Methodology for Commissioning: The Three-Phase Approach

Alan Cross January 31, 2013

Background

I have been fascinated by the process of commissioning chemical and processing plants
ever since my introduction to the discipline. At that time I had worked at ICI (Imperial
Chemical Industry) for four years and then as a process plant operator. While operating and
assisting in the commissioning of a new plant, I was intrigued by the activities that had to
be compiled and organizedthe checking out, the testing, and the rechecking of many plant
itemsto allow the asset to be started up in an efficient and effective way. As I became
engrossed by the experience and moved from the first commissioning project to the second,
I was amazed that the whole process had to be rethought, almost reinvented, and that
there was so much scrambling by the commissioning engineers on the new project to piece
together the paperwork, procedural format, and general documentation from past
commissioning campaigns to allow the new plant to begin to be organized so that its
delivery could be completed. By that time I had subconsciously chosen commissioning as
my future career and made a personal commitment to document the whole process in the
best way I could. The result was my book Chemical and Process Plant Commissioning
Handbook.
Process plant commissioning in the chemical industry and related industries has an
interesting dynamic, as there are few or no formal qualifications for commissioning a new
plant. Process engineering has elements that address the subject, but the lack of published
works on the topic has created the potential for commissioning to be a discipline that can be
susceptible to serious problems during the key stage in a projects delivery. There is a
three-step methodology that works well and has formed the basis of my career in process
plant commissioning, which has now spanned more than 30 years.
The Three-Phase Methodology
The commissioning of a process plant should be considered and implemented in three
distinct phases.
Prepare
This phase covers activities undertaken to set up the commissioning, gather information,
select the commissioning team, develop the schedule, and create documentation. These all
are typically home office tasks.
Implement
This phase, which traditionally has been perceived as commissioning, involves examining
the facets that address the installation, checking out, precommissioning, wet and dry
commissioning, and start-up of the new equipment at the job site.
Closeout
This is the final stage of the commissioning process and the one most often neglected. It
entails ensuring that all paperwork systems and trials are complete and updated to as
commissioned status and that the plant and equipment have met the performance and
acceptance criteria, allowing the plant to be handed to the ongoing operations group.
For optimum success in a commissioning exercise, the members of a project team
responsible for the commissioning phase should be involved at an early stage of the project
to ensure that all considerations related to the start-up of the plant are considered.

Much emphasis is placed on the design and construction phases of a project, yet what is
arguably the most important phasethe start-up and delivery of the assetis an activity
that may be neglected. Commissioning teams can turn up toward the end of construction
and hurriedly compose the documents normally created during the preparation phase, but I
believe that what you get out of an endeavor is directly proportional to the effort you put in;
if your preparation for the commissioning of a new asset is sloppy, late, without research, ill
prepared, and unplanned, the start-up will be pretty much the same. Projects that are
driven with a successful start-up as the aim and that have duly considered and implemented
the commissioning tend to be the most successful.
The main activities associated with and conducted in each of the three commissioning
phases are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Main Activities and Phases
Phase Activities
Prepare Appoint the commissioning manager.
Define the commissioning scope.
Systemize the plant into commissioning systems by
using the project piping and instrument diagrams
(P&IDs) and other relevant documents, including
layout drawings, mechanical flow diagrams, and
equipment lists.
Integrate commissioning systems into the
engineering documents, line tables, instrument
index, P&IDs, equipment lists, and procurement
plans.
Input to Design:
Attendance at the following reviews is required to
ensure that commissioning activities are considered
and relevant operational experience is brought to
the table: P&IDs, plant layout, constructability, 3-D
model, project schedule, safety integrity level (SIL),
layers of protection analysis (LOPA), and control
philosophy.
Compile the commissioning philosophy.
Compile the commissioning estimate and/or budget.
Agree on the interface/handover procedure with
project, client, and construction groups.
Obtain pertinent and relevant engineering
documents and establish the electronic
commissioning team library.
Attend various hazard studies.
Compile the initial commissioning schedule (level
2).
Set up the site commissioning base and compile the
commissioning consumables list.
Determine the initial fill chemicals and simulants
and procure them.
Create the commissioning manual.
Compile the standard operating procedures (SOP).
Compile the training packages.
Agree on safe systems of work with all interested
parties.
Compile the commissioning procedures.
Give input as required to the user requirement
specification (URS) for a distributed control system
(DCS) or supervisory control and data acquisition
(SCADA).
Compile the initial commissioning schedule (level
3).
Compile the decontamination procedures.
Implement Attendance at the factory equipment acceptance
and predelivery tests.
Attendance at the computer hardware factory
acceptance tests (HFATs), software factory
acceptance tests (SFAT), and review functional
design specification (FDS) for the DCS.
Attendance at the site acceptance tests (SATs) for a
DCS control system.
Be involved with the management and
decommissioning and/or decontamination of
existing plant if required.
Check construction progress and quality.
Start the commissioning log.
Test and clean pipe work and equipment.
Generate the punch list as required for each
commissioning system.
Commence training of plant and maintenance
personnel.
Manage handover construction to commissioning
and/or operations.
Attend to and/or manage pre-start-up safety
checks.
Complete all leak testing.
Precommission the systems.
Manage post-start-up modifications.
Manage the introduction of safe process chemicals.
Move the team to a shift management role if
required.
Issue first draft of the standard operating
procedures.
Start up the plant.
Validate plant performance with the quality team.
Closeout Update to all commissioning documents and
standard operating procedures to as
commissioned status.
Manage post-start-up modifications
Update to training documents to as
commissioned status.
Run and manage the plant to predetermined design
production rates and initial output for the required
duration.
Commissioning Logic
The logical steps required to complete the three-phase commissioning process can be
shown to flow in accordance with a simple logic, although it is accepted that some activities
may run in parallel when actually delivered (see Figure 1).
Figure 1 Logic of the Three-Phase Commissioning Project

