PLANT DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

How you can precommission

process plants systematically
Follow these guidelines for the best logical sequence
for startup preparations
V. RAMNATH, Engineers India Ltd., New Delhi, India

L
eading to engineering completion, Contrary to the construction work other parts of the plant, is undertaken to
operating personnel need to convey progress, which is essentially planned by define, prepare and execute all mechanical
to the project/construction team trades and areas, the startup sequence of completion and precommissioning. This
which sections of the unit/plant are to be a new plant is driven by operational con- benefits the operation by saving time and
handed over chronologically so that the straints with safety equipment and systems optimizing resources.
entire procedure is smooth. This informa- being given the highest priority; followed The systems will be identified at an early
tion is conveyed by dividing the unit/plant by utilities, power generation and other stage so that the mechanical completion of
into sections called systems. Each operating essential services required to supporting the systems can be expedited per priority.
facility and associated units are divided into commissioning of the process equipment. This early stage of systems identification
logical process and/or piping equipment Therefore, a subdivision of an installation will also help properly sequence and inte-
systems. Normally, the precommissioning that performs a given operational func- grate mechanical completion and precom-
and commissioning of units in the chemi- tion, with little or no interference from the missioning activities.
cal process industry are carried out on a
system-by-system basis. TABLE 1. System definition database
Systems are divided into process and
utility systems. Process systems are those Subsystem code System description Subsystem description
involving process fluids (e.g., the atmo- 400 – P – 01 Reformate splitter Feed to reformate splitter
spheric distillation unit column’s over-
head system), while utility systems involve 400 – P – 02 Reformate splitter Reformate splitter column
utilities like instrument air, plant air, etc. 410 – P – 01 Clay treaters Clay treater feed
Precommissioning involves water flush- 410 – P – 02 Clay treaters Clay treater equipment, V-111 and V-112
ing, air or steam blowing of piping and
440 – P – 01 Adsorbent chambers Adsorbent chambers, V-101 and V-102
equipment, water trial of pumps, adsor-
bent loading, drying out fired heaters, etc. 810 – U – 01 Plant air Plant air header
Following these activities, hydrocarbon 820 – U – 01 Nitrogen Low pressure nitrogen
is put into designated plant areas such as 830 – U – 01 DM water DM water supply
cold circulation of crude oil, also termed
840 – U – 01 Cooling water Cooling water supply
as commissioning. Even though some
parts of the plant are in this phase, others 840 – U – 02 Cooling water Cooling water return
like the desalter, may still be in precom-
missioning mode.
Construction Precommissioning Commissioning Product out Test run
System approach advantages.
The checking and testing phases of a new Schedule
Construction advantage
plant are relatively long and complicated
processes—not all parts of the plant reach Precommissioning
the same degree of completion at the same Commissioning
time. Hence, some areas or units of a plant Product out
may be complete and ready for precom-
missioning, while others are not. It’s there- Test run
fore a waste of time to wait for the whole
plant to be complete at the same time for FIG. 1 Comparison when using “systems.”
precommissioning activities to begin.
HYDROCARBON PROCESSING APRIL 2011
I 119
PLANT DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

FI
6823
TI FQI PI
6846 6823 6850
L
TE FIT FE PIT TG PG
6846 6823 6823 6850 6891 6801
6-in.–PA–68006–H1A–N Plant air
Offsite
FI
6822
TI FQI PI
6847 6822 6849
L
TE FIT FE PIT TG PG
6843 6822 6822 6849 6815 6816
6-in.–TA–68004–H1A–N Instrument air
Offsite
FI
6842
TI FQI PI
6843 6842 6844
L
TE FIT FE PIT TG PG
6843 6842 6842 6844 6809 6810
6-in.–NG–68005–A1A–N Nitrogen
Offsite
TI H FI PI H
6837 6836 6838
L L L
FQI TG PG
TE 6836 PIT 6819 6820
6837 6838 Fuel oil
3-in.–FO–68002–B1B–LP supply
FQIT
6838 Offsite
5 5 5
3-in.–FLO–68005–A1A–N TG PG
B1B 6871 6872 Flushing oil
2-in.
AIR supply
Offsite

TI H FI PI H
6853 L 6851 L 6852 L
FQI
PIT 6851 TE PG PG
6853 6852 6890 6803
2-in.–FO–59034–BLB–LP Fuel oil return
FQIT
6851 Offsite
5 5
5 TG PG
6873 6873 Flushing oil
2-in.–FLO–68006–A1A–N 2-in. B1B
AIR return
Offsite

Plant air (810-U-001) Instrument air (820-U-001) Flushing oil (570-P-001)

Fuel oil (560-P-001) Nitrogen (850-P-001)

FIG. 2 System markup at the unit battery limit.

