Process Plant Equipment and Machinery Commissioning

Max Zornada (2002)

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Objectives of this Module

This section provides participants with an introduction to some of the key issues which must be considered when commissioning specific types of process equipment and machinery typically found in chemical and petrochemical processing plants.

Disclaimer
Process Equipment & Machinery is usually designed by process technology organisations or manufactured by specialist manufacturers e.g. rotating equipment. Every designer and manufacturer will have there own unique and often proprietary approaches to commissioning and start up depending on the design and configuration features included in their processes and equipment. All commissioning procedures for process designs, machinery and equipment should be developed in cooperation with manufacturers and vendors representatives in order to be able to take such issues into account during commissioning and development of commissioning procedures.

The material presented in this section is therefore of a general nature and will in all cases be superseded by any specific manufacturer and vendor recommendations where ever these are in conflict with what is presented here.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Types of Process Equipment

Distillation Towers/ Fractionation Towers Reboilers & Other Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers Boilers and Fired Heaters Pressure Vessels & Pipework Fin-Fan Coolers Condensers Valves Instrumentation Electrical Equipment

Machinery and Rotating Equipment Pumps Steam Turbines Gas Turbines Compressors Gas Engines Electric Motors

Max Zornada (2002)

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Types of Process Equipment

For commissioning purposes, we can cluster the different types of process equipment into broad categories, based on the degree of similarity in commissioning procedures.

Machinery & Rotating Equipment Pressure Vessels and Heat Exchangers Pumps Reboilers & Other Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers Steam Turbines Pressure Vessels & Pipework Gas Turbines Fin-Fan Coolers Compressors Condensers Gas Engines Valves Electric Motors Tanks Towers and Columns Fired Heaters and Boilers Distillation Towers/ Fractionation Towers Packed Columns Max Zornada (2002)
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Causes of Startup Delays

75% due to equipment failure; 20% from inadequate equipment; 5% from process failure.

Max Zornada (2002)

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Machinery Commissioning Failures

In decreasing order of problem frequency
1. Centrifugal compressors 2. Steam turbines 3. Large gear speed increaser units 4. Electric motors in size categories above 1000 HP 5. Reciprocating compressors 6. Gas Turbines 7. Gas Expanders

Max Zornada (2002)

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Machinery Commissioning Rotating and Reciprocating Equipment

Max Zornada (2002)

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Key Steps in Machinery Commissioning (% of total resources used)

Review Completeness of Installation (21%) Review maintainability of equipment (7%) Checks to ensure long-term, trouble free operation (4%) Driver solo runs and rotation checks (9%) Cleanliness checks (5%) Autostart simulations (joint mechanical/instrument technician effort 1.5%) Documentation assembly (3.5%) Machinery repairs, strip-down, dissassemle/reassemble (39%) Miscellaneous (11%)
Max Zornada (2002)

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Process Plant Machinery Commissioning

Executing the review tasks is facilitated by the use of checklists; The first and most important checklist is a checklist restating every construction and installation related item contained in the job specification documents; Checklist used to ensure the installation complies with the original specification; See examples attached.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Pre-commissioning Mechanical Equipment

Field disassemble and reassemble; Clean out of the lubrication system, including chemical cleaning and passivation where required; Check circulation of lubricant to - check flow and temperature; Clean out, check and activate cooling water system; Check out and commission of instruments; Check for free and unhindered rotation of rotating elements; Check tightening of anchor bolts and flange bolts; Check for stresses on and due to connecting piping - disconnect and reconnect piping; Check using dial gauges, set on one flange, measure movement in connecting flange when bolts undone.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Pre-commissioning Mechanical Equipment (Cont.)

Install temporary suction filters; Set system for no load running; Operate driver uncoupled; Recoupling, with driver and verification of alignment; Check out vent system; Check out seal system; Operation empty to check for vibration and heating of bearings (not always) Operation under load; Dry-run equipment and check for vibration and bearing overheat; Run with load; Execute performance run and shutdown.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Pumps

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Pre-commissioning pumps
Inspection by mechanics

Check for no unusual piping loads or temperature stresses are being imposed on pump flanges; Check using an alignment indicator and loosed bolted at suction and discharge; Check clearances; Mechanical seals for proper installation an suitability; Check seal flushes for correct piping; Check bearing chambers in pump and driver/motor: Ensure free of flushing compounds or shipping grease and packing.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Pre-commissioning pumps
Inspection by operators

Check pump pedestals, stuffing boxes, seal flush coolers, cooling water connections to bearing jackets, process piping connections; Check for installation of bleeds, drains, suction strainers; Instrumentation; Lubrication of drivers and couplings; Working order block valves, check valves, plug cocks.

