DEP SPECIFICATION

OPERATIONAL TAGGING REQUIREMENTS

DEP 01.00.09.10-Gen.

February 2012

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING PRACTICE

© 2012 Shell Group of companies

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, published or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior
written permission of the copyright owner or Shell Global Solutions International BV.
 DEP 01.00.09.10-Gen.
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PREFACE

DEP (Design and Engineering Practice) publications reflect the views, at the time of publication, of Shell Global Solutions
International B.V. (Shell GSI) and, in some cases, of other Shell Companies.
These views are based on the experience acquired during involvement with the design, construction, operation and
maintenance of processing units and facilities. Where deemed appropriate DEPs are based on, or reference international,
regional, national and industry standards.
The objective is to set the standard for good design and engineering practice to be applied by Shell companies in oil and
gas production, oil refining, gas handling, gasification, chemical processing, or any other such facility, and thereby to help
achieve maximum technical and economic benefit from standardization.
The information set forth in these publications is provided to Shell companies for their consideration and decision to
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requirements not specifically covered, the Principal will typically expect them to follow those design and engineering
practices that will achieve at least the same level of integrity as reflected in the DEPs. If in doubt, the Contractor or
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................4
1.1 SCOPE........................................................................................................................4
1.2 DISTRIBUTION, INTENDED USE AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS .........4
1.3 DEFINITIONS .............................................................................................................4
1.4 CROSS-REFERENCES .............................................................................................5
1.5 SUMMARY OF MAIN CHANGES...............................................................................5
1.6 COMMENTS ON THIS DEP .......................................................................................6
2. GENERAL...................................................................................................................7
2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................7
2.2 ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS.............................................................................7
2.3 OPERATIONS REQUIREMENTS ..............................................................................7
3. TAGGING PHILOSOPHY...........................................................................................9
3.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................9
3.2 TAG FORMAT RULES ...............................................................................................9
3.3 PLANT BREAKDOWN..............................................................................................10
3.4 WHAT SHOULD BE TAGGED? ...............................................................................11
3.5 TAG GRANULARITY ................................................................................................11
4. ENGINEERING TAGGING SPECIFICATION ..........................................................12
5. REFERENCES .........................................................................................................14
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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 SCOPE
This DEP specifies requirements and gives recommendations for developing a tagging
philosophy and tagging specification that satisfy the needs of the operating organisation.
Tags are assigned to uniquely identify a function within a plant. Tags are the key objects
required for populating the various systems used to manage business processes during the
project and operations phases (for example, maintenance and integrity, commissioning and
start up, etc.).
This DEP is intended for use on all new capital projects. Brownfield assets may have an
existing tagging philosophy and/or specification that should be used.
This is a revision of the DEP of the same number dated August 2009; see (1.5) regarding
the changes.

1.2 DISTRIBUTION, INTENDED USE AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS

Unless otherwise authorised by Shell GSI, the distribution of this DEP is confined to Shell
companies and, where necessary, to Contractors and Manufacturers/Suppliers nominated
by them. Any authorised access to DEPs does not for that reason constitute an
authorization to any documents, data or information to which the DEPs may refer.
This DEP is intended for use in facilities related to oil and gas production, gas handling, oil
refining, chemical processing, gasification, distribution and supply/marketing. This DEP
may also be applied in other similar facilities.
When DEPs are applied, a Management of Change (MOC) process shall be implemented;
this is of particular importance when existing facilities are to be modified.
If national and/or local regulations exist in which some of the requirements could be more
stringent than in this DEP, the Contractor shall determine by careful scrutiny which of the
requirements are the more stringent and which combination of requirements will be
acceptable with regards to the safety, environmental, economic and legal aspects. In all
cases the Contractor shall inform the Principal of any deviation from the requirements of
this DEP which is considered to be necessary in order to comply with national and/or local
regulations. The Principal may then negotiate with the Authorities concerned, the objective
being to obtain agreement to follow this DEP as closely as possible.