This overall project planning will be
better optimized if the mechanical test,
pre-commissioning and commissioning
activities are organized. As Fig. 1 indicates,
there is a definite schedule advantage if the
systematic approach is undertaken. This
approach does not wait for the entire unit
to be handed over, thus meeting the goal of
early unit startup.
Systems and subsystems coding.
Systems are first identified per the agreed
coding philosophy and defined on the
unit piping and instrumentation diagrams
(P&IDs). These define the boundaries
between systems. Each system is then bro-
ken down into its components indicating
the associated equipments, tie-ins, control
valves, safety valves, instrumentation and
any other component in its limit.
The system and subsystem identifica-
tion code is generated with the goal that
each system and its subsystems are uniquely
defined. The coding identifies the unit,
system type (process or utility) and cor-
responding subsystem.
The coding can be similar to: ABC –
D – EFG
ABC: System identification, three digit
number (e.g., 100-799 for process systems
and 800-999 for utility systems)
D: P = process systems and U = utility
systems
EFG: Progressive numbering, two or
three digit number.
Table 1 details examples of a typical
process and utility system database. This
tabulation can include more information
as required. Fig. 2 illustrates a mark-up of
typical process and utility systems at the
unit battery limit. As illustrated in Fig. 3,
the hydrogen system 550-P-002 consists of
the vessel, the overhead line HV-8003 to
flare, to the isolation valve and safety valve
upstream piping. Downstream, the safety
valve is the system 850-U-001, part of the
flare system. Fig. 3 is a typical diagram of
systems marked-up within the unit.

120
I APRIL 2011 HydrocarbonProcessing.com
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PLANT DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

1:500

Min.

16-in.NF–80002–A28A–N
Tube Tube

6-in. NF–80006–E28A–N
A28A ½-in. OD ½-in. OD
A1A P P
FO

½-in. HG–80015–E25A–N

½-in.HG–80016–E25A–N
8001
Set: 145 Kg/CW2G Set: 145 Kg/CW2G
Size: 3J4 16-in.NF–80003– Size: 3J4
1-in. x 2-in.
PSV A28A–N PSV
Nipple 8001A 16-in. x 4-in. 8001B Nipple
2-in. NG–80009–AIA–N

2
½-in. (Plxth.) 2 ½-in.
4-in. x 3-in. CSO

2-in.HG–80008–E25A–N
CSO ½-in. SW LO A28A 4-in. x 3-in. ½-in. SW

A28A
E25A
¾-in. E25A ¾-in.
Distance 2 Distance
by vendor CSO 2 by vendor
A28A CSO
3-in. x 6-in. CSO CSO
E25A
FO
8002 HS
8003A
31-1183
4-in.HG–80010–E25A–N
4-in. HG–80011–E25A–N
Open

HY Close
8003 HS
ZLC ZLO S

Close
8003B
8003 8003
AS ATM Close SDY
HS 8002
ZSC ZSO S ZLO ZLC ATM
8003 8003 Note–8,9 8002
R 8002 8002
ATM AS
TSO
ZSO ZSO
3-in. HG–80008–E25A–N HV
FC CSO CSO 8002 8002
8003 ¾-in. TSO
PI H FC
Readable 8003 SDV
from grade L 8002 ¾-in.
PG
8004
PIT
8003 High-pressure
HC–80012–E25A–N

Flare (900-U-001) close valve

H TI 2-in. I
8001
Close

L
Hydrogen (550-P-002) Close SDY
HS 8001 ZLC
S
TIT 8001 8001
R
8001
ATM AS

FIG. 3 System mark-up within the unit.

