prepared before the startup or at the end of commissioning and to be handed over once the commissioning process has been completed.

Engineering Documentation

Cable Diagrams/Schedules
Instrument Indexes
System & Marshalling cabinet cable schedules and Junction Box cable Schedules
Vendor Lists
Vendor Manuals including all vendor documents/drawings, Contractor Commissioning and Start-Up plans (CSU) and Operating Manuals
Commissioning Spares Lists
Valve Lists
Cause and Effects Charts
Trip Register/Schedule
System P&IDs
Punch points list.

Also Read: Fire Alarm System Commissioning

Final Documents for Commissioning

After the successful completion of all pre-commissioning activities, the following list of final documents should be available readily for the commissioning activities.