1.3 DEFINITIONS
1.3.1 General definitions
The Contractor is the party that carries out all or part of the design, engineering,
procurement, construction, commissioning or management of a project or operation of a
facility. The Principal may undertake all or part of the duties of the Contractor.
The Manufacturer/Supplier is the party that manufactures or supplies equipment and
services to perform the duties specified by the Contractor.
The Principal is the party that initiates the project and ultimately pays for it. The Principal
may also include an agent or consultant authorised to act for, and on behalf of, the
Principal.
The word shall indicates a requirement.
The word should indicates a recommendation.
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1.3.2 Specific definitions

Term Definition
Area Subdivision of a site
Asset register The asset register is a list of all the facilities and equipment within an
asset.
Equipment Equipment is a physical object designed to perform a Tag function.
Package Preassembled collection of equipment designed to deliver a process
function.
Plant A plant is an assembly of Equipments, assembled to perform a physical or
chemical process (this includes the processes of transportation and
storage of materials).
A Plant represents the "high level" function to be performed, and during
the design, a Plant is decomposed in Process_Units and Tags.
Process unit Process Units are created to decompose the "high level" Plant function
into more granular "sub-functions". This plant breakdown structure is used
by the process engineer.
Site A site represents a geographical surface that can be identified on a map.
Tag Tags are created to decompose a "high level" Process Unit function into
more granular "sub-functions".
Tag register List of all tags at a plant.

1.3.3 Abbreviations

Term Definition
BoM Bills of Materials
CMMS Computerised Maintenance Management System
CMS Completions Management System
EIS Engineering Information Specification (DEP 82.00.10.30-Gen.)
FEED Front End Engineering Design
PEFS Process Engineering Flow Scheme, also known as a Process and
Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID)
RRM Risk and Reliability Management
SAP PM SAP plant maintenance – an example of a computerised maintenance
management system.

1.4 CROSS-REFERENCES
Where cross-references to other parts of this DEP are made, the referenced section
number is shown in brackets ( ). Other documents referenced by this DEP are listed in (5).

1.5 SUMMARY OF MAIN CHANGES

This DEP is a revision of the DEP of the same number dated August 2009. This is a major
rewrite, so the following are the main, non-editorial changes.
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Old New Change

section section
3 N/A The plant breakdown section has been removed from this DEP and
the main requirements incorporated in DEP 82.00.10.30-Gen.
4 The tagging section has been updated with learnings from projects.
5 N/A The information requirements section has been removed from this
DEP as these are already covered in DEP 82.00.10.30-Gen.

1.6 COMMENTS ON THIS DEP

Comments on this DEP may be sent to the Administrator at standards@shell.com, using
the DEP Feedback Form. The DEP Feedback Form can be found on the main page of
“DEPs on the Web”, available through the Global Technical Standards web portal
http://sww.shell.com/standards and on the main page of the DEPs DVD-ROM.
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2. GENERAL

2.1 INTRODUCTION
This DEP is intended to define the requirements that shall be adopted when developing an
engineering tagging philosophy and engineering tagging specification and applying those
documents during the project lifecycle.

2.2 ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS

As a project moves through the SELECT – DEFINE – EXECUTE phases, the functional
requirements of a plant are progressively decomposed until a sufficient level of granularity
is achieved to enable procurement of equipment and materials and subsequent
construction. These functions are allocated a unique identifier per plant, known as a tag.
The tag enables functions to be identified and information about these functions to be
managed.
Traditionally, tags would be identified on drawings and then disciplines would create tag
registers (or schedules) to track which tags had been assigned. Multiple registers and
manual allocation of tags could lead to duplication and discrepancies from the tagging
specification. Engineering design tools are increasingly utilised to create and manage tags.
These tools frequently contain an engineering numbering module that can be configured to
enforce the formats defined in the tagging specification. This central management of tags
facilitates the creation of a consolidated tag register for the Contractor’s scope, containing a
description and associated data that can be delivered to the Principal in accordance with
DEP 82.00.10.30-Gen.
Key issues for engineering include:
1. Allocation – there shall be clear demarcation in the range of tag numbers
available to a Contractor and Manufacturer/Supplier to minimise the impact on
each other’s work.
2. Consistent use by the supply chain – ensuring consistent application of the
tagging requirements, especially within the Manufacturer’s/Supplier’s packages.
3. Replication – ensuring that the tag format is structured in a way to enable
systems to be replicated in the design tools, e.g. two identical trains.
4. Completions Management – ensuring the availability of tags and the correct level
of granularity to support the completions management process.

