SHOP TALK

SUCCESSFUL DEINKING PLANT

COMMISSIONING AND STARTUP
EUGENE C. SABO, P.E.

COMMISSIONING AND STARTUP this would mean getting a full sheet isverification, i.e., verificaon the reel. For a deinking plant, it RELY ON A COMBINATION OF tion that equipment, sysmeans getting stock to the high-dentems, and processes funcsity tank. The line between commisSYSTEMS SCHEDULING, tion as designed. When a sioning and optimization is usually BUDGETING, AND ALLOCATING facility is built, equipment is drawn between getting everything RESOURCES AS WELL AS installed, and the piping, mechanical, operating and attempting to make and electrical work is completed, we design, salable production. Once salBUILDING A SUCCESSFUL trust that vendors and the construcable production is the goal, commisCOMMISSIONING TEAM. tion team have done their job well. sioning/ startup is over and optiOur role as commissioning and mization begins. startup team members is to verify Whats important is not how you that the entire facility is mechanically complete and define these terms, but that you define them. These defready to be operated. This article is a guide for commis- initions should be put in writing at the start of the prosioning and startup. ject. The definitions should be specific and tied to the Consider the case where your mill is planning a major project schedule. For an example, see Table I. capital project and you have been selected to lead the The stakeholders should agree to these definitions commissioning and startup effort. Commissioning and long before commissioning begins, because once comstartup involve hard work; they can also be fun if you are missioning activities begin, events move fast, and roles smart about the effort. There is a good chance that you can become confused if people do not clearly underhave been chosen for this team because of your skills in stand what is expected of them. dealing with people.You must do a good job in defining These definitions are important, because individual the limits and goals of your efforts. You also need to roles change as the project moves from commissioning clearly define the resources and help that you will need to startup to optimization. Commissioning is often led by and make sure that you get that help. a commissioning specialist with heavy support from the Commissioning and startup costs are a small part of a construction team. As the project moves into the startup projects costs, and they are very important for one rea- phase, the commissioning leader and construction team son. A project is perceived as successful if the startup is move into a support role as the startup team takes over. successful. If a startup is difficult, the project may be per- The startup team is often comprised of equipment and ceived as being off to a bad start, even if its under bud- process specialists, including equipment vendors. get and ahead of schedule. Now that the pressure is on, Startup may be led by vendors or by process specialists, how do you make sure that commissioning and startup often supplied by the engineer-procure-construct (EPC) are successful? A good way to begin is by defining some contractor. Optimization is often led by the eventual terms. plant operations team. Obviously there are variations on this approach, but the concept remains the same; these DEFINITION OF TERMS phases must be clearly understood and recognized by Commissioning also goes by other names: checkout, pre- the team because roles change with these phases. startup inspection, and startup. Commissioning is checking out (defined in the balance of this article) systems as SAFETY well as possible on water. This means energizing equip- Safety should be the first consideration for commissionment and pumping water through lines and equipment. ing. It should be at the top of every activity list, at the However, this definition is often extended to moving front of each commissioning package, and at the top of fiber through the entire process. For a paper machine,
HE HEART OF COMMISSIONING

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Term Commissioning

Definition Defining the systems and checking them on water as well as possible Moving fiber through the entire process at an agreed upon production rate Achieving saleable production at design rates

Led by Commissioning manager or commissioning team leader Commissioning team leader or operating superintendent

Supported by Construction, vendors, operations Commissioning team, construction vendors

