ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS PLANT COMMISSIONING

AUTHOR:

Wilton Centre Engineering Quality Manager

APPROVED BY:

Wilton Centre Engineering Manager

ISSUING AUTHORITY:

Wilton Centre Research Manager

REVISION STATUS:

Fifth Issue of 1 June 1996

REVISION 4 5

DATE 1.12.95 1.6.96

BY ATT ATT

APPROVED JSK

Page 1 of 8

ASG/WCE/2043

ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS

1 PURPOSE
This instruction gives the steps to be taken in the period leading up to the completion of construction of a plant where this involves Wilton Centre Engineering.

SCOPE
This instruction covers all plants installed in the Wilton Centre Semi-Technical area, and also Engineered Lab Rigs in the main building laboratories.

3
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4

REFERENCES
PRJ05: Project Engineering Control. ASG/GEN/6001: Work Control Permit System ASG/WCE/2007: Modifications. RT/ERM/3002: SHE assurance for research plants

4
4.1 4.2

DEFINITIONS
Plant: a plant, unit, or engineered laboratory rig, irrespective of size, the construction of which involved Wilton Centre Engineering. Commissioning Manager: the representative of the plant owner who takes responsibility for commissioning activities on the plant. (This will normally be the future plant manager.) Project Engineer: the engineer responsible for design and construction of the plant. (Normally a member of Wilton Centre Engineering, and leading a multi-discipline team.)

4.3

Page 2 of 8

ASG/WCE/2043

ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS

5
5.1

INSTRUCTION
INTRODUCTION Commissioning is normally a joint activity between the project team responsible for the design & construction of the plant, and the plant operating team. Separate commissioning teams are not usually employed. At the project launch meeting, outline agreement will normally be reached on which teams are to be involved in commissioning, and the names of those who are to fill the key roles (see ref 3.1). Commissioning and handover of responsibility from the project team to the operating team takes place in stages, which are defined below. It is important that these stages and the responsibilities for each stage are defined & understood by all those involved.

5.2

COMMISSIONING The four stages of commissioning are:

(1) (2) (3) (4)

Construction and engineering checks Precommissioning Process commissioning Completion of commissioning and start of production. Normal production, which in R&T usually involves experimentation, follows completion of stage 4. A summary of the four stages and the associated responsibilities is shown in Appendix 1. The detailed responsibilities are as follows.

5.2.1

Stage 1: Construction & Engineering Checks. The project engineer is responsible for the plant, for all the activities on the plant and chairs the plant project meetings. The construction work control permit, ref 3.2, remains in force and the plant remains isolated from electric power and process services throughout this stage. As the phases of construction are completed, the engineering checks, detailed in Appendix 1, are intended to confirm that the plant has been constructed according to the design. Any errors found during the engineering checks shall either be corrected at the time or listed on the Project Reservations List for subsequent correction. The project engineer is responsible for dealing with all items on the Project Reservations List. The control of work permit issued for construction of the plant is withdrawn at the end of this stage. This shall be done before any piped or wired services are supplied to the plant. All necessary registration documents (eg INS2) and their associated inspections shall be completed by this point.

Page 3 of 8

ASG/WCE/2043

ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS

5.2.2 Stage 2: Precommissioning At the start of this stage the commissioning manager takes responsibility from the project engineer for the safety of the plant and for the planning and prioritising of all activities on it, although the project engineer remains responsible for completion of engineering work on the plant. Electric power and process services are now supplied to the plant. The stage involves leak testing (the commissioning manager's responsibility) and further engineering checks (the project engineer's responsibility), which are defined in Appendix 2. Individual work control permits are issued for engineering work by the new plant's normal permit issuer, ref 3.2. Note that the blanket work control permit used for construction was only permissible because the plant was effectively isolated from all sources of danger such as power and services. Once these services have been supplied to the plant a blanket permit is no longer acceptable and a separate permit is required each time the plant is handed over for engineering work. During this stage the project meetings should continue but it may be appropriate for them to be chaired by the commissioning manager. Daily commissioning meetings led by the commissioning manager may also be appropriate. Engineering errors found during this stage shall either be corrected at the time or recorded on the Project Reservations List. Any changes to the design of the plant shall be controlled by the "change of requirements" procedure in ref 3.1. 5.2.3 Stage 3: Process Commissioning Process materials are introduced into the plant for the first time. The responsibilities are the same as for stage 2, with the addition of the requirement for the commissioning manager to write procedures covering the chemical substances and their reactions. Note that it is important that the instrument checks in stage 1 are all completed satisfactorily for the entire plant before materials capable of creating a potentially explosive atmosphere are introduced into any portion of the plant. 5.2.4 Stage 4: Completion of commissioning and start of production The change from stage 3 to stage 4 occurs once the plant has started to fulfil (at least part of) the purpose for which it was designed although there may be outstanding tasks on the Plant Reservations List. The other key change associated with this stage is that changes to the plant are now subject to the modifications procedure, ref 3.3, which replaces the change-ofrequirements procedure of ref 3.1. The commissioning manager is responsible for the carrying out of modifications (their physical execution will usually involve a plant engineer). Apart from this the responsibilities and procedures are the same as in stages 2 and 3. The project engineer remains responsible for completing tasks on the Plant Reservations List. The plant project meetings should continue. Page 4 of 8 ASG/WCE/2043

ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS

The end of this stage is defined by the completion of the outstanding items on the Plant Reservation List and of the Plant Dossier, ref 3.4. The end of project review form, QC 201, shall then be completed by the project engineer (see ref 3.1). After completion of stage 4, the project engineer will have no further formal involvement with the plant unless a new project is commissioned. 5.2.5 The commissioning manager is responsible for completion of Hazard Study 6, which takes place about 6 months after the completion of commissioning (see ref 3.4).