2.3 OPERATIONS REQUIREMENTS

During the Operations phase, the tag is used as the unique functional identifier for raising
corrective notifications, scheduling maintenance and inspection activities, recording
equipment history and costs and unambiguously directing operational activities, e.g.
isolation instructions.
Equipment can be installed at tags and the combination of tag and equipment information is
compiled into an asset register, structured to suit the business and local requirements, and
loaded into key Operational systems, such as the Computerised Maintenance Management
System (CMMS). This becomes the master Asset Register and is maintained up-to-date
with all engineering changes, e.g. plant modifications, decommissioning or replacement of
equipment.
To support operational needs, unique tags are required to identify equipment installed that
falls into one or more of the following five categories:
1. Operations: to identify specific equipment for isolation purposes (electrical,
process and utilities) in relation to operational procedures.
2. Maintenance: the need to handle or perform maintenance activities on an
equipment item or line that will require scheduling of maintenance, inspection
and/or equipment history recording at that level of detail.
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3. Certification: pressure regulation, hazardous area rated, mechanical handling

safe working load, etc. requirements for specific equipment.
4. Safety: ‘Equipment items’ that perform a safety function, e.g. pressure relief
valves, over-pressure protection devices, safety instrumented systems and fire-
fighting devices.
5. Spare Parts: ‘Equipment items’ that require tag numbers to allow Bills of
Materials to be related to them.
6. Technical Documentation: Technical documents require references to Tags to
be collected to facilitate finding key information in the Operate Phase (See
DEP 82.00.10.30-Gen.).

It is essential that the project tagging requirements are aligned with the Operational
requirements, as well as the needs of the EXECUTE phase and are clearly communicated
and enforced throughout the supply chain. Failure to do so can result in Asset Integrity
issues.
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3. TAGGING PHILOSOPHY

3.1 INTRODUCTION
A tagging philosophy should be produced during the SELECT phase. If no tagging
philosophy has been produced, this DEP shall apply.
As a minimum, the tagging philosophy shall include:
1. Rules defining how tag number formats shall be constructed.
2. Identification of the plants applicable to the Tagging Philosophy scope and
definition of the codes to be used for those plants (if relevant).
3. What kind of equipment, signals, electrical circuits, instrumentation loop and
structures shall be tagged (e.g. all pressure relief valves).
4. The granularity to which the plant shall be tagged (e.g. which items in a package
unit shall be assigned a unique tag).

3.2 TAG FORMAT RULES

Different formats may be applied to different types of tags. The detailed formats shall be
defined in the tagging specification. All tag formats shall comply with the rules below. The
rules are listed in order of precedence.
1. Tag formats and codes shall comply with any rules defined in DEM1 DEPs.
2. Each full tag shall be unique within a plant. This is critical for permit to work
systems and isolations.
3. The expected size of the plant and/or other plants within the same company shall
be considered to ensure sufficient tag numbers are available.
4. Tags shall be functional and not related to the actual equipment installed or its
physical characteristics. For example, Manufacturer/model information shall not
be included in the tag. If a tag has multiple functions then only the primary
function shall be reflected in the tag number, for example a well could act as
either a producer or an injector but should be tagged as a well to avoid having to
retag if its role changes in future.
5. Tags shall be compatible with the main Owner Operator systems (e.g. SAP PM,
Control Systems). For example:
• String length restrictions – tags shall not exceed the maximum allowable
sizes of key operational systems, e.g. Control Systems, Computerised
Maintenance Management System (CMMS), etc.
NOTE: Tags shall only comply with the restrictions of systems they are likely to be loaded in, i.e.
low voltage electrical cables are not typically loaded into the CMMS, but are loaded in
the Completions Management System (CMS). So, the tag format must support the CMS
but not necessarily the CMMS.

• Exclusion of special characters – Tags shall use English characters in

uppercase, western numbers and hyphens (-) only1. No other characters shall
be used.
6. Tags shall not change during the field lifecycle and therefore shall not include
Area, Discipline or Organisation details. For example, module numbers should not
be included in the tag, as the boundary of the module can change resulting in a
need to retag.