System dossiers. All documentation • Functional test sheets—a spreadsheet • Vendor reports—documentation on
pertaining to the precommissioning opera- showing the various stages of equipment vendor’s acceptance of installation
tions are compiled into a specific dossier. installation from setting to sign-off. • Design-change notes/modifica-
All the facilities—including the equipment, • Operational test sheets—a spread- tions—site modification, as required or sug-
instrument activities and all the subsystems sheet showing the completion status of gested by licensor, should be well documented
pertaining to a particular system—should miscellaneous mechanical components • As-built drawings—while it may not
be grouped in the same system. The draw- (e.g., PSV’s, orifice plates, check valves, be entirely possible to issue as-built docu-
ings, reports and all other related docu- spring supports) mentation during the precommissioning
ments of the system may be maintained • Specific procedures/reports—an stage, all of it should be ready before com-
and retained as part of the same system. example may include catalyst-loading pletion of commissioning
Dossiers should include, as a minimum: procedures • Precommissioning punchlists—
• System description and marked- • Mechanical/electrical/instrumen- internal equipment inspection, e.g., vessel,
up drawings. The systems are defined tation maintenance-related reports—an column, tanks, etc.
by P&ID markups and have a detailed example may consist of a mechanical seal • Leak test all defined systems as
description, such that the systems are nei- replacement on a process pump or replacing required or recommended from the
ther too broad or too narrow. a faulty pressure transmitter punchlist