6
6.1

DOCUMENTATION
Project completion form QC201.

7
7.1 7.1.1 7.1.2

APPENDIX 1: STAGE 1 - ENGINEERING CHECKS

INSTALLATION CHECK As far as possible, any correction of installation errors shall be made during the installation period. Towards the completion of installation, all lines, vessels, service connections and instruments shall be examined and detailed checks made. These shall include the presence & correct positioning of equipment, accessibility of valves and sample points, run of lines, security of joints, fastenings and fixings, and correct labelling of all plant items and instruments. Pipework shall be checked to ensure that the installation conforms to the drawings. Checks shall be made to ensure that all valves and other operating controls are safely accessible; that all necessary material identities have been recorded; that RVs, BDs & vents are tagged; and that RVs have been check-lifted. If the nature of the project makes it appropriate, the Project Engineer shall designate a specific print of the current revision of the line diagram, and all items checked and found to be satisfactory shall be marked up on it. Any errors shall either be corrected at this time or listed on the Project Reservation List for rectification. Any work found necessary to commission the plant during the installation check shall be agreed between the Project Engineer and the Customer and listed on the Reservation List. If the "designated line diagram" method is in use, then as such work is complete and checked the diagram shall be marked up accordingly. PRE-TRANSFER SAFETY CHECKS In conjunction with the above, the Project Engineer shall make the following safety checks, which cover the requirements of Hazard Studies 4 and 5.

7.1.3

7.1.4

7.2

Page 5 of 8

ASG/WCE/2043

ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j)

Check that the Hazop (alias Hazard Study 3) review has been carried out, the actions attended to, and the report signed and issued. Check that, if Area Classification is appropriate, then it has been carried out and any drawing issued. Check that all bursting discs have been fitted and tagged by an ICI technician. Check that all relief valves have been check lifted, tagged and refitted correctly by an ICI technician. Check that all relief streams have been inspected and signed off on form Ins 4. Check that all lifting beams have been proof tested and that all lifting equipment has been registered. Check that all pressure vessels and relief streams installed have been registered correctly. Check that any gearboxes have had the correct oil added. Check that Hazardous Area Initial Inspections have been completed and documented. Check by walking round the plant that there are no safety hazards (eg valve handles blocking stairs, sharp edges at head height) and that the plant generally fulfils the design requirements. PRE-TRANSFER INSTRUMENT & ELECTRICAL CHECKS Before power is supplied to the plant, an electrical test certificate shall be completed by the electrical contractor and returned to the Project Electrical Engineer, and a check shall be made to ensure that all electrical installation work has been signed off. A visual check shall be made of all junction boxes, cables, glands and terminals. If there is any instrument & electrical equipment in potentially explosive atmospheres, the appropriate Initial Inspections shall be carried out. This may include point-to-point wiring checks. Any malfunctions shall be recorded on the Project Reservation list.

7.3 7.3.1

7.3.2 7.3.3

7.3.4

8
8.1 8.1.1 8.1.2 8.1.3 Page 6 of 8

APPENDIX 2: STAGE 2 - PRECOMMISSIONING

INSTRUMENT AND ELECTRICAL CHECKS & TESTS The basic philosophy is that testing shall start with all fuses removed, and shall proceed one loop at a time. The loop sheets shall be used as the check list and each loop shall be given a functional test. If appropriate it shall be calibrated. Each trip shall be given a functional test and calibration. ASG/WCE/2043

ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS

8.1.4 Control circuit and rotation tests of all drives shall be carried out by agreement with the mechanical and operating teams. A check shall be made to ensure that the correct direction of rotation of all motors have been verified. Any malfunctions shall be recorded on the Project Reservation list. LEAK TESTING Leak testing shall be carried out by the operating team using a procedure agreed with the Project Engineer and (except in main building labs) the Semitech Area Operations Team. If electrical power and instruments are required for the leak test, the pre-transfer Instrument & Electrical checks shown above shall also have been completed. Individual sections of line or equipment shall be tested using a suitable fluid at working pressure, and commencing at the point of supply and proceeding in discrete sections until the whole plant has been tested. As each section is systematically tested and made leak-tight, the agreed copy of the line diagram shall be marked up to indicate a successful test. Care shall be taken to ensure that no section under test is isolated from its relief route, and that relief is installed adequate for the tests being carried out.

8.1.5 8.2 8.2.1

8.2.2 8.2.3

8.2.4

Page 7 of 8

ASG/WCE/2043

ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS

APPENDIX 3: PLANT COMMISSIONING AND HANDOVER OF RESPONSIBILITY

Stage: 1 2 3 4 Engineering checks Precommissioning Process commissioning Completion of commissioning and start of production

Page 8 of 8

ASG/WCE/2043

ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS GROUP INSTRUCTIONS

Page 9 of 8

ASG/WCE/2043