1 The use of hyphens shall be minimised and only where segregation of elements is required. For example, a
pump shall be identified as P101 and not P-101.
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7. If a tag is terminated for any reason, it shall not be reused. The only exception
would be if the original function was reinstated.
8. Tags shall not be used to define hierarchical structures. For instance, there shall
be no parent / child relationship identified within the tag for equipment and
sub-equipment, as this shall be catered to by separate attributes within the data
management systems.
NOTE: The use of function codes to indicate supporting functions, i.e. pump motors
(DEP 31.10.03.10-Gen., Table 1) or the use of sequence numbers to indicate
instruments in a common loop (DEP 32.10.03.10-Gen., 4.1.1) is allowed. The intention
of this rule is to prevent the use of suffixes to the primary tag number, e.g. using
P4450A-01A to indicate identical pumps in parallel duty within the package A4450A.

9. It shall be possible to apply tags consistently across the Contractor and

Manufacturer/Supplier scope.
10. Tags shall be structured to enable repeatable designs to be supported in
engineering design tools, e.g. use of a train number where applicable.
11. Tags shall be represented identically on physical labels, in software tools and as
referenced in documents. (This allows a common plant prefix to be dropped for
ease of identification/reading. Each drawing will need a customised note stating
the prefixes that need to be added to all item numbers. For example, on PEFS, a
note would indicate “All tags on drawing prefixed by...”.)
12. Tags shall be used in Operations for verbal communication, therefore length and
format is important.
13. Tags should allow for future scope or capital spares to be allocated a tag number.
14. Letters ‘I’ and ‘O’ or ‘Q’ shall not be used as the initial letter in any tagging
schemes as they can easily be confused with ‘1’ and ‘0’.

3.3 PLANT BREAKDOWN

Tagging formats should be based on the Process Plant Breakdown Structure defined in
DEP 82.00.10.30-Gen. and illustrated in Figure 1.

Site

Plant

Process_Unit

Tag

Equipment

Figure 1 Process Plant Breakdown Structure

NOTE: This terminology is not consistent with the structures defined in all engineering design tools and care
shall be taken to ensure the correct object is used according to Principal’s definitions.

The Principal shall define Site, Plants and Process Units.

For Projects delivering multiple plants all tag formats shall contain elements to identify the
plant to which the tag belongs.
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3.4 WHAT SHOULD BE TAGGED?

If the answer to any of the questions below is yes, then a tag shall be created:
1. Is a safety critical function being performed that needs to be identified at an item
level?
2. Is a production critical function being performed? For example as identified by the
Reliability and Availability Model or Risk Reliability Management analysis (RRM).
3. Is an isolation function being performed? For example, manual valves or
mechanical interlocks.
4. Is the function subject to regulatory scrutiny or certification? For example,
pressure gauges in Russia.
5. Does the function transmit / consume energy? For example, electrical devices
and cables.
6. Does the function receive / transmit an instrument signal? For example, devices
and cables.
7. Does the function convert the medium going through it? For example, a
condenser.
8. Does the equipment installed require corrective or preventative maintenance,
testing or monitoring or will be subject of RRM analysis or cost tracking during
operations?
9. Does the equipment installed or its constituent parts require replacement?
NOTE: The answers to these questions will be dependent on the O&M Philosophy for the operating unit and
should be discussed with Principal’s M&I representative.

If it is still unclear if an item should be tagged, the Principal shall approve the use of
ISO 14224 without any amendments. This standard provides examples of how common
packages can be decomposed and which items should be individually identified.

3.5 TAG GRANULARITY

All Packages shall be tagged in accordance with the Principal’s Tagging Specification.
The Principal shall not accept the use of Manufacturer/Supplier tags. The Principal’s
tagging requirements shall be adhered to by all parties (Contractors and
Manufacturers/Suppliers) throughout the asset lifecycle.
NOTE: Manufacturers/Suppliers may apply their own tag numbering, in addition to the project numbers, but
the project number shall be used as a minimum on all deliverables.