Prepare
The major preparatory activities before the work actually commences in the field can include
the following main elements. Some of the tasks more relevant to milestone events are not
explained here.
Appoint the Commissioning Manager
The commissioning manager is an important part of the project team, and by its nature, the
role requires a close working relationship with both the construction manager and the
operations manager to ensure that the delivery of the new asset as a fully functional
operation plant is completed in the most cost-effective and schedule-efficient manner. A
good commissioning manager must have the ability to understand chemical processes; have
knowledge of instrument, electrical, and control systems; be familiar with structured work
methodologies; and be experienced in commissioning plant and equipment.
Define the Commissioning Scope
The area that can cause the most confusion if it is poorly prepared and drafted in a contract
for commissioning services is scope definition. The exact role of the commissioning
organization, the full scope of its activities, and definitions of when those activities are
deemed complete should be documented clearly. It is important to specify clearly who will
draft operating procedures and prepare and deliver training packages. In any scope
document mention should be made of the practical factors such as who will operate valves,
how control of energy introduction will be managed, and who has management control of all
the various commissioning stages.
Prioritized Asset Systemization
Once the commissioning scope of the project has been defined and the initial key project
documents (P&IDs, layout drawings, plot plans, and mechanical handling drawings) have
been drafted and issued, commissioning systems can be identified in priority order. This is
the first and one of the most important activities the commissioning team will undertake as
it provides the structure for all the other organizational tasks the team will perform, sets the
priority for document and checkout progress management, and assists in the efficient initial
plant commissioning and start-up in the most effective and timely way.
Input to Design
As was indicated above, commissioning engineers are typically experienced individuals in
their initial disciplines and invariably have commissioning-specific and operational
experience. This type of expertise is invaluable at engineering design reviews, and the
engineers attendance should be encouraged. Their experience adds value to the
appreciation of P&IDs, 3-D models, and control philosophy reviews.
Create the Commissioning Philosophy
The aim of this document is to identify the key commissioning project aims, objectives,
activities, and general philosophy; this should be compiled at an early stage in the
commissioning teams life, after the team scope definition. The initial commissioning plan
most often is utilized when a contracting commissioning organization is appointed to a
project, and it may be the first indication to the client project management and operations
and engineering teams of how the commissioning will be planned and the activities
managed.
Compile the Commissioning Estimate and/or Budget
Many factors should be considered for inclusion in the commissioning team budget,
including labor power costs, initial chemical fill costs, travel, and accommodation at the job
site. Typically calculated on a simple spreadsheet, each cost should be accompanied with
adequate descriptions of the expense in question. Many projects have a percentage
commissioning cost scheme in place; in general, these costs range from 2 to 3% of the
overall capital spent on simple projects up to 25% of the capital cost for complicated
nuclear facility commissioning, where much simulant testing must be developed and
performed.
Devise Handover Procedure
It is absolutely crucial to clarify, agree on, and document the various handover steps among
the range of engineering disciplines in a project. The focus here is on handovers between
the construction group and the commissioning team and then between the commissioning
team and the operations team. It is important to clarify what will be handed over and how
and what the acceptance criteria are.
Compile Initial Commissioning Schedules (Levels 2 and 3)
The level 2 commissioning schedule, which is compiled at an early stage in the
commissioning teams formation, entails drafting acurate estimates of all the teams
activities. These activities include tasks in all three phases of a project. However, other than
showing the duration of an activity (e.g., compilation of commissioning documents), the
actual commissioning system in question is not specified.
The level 3 schedule will provide a very acurate timeline for all the in-depth commissioning
activities, typically from the mechanical completion phase. The schedule is compiled on a
task-by-task basis and written on a system-by-system basis and is very detailed.
Create Commissioning Documents and the System File
In the commissioning of a processing plant, the creation of the specific documents and the
accompanying filing system is of some significance. The suite of commissioning documents
produced provides a demonstration and shows that everything necessary has been done by
the commissioning team to check and countercheck the constructed plant. This allows the