Max Zornada (2002)

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Running in Pumps

Motor loads of pumps started on water should be checked with an ammeter; Flow in pump should be restricted to limit motor load to nameplate value; Open suction valve wide and close discharge valve of a centrifugal pump; For positive displacement pump, discharge must be slightly opened to limit excessive pressure buildup. Bleed (prime) pump until it is full of liquid; Start with discharge throttled; If discharge pressure is satisfactory, open discharge.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Running in Pumps

Check pump driver and bearings for excessive vibration or overheating; Check mechanical (or other) seals for leaks; Check power requirements of driver with an ammeter; After running, close discharge, stop pump, close suction; Inspect seals and alignment; Temporary screens should remain in pump suction lines through initial startup and for at least a month; Operations may dislodge foreign matter not flushed out during commissioning. Check pump performance against specification.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Compressors

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Pre-commissioning Compressors

Suction and discharge piping of each stage has to be thoroughly cleaned before flow is passed through them; Blow clean with steam or air at far in excess of process velocity; Installation of temporary strainers should be discussed with the manufacturer; All lubricating-oil equipment and lines must be thoroughly cleaned; Fine-mesh filters should be installed upstream of all sensitive points (bearing, pistons etc.).

Max Zornada (2002)

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Field disassembly of centrifugal compressor

Max Zornada (2002)

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Compressor Fully Assembled

Gas Turbine Driver

Max Zornada (2002)

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Compressor Lube-oil System

is a microcosm of a plant in itself - vessels, filters, pipes, pumps, motors, valves, instrumentation, electrical systems! Commissioning the lube-oil system can be a major commissioning project in its own right.

Typical of lube-oil systems also found on: Gas Turbines Steam Turbines Pumps

Max Zornada (2002)

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Operational Testing Same as for the process and plant

Operational testing; Dry runs Hot testing of equipment Dynamic Testing Safe fluid Solvent Process fluid

Max Zornada (2002)

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Dry runs and Hot Tests

Check that motors are connected correctly and turn in the right direction; Shafts and impellers move freely; Equipment that is to be operated at temperature, raise to temperature and checked; These tests should be performed by the manufacturers representative but witnessed by members of the clients operating/commissioning personnel.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Performance testing

Performance tests of major equipment such as furnaces, boilers, compressors, turbines, pumps, packages units etc. should be handled by manufacturers representatives but in the presence of qualified inhouse resources; Engineers, maintenance specialists and operations staff; Allow inhouse personnel to become familiar with the equipment; Inhouse staff need to certify the adequacy of the tests.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Use of Vendor/Manufacturer Representatives

Need to determine the degree to which vendor/ manufacturers assistance is required during start up eg. How many representatives and skill/experience levels; Some degree of vendor assistance will always be required especially where there may be potential for warranty disputes; Vendor personnel should also assist with: Spare parts reviews; Training of maintenance personnel; Preparation of commissioning procedures and instructions.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Use of External Contractors

Identification of potential outside contractors who may be used as part of commissioning and ongoing maintenance; e.g. Specialist contractors for: Rotor balancing and emergency repairs; Dismantling, cleaning and adjusting mechanical of mechanical-hydraulic governors; Companies with expertise in shaft, bearing, labyrinth or impeller manufacturing and maintenance. Such organisations may wish to get involved during commissioning to catalogue equipment and parts, take critical dimensions for future reference.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Distillation Columns
Operational Testing

Max Zornada (2002)

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Tests on Distillation Columns

Critical instruments should be recalibrated prior to starting any tests; Control valves need to be in good working order - nonsticking and capacity should be verified; If direct flow metering is not possible for critical streams, plans should be devised for calculating flows based on known data; Potential limitations of peripheral equipment such as reboilers, condensers, pumps and valves should be considered; Effects on downstream equipment or other processing units should also be considered.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Distillation Column Performance Testing

Performance tests are conducted to obtain data on one or more of: Tray efficiency; Capacity limitations; Energy consumption; Pressure drop considerations.

Max Zornada (2002)

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Acceptance Testing Distillation Columns

Need to make every effort to achieve design feed rates and compositions for a reliable acceptance test; Specific Areas of Interest: Tray efficiencies Murphree tray efficiencies, concentration gradients; Overall column efficiency Capacity Limitations: Maximum hydraulic throughput Maximum& minimum throughput for acceptable separation Energy consumption
Max Zornada (2002)

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Distillation column characteristics

Maximum throughput for stable operations is when the upper limit of vapour-liquid flow capacity of at least one of the trays has been reached and the column begins to flood; Maximum liquid loading depends on the vapour rate; Maximum vapour loading depends on the liquid rate; Vapour and liquid rates vary from one section of the column to the other; Several types of capacity tests should be considered.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Maximum hydraulic throughput

Several types of tests should be considered

Determination of maximum feed rate while reflux and reboil rates are increased in proportion; Determination of maximum reboil rate with reflux to balance constant feed rate; Determination of capacity of the section of column above the feed by increasing the feed preheat and reflux to balance; Determination of capacity of the section of column below the feed by increasing reboiler heat and decreasing feed preheat to compensate so that reflux rate becomes constant.
Max Zornada (2002)

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Distillation Column Troubleshooting

Is the problem real?
Environment
Problem in other process units ? In column control? In operating conditions In auxiliary equipment? Others? Collect data on pressure drop vs rate Compare observed & calculated pressure drops Define feasible alternatives Evaluate Alternatives
Max Zornada (2002)

What is its magnitude?

Is problem with column or environment?

Column
Is problem with capacity or efficiency?

Capacity?

Efficiency?
Collect samples and other data
Calculate actual efficiency Calculate masstransfer parameters

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End of Module of Equipment Specific Commissioning Issues

Max Zornada (2002)

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