The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring:

• Tag uniqueness across the Contractor’s scope;
• Compliance with the tag numbering specification by all Sub-Contractors and
Manufacturers/Suppliers.
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4. ENGINEERING TAGGING SPECIFICATION

The Principal shall advise if the tagging specification will be developed by the Contractor or
if Principal will provide a tagging specification for the Contractor to use.
If the Contractor is responsible for developing the tagging specification, the Contractor shall
ensure it complies with the rules defined in the project tagging philosophy and is approved
by the Principal prior to use.
A tagging specification shall describe the format/syntax and any allowable reference data
that shall be used to name/number tags a specific tag. This specification shall be developed
prior to FEED, so it can be used to assign tags during design. As a minimum, it shall
specify:
1. Tag formats;
2. Plant number(s);
3. Process unit numbers;
4. Tag function codes;
5. Rules for sequential numbering within a process unit;
6. Rules for process train numbering;
7. Rules for numbering of ancillary equipments (e.g. lube oil pump of a compressor);
8. Rules for supporting repeatable designs;
9. Rules for supporting block allocation of tag numbers for different Contractor or
Manufacturer/Supplier scopes;
10. Rules for tagging future scope;
11. Examples and exceptions for each tagging numbering defined. This is important to
ensure consistent understanding and application of the tagging specification across
the project;
12. Details of the change process to be followed to modify the tag numbering
specification during future project phases.
A single tagging specification shall be produced to cover all disciplines. This reduces the
number of documents that need to be issued to and understood by
Manufacturers/Suppliers and ensures a holistic approach to tagging is adopted, reducing
the potential for conflicting formats.
Different tagging formats may be adopted for different types of equipment. As a minimum, it
shall cover the following types of equipment (where relevant to the project):
1. Mechanical equipment (static and rotating);
2. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment;
3. Safety equipment (e.g. fire extinguisher stations, lifeboats);
4. Mobile equipment (e.g. lifting equipment, vehicles);
5. Structural (e.g. offshore structure, pipe and vessels supports) equipment;
6. Infrastructure / Civil / Architectural items (e.g. concrete pits, buildings, workshop
equipment, roads);
7. Pipework and pipelines;
8. Manual valves;
9. Special piping items;
10. Tie-in point numbers;
11. Electrical equipment (including all certified electrical equipment);
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12. Main electrical cables;

13. Lighting and small power devices, junction boxes, single phase cables, secondary
equipment;
14. Cableway segments;
15. Instrumentation / Fire and Gas / Telecommunications devices;
16. Instrumentation / Fire and Gas / Telecommunications junction boxes;
17. Instrument / Fire and Gas / Telecommunications cables;
18. Wells;
19. Sub-sea equipment.
Discipline specific tagging rules that shall be utilised are described in:
Table 1 DEPs containing discipline specific tagging formats

DEP DEP Title Section

Preparation of process flow schemes and process
DEP 01.00.02.11-Gen. 2.3
engineering flow schemes
DEP 31.10.03.10-Gen. Symbols and identification system – Mechanical 3 and 4
DEP 31.38.01.10-Gen. Piping Class – Basis of design 2
DEP 31.38.01.11-Gen. Piping - General requirements 2
DEP 31.38.01.12-Gen. Piping Classes - Refining and chemicals All
Instrumentation symbols and identification on
DEP 32.10.03.10-Gen. All
process engineering flow schemes
DEP 33.64.10.10-Gen. Electrical engineering design Appendix 6

The Contractor shall check to ensure that the different tagging formats defined do not allow
for the creation of duplicate tags for different types of equipment.
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5. REFERENCES

In this DEP, reference is made to the following publications:

NOTES: 1. Unless specifically designated by date, the latest edition of each publication shall be used,
together with any amendments/supplements/revisions thereto.
2. The DEPs and most referenced external standards are available to Shell staff on the SWW (Shell
Wide Web) at http://sww.shell.com/standards/.

SHELL STANDARDS
Preparation of process flow schemes and process DEP 01.00.02.11-Gen.
engineering flow schemes
Symbols and identification system – Mechanical DEP 31.10.03.10-Gen.
Piping Class - Basis of design DEP 31.38.01.10-Gen.
Piping - General requirements DEP 31.38.01.11-Gen.
Piping Classes - Refining and chemicals DEP 31.38.01.12-Gen.
Instrumentation symbols and identification on DEP 32.10.03.10-Gen.
process engineering flow schemes
Electrical engineering design DEP 33.64.10.10-Gen.
Engineering Information Specification (EIS) DEP 82.00.10.30-Gen.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries — Collection ISO 14224
and exchange of reliability and maintenance data for equipment