delivery of the project to design specifications in the most safe, effective, and timely
manner, to the highest possible standard, backed up by correct, prudent, and accurately
composed documentation that is completed and signed off on in full. Anything undertaken in
a commissioning campaign must be documented and stored in the system file to which it
belongs; hence, the complete picture of all that has been done to commission the plant
safely and efficiently can be demonstrated.
Implement
The field execution activities will change the plant from a build project to an operating
asset.
Attendance at Factory Acceptance Tests
Much of the work to start the checkout of equipment can be completed at the factory before
delivery to the site, and the completion of this work should be encoraged as it has the
potential to save costs and time if vendor equipment does not perform initially. Activities
performed at the factory acceptance test can include leak tests, intial operational runs,
control system checkout, cleanliness checks, and test fitting of internals.
Check Construction and Quality of Build
The commissioning team plays a key role in the checkout of the systems in conjunction with
the main plant construction. Schedule time and costs can be reduced by means of prompt
identification and correction of faults; these faults can range from equipment installed
incorrectly to valve handles protruding into walkways, causing safety hazards.
Cleaning Procedures and Drying
Before pipes and equipment are put in service, it is important that good cleaning procedures
be conducted to help ensure a successful and trouble-free start-up. Unfortunately, it is not
uncommon for an initial plant commissioning period to be marred by foreign materials that
have been left inside pipe work and then find their way to pumps and other equipment,
causing significant damage and schedule delay as a result of rectification work. The
following methods of cleaning are common to fulfill this task: cleaning by blowing (air or
nitrogen), steam blowing, cleaning via flushing (water), chemical cleaning, use of a pig,
and mechanical cleaning and visual inspection.
Vessel Check Sheets
Conducting the checkout of the plant and equipment being installed requires documentary
evidence that each item has been installed in accordance with the design and is fit for
ongoing commissioning and operations. No plant item should be closed until an internal
inspection has taken place. This documents that an inspection with authority to close
equipment has been made.
Commissioning Punch Listing
This is one of the major activities the commissioning team will conduct. The setting of high
standards, principles, and methodology for effective punch listing, snagging, or checkout of
the system that has
been constructed is vitally important to the smooth ongoing commissioning of the asset and
is the standard and key indicator by which a commissioning team will be measured.
Precommissioning Hazard and Operability Studies or Pre-Start-Up
Before the introduction of hazardous chemicals into a commissioning system or systems, a
detailed check must be made to ensure that the plant is ready and fit for ongoing operation.
Commissioning Leak Testing
During the construction phase, hydrostatic tests will have been conducted to prove pipe
integrity; however, many potential leak path points will still exist in an untested state. The
object of a full system leak test is to test all leak potential suitably and practically before the
introduction of process and hazardous chemicals.
Commissioning and initial Start-Up-Plus Procedures
This activity could be described as the flagship activity among the many the team will
undertake during a project. Here, where possible, safe chemicals are introducedwater,
steam, and airto simulate closely the unit in actual operation and to provide an indication
of how the plant will perform when the process chemicals are introduced and the main
commissioning and start-up event takes place. During commissioning execution, all safety-
related systems are checked rigorously, including confirmation of alarm activation points by
means of manipulation of the actual process variables; confirmation of the operation of all
control system software trip logic by various means, including variability of the process
conditions both manually and via the control system; confirmation of all hardwired
emergency shutdown systems by various documented operational means; and confirmation
of the operation and control of all DCS sequences, including full testing of all failure
monitoring. All aspects of future operation are tested, including starting up, scheduled and
emergency shutdowns, and the actions required after a loss of site services, including power
and instrument air.
Closeout
The activities in the final phase are all associated with the successful and efficient closeout
of the commissioning teams actions.
Conclusion
Monitoring and helping to mold the transformation of a plant from initial design intent,
through the building and construction site phase, to successful commissioning and operation
is an occupation that requires much organization and disciplined delivery. However, when it
is based on and assisted by a methodology such as the one described here, it can lead to
commissioning being a career that provides job satisfaction and pride.
Enjoy safe and happy commissioning.