122
I APRIL 2011 HydrocarbonProcessing.com

• Ready for commissioning certifica-
tion—signed off by all stakeholders
• System-related milestones—all
major activities, as decided, should be
planned and monitored.
Categorize your punchlists. Punch
list categories should be segregated criti-
cally—a minimum of three categories are
suggested. Category PINK are those issues
that prevent the subsystem/system from
being precommissioned. Category RED
are those issues that prevent the subsystem/
system from being commissioned or started
up. Category GREEN are those issues that
are not in Category PINK or RED.
Define your milestones. The key
milestones associated with transferring the
responsibility from the precommission-
ing phase to the operation phase includes
a subsystem ready to hand over when all
precommissioning operations on that sub-
system are complete. Another milestone is
when a system is ready for commissioning/
startup when all checks are complete for
introducing feedstock.
Be precise with your schedules.
Three schedule levels are recommended
to control the mechanical completion
and precommissioning activities. These
are levels A, B and C. Level A schedule
indicates the key dates for the entire plant
with the overall period of precommis-
sioning. Level B schedule highlights the
key phases and milestones for a particular
unit, and also highlights the expected con-
struction completion dates, duration and
timeframes for precommissioning phases
per unit, etc. Level C schedule illustrates,
per system, the various precommission-
ing main activities sorted per discipline/
trade (i.e., electrical, piping and process
inspection activities, instrumentation and
rotating equipment).
Before you begin. In breaking down
the facility by systems, the following is par-
amount: hydrostatic test packages normally
do not cross subsystem boundaries. This
will ensure no rework of hydrostatic pack-
ages by counterparts in construction. Also,
subsystems shall not cross system bound-
aries and process systems shall not cross
existing facilities boundaries.
Developing a schedule. A detailed
precommissioning schedule of sequen-
tial activities for each system should be
developed. The planning and scheduling
PLANT DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
groups of the engineering, procurement be links to the equipment tag numbers
and construction contractor along with that are fundamental to the requirements
the client can work out the initial action— of inspection, testing and commission-
focusing on the systems most critical for ing at each stage of the project. Tools for
a timely precommissioning. This sched- preservation and maintenance, as well as
ule will identify, by system, the preferred management and control on punch listing
sequence where each construction group throughout the mechanical completion,
should prepare and complete the scoped precommissioning and commissioning
project systems. It will also identify walk- phases, are to be provided.
down dates for each system and specific Ideally, there are many desired func-
precommissioning activities to precommis- tions, only limited examples are cited for
sion individual systems (i.e., reactor catalyst each of these functions and include:
reduction, regeneration of water removal • Employee wise departmental and
driers, etc.). functional access control—the commis-
sioning group leader can restrict the dele-
Systems record management. As tion of records, thus controlling the modi-
the time required to hand over projects fication of documents.
decreases, real-time monitoring and trou- • Client/contractor/licensor access con-
ble-shooting assumes paramount impor- trol has real-time access to punch lists and
tance. Software packages, i.e., structured enables client/contractor/licensor to log in.
database management systems, which are Access should be controlled while certain
customized to be completion management groups don’t need access, i.e., a pump ven-
systems are preferred for real-time informa- dor doesn’t need access to items not in their
tion agents. scope of work.
This enables a structured approach to • A standard checklist for construction
manage, control and improve the abil- phases includes checklists for activities that
ity to safely and successfully execute and are not limited to pump alignment, com-
integrate construction and commissioning pressor alignment, hydrostatic tests and
activities. Within these packages should equipment installation.
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123
PLANT DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
• A standard checklist for the precom-
missioning phase includes system flush-
ing, air-blowing, steam blowing, chemi-
cal cleaning and inertizing. The checklists
should include creating/using standard
reports and creating/using a predefined
blind list.
• Real-time monitoring includes inte-
gration with the planning department mon-
itoring system to report real-time progress
(punch list status, system’s “movement sta-
tus,” etc.).
• The checklist needs to be operation
friendly, allowing multiple views into the
same organized data, by system or sub-
systems.
• Engineering database integration
should be capable of importing engineer-
ing data sets from various engineering data-
bases. These should provide a list of the add,
delete, revise for review and optionally inte-
grate with the systems defined.
• The “work anywhere” defines con-
cepts that are able to handle multiple job-
sites/geographic work locations in a collab-
orative environment.
• Be the “alarm clock” by prompting
the next action in a workflow by way of
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124
“inbox messages” or “notifications” for a
particular user.
• Historization includes generating
milestone completions records—w.r.t pre-
defined or maybe redefined components.
• Maintenance management is the
database integration with the company’s
maintenance management system, while
claims management is capable of managing
and sending inputs to the company’s insur-
ance’s claim system.
• The inspection test plan creates and
manages the construction’s inspection test
plan. This includes relating NDT records,
action on hydrotest packs, etc.
• Stores integration will integrate proj-
ect stores with the maintenance stores man-
agement system. A shortfall in material can
be related to the bill of materials identifica-
tion and appear as part of the exception list
when a checklist is generated.
• Managing contractual manpower
includes the labor/supervisor reported to
site, millwright fitters that work on rotating
equipment and manage contractual work
passes, etc.
The list isn’t exhaustive and should
be expanded with time, business sce-
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narios and experience. As known, for a
successful startup, the plant and equip-
ment should be put through a thorough
mechanical completion and inspection.
Commissioning procedures should be
closely monitored with the availability of
adequate spare parts and maintenance sup-
port and response. The company’s profit-
ability, reputation, project success, plant
effectiveness and pay are all at stake. With
what was previously discussed, adequate
overall planning, detailed long-term prepa-
ration and effective resource planning are
required. All field equipment are subject
to a full scope of work, as defined in bids,
except for packaged equipment that have
undergone rigorous factory acceptance
testing (FAT) by the original equipment
manufacturer (OEM). For these pack-
ages (packaged equipment are compres-
sors, pressure swing adsorber units, etc.),
typically a single checklist is handed out.
Commissioning engineers should ensure
that every piece of equipment is subjected
to the appropriate checks and tests during
precommissioning.
During the mechanical completion
checks and system tests, all discrepancies,
damaged or missing equipment, malfunc-
tions, missing documents, etc., should be
categorized and recorded in the subsystem
punchlists. Lists are kept updated through-
out the mechanical completion operations,
so a precise status of each subsystem is
available at the “ready for precommission-
ing stage.” Additionally, arrival of startup
staff can be scheduled when construction is
nearly mechanically complete, saving time
and money. By the systematic approach,
these are all achievable. These summarize
the basic skeleton of a structured approach
to precommissioning a process unit. HP
Vinod Ramnath is employed at
Engineers India Ltd., New Delhi, India,
in the process plant design, safety/loss
prevention and operations depart-
ment. He has experience with design of
offsites (FEED), HAZOP/Quantitive Risk Assesment (QRA),
safety integrity level (SIL), process plant commisioning,
preparing in-house precommisioning/commissioning
completion software systems. Mr. Ramnath started his
career with Reliance Industries, Hazira, Gujarat, India,
and was involved with commissioning of the naphtha
cracker unit (ethylene plant). He jointly implemented
and operated APC and real-time optimizer (RTO) models
across the naphtha cracker units, and was involved with
debottlenecking studies and microplanning during normal
operation and shutdown. Prior to working at the naphtha
cracker plant, Mr. Ramnath operated a solution polym-
erization-type polyethylene plant at the same location.
He earned a degree in chemical engineering from Anna
University, Chennai, India, and graduated with honors.