Startup

Optimization

Vendors with operations superintendent

Commissioning team, process engineers

I. Definitions and roles

every schedule, pert chart, or Gantt chart. A successful startup is a safe startup. The most important safety activity to follow during commissioning is referred to as lockout-tagout-try. All team members should be completely trained for this activity and the rules should be strictly enforced. SYSTEM DEFINITION It is not practical to commission an entire facility or process at once. The process must be divided into smaller systems that then can be commissioned in an organized fashion. This is an activity that you, the commissioning team leader, should do yourself; it should not be delegated. There are two reasons for this. First, the way the systems are defined controls the commissioning effort. Second, the way the systems are defined is a reflection of the definers understanding of the process. Smaller systems are better It is not that critical at what points the process is divided into systems, but you should adhere to the principle of smaller systems. Small is good for the following reasons: With smaller systems, tracking progress vs. the schedule is easier and more accurate. Smaller systems make it easier for electrical and controls (E&C) personnel to do their job. Smaller systems are easier to learn quickly and keep in mind, because they are less complex. This avoids continuously referring to piping and instrumentation drawings (P&IDs) and plans, which slows the commissioning effort. Team morale stays high, because measured progress is made each shift and each day. The system schematic in Fig. 1 is a good example of how smaller systems are better for commissioning. This schematic shows a thermal compensation system for a paper machine headbox. Figure 2 shows the same system divided into three small systems. If all parts of the system are ready at the same time, no advantage is gained by dividing this system into smaller

systems. The advantage of smaller systems would be apparent if any of the following changes occurred: The headbox was found to be damaged, was sent for repairs, and will be returned at the end of the project. The electrical and distributed control system (DCS) work takes longer than planned, and the temperature control system will be the last system ready. Small-bore piping has been given a lower priority for the next 2 weeks. With any of these events, the system in Fig. 1 would be shown as incomplete on the commissioning schedule until all components were ready, i.e., it would be shown as incomplete for nearly the entire project. With the systems as shown in Fig. 2, it is easier to deal with any of the above changes. If the headbox problems occur, the water supply system and the reservoir could still be commissioned. With some creative rigging, the pump, feed line, return line, and heating system could also be commissioned. Furthermore, the approach shown in Fig. 2 supports the mentality of doing what can be done when changes occur.With a larger system, as in Fig. 1, the tendency could be to wait until the headbox is in place before beginning commissioning, since the system is not complete without the headbox. Two more benefits result from using the small-systems approach. First, the E&C team members can proceed to do their work on the systems that do not involve the headbox. As discussed later, facilitating the E&C work is critical to the schedule. Second, as the other, smaller systems in Fig. 2 are completed, this highlights the fact that the return of the headbox is on the critical path for the project. This helps keep management focused on critical issues. On one project, the author inherited a commissioning plan and schedule based on a few large systems. Commissioning went well. However, because the systems were so large, the schedule never accurately reflected where the team was compared to the plan. For example, at the start of work on a Friday, we were five days behind schedule.We did not work the weekend. At

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Water supply LV

TIC

Headbox

LIC

Water tank

LT

Recirculation pump

1. Headbox thermal compensation system as one system

the end of work the following Monday, we were two days ahead of schedule. Of course, neither situation was accurate. On that Friday morning, we actually had several systems that were complete except for a pump curve, agitator operation, and level transmitter calibration. These tasks were quickly completed on Friday and Monday, and suddenly we appeared to be ahead of schedule. This apparently erratic performance continued for the duration of the project. In reality, we made steady, daily progress toward our goal. By now, the reader may have observed that the smallsystems approach in Fig. 2 could be extended beyond three systems. It does not matter how many systems the process is divided into, as long as the commissioning team leader does the following: Divide the process into systems that make sense to the commissioning team Tend toward more, smaller systems. COMMISSIONING ACTIVITIES Commissioning activities usually occur in the following order for a given system. Punch list This involves the construction team formally declaring that a system is ready for commissioning. The commissioning team then does a thorough inspection of the system, looking for the following items and noting them on a punch list: Motor tags filled out and signed Instrument tags filled out and signed

Mechanical completeness (motors coupled, valves installed, etc.) Housekeeping items Maintenance access Safety items (sharp edges, valves difficult to reach) Correct labels on equipment Sample valves missing or needed Danger tags and locks left on parts of system Supports needed for valve actuators Loose wires Missing conduit covers Lighting issues Additional manual valves needed. The punch list is then turned over, along with the system, to the construction personnel. When the punch list is verified to be complete by the commissioning team, commissioning of the system begins. Flushing lines Lines in the system are flushed to remove welding slag and other debris. The cleaner that lines, tanks, and chests are left by construction, the faster the line flushing goes. Line flushing is usually when the following items are completed: Pump curves (amps and pressure readings) Pump inspection Level transmitter dynamic calibration

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System 1 System 3 System 2 Water supply

TIC

Headbox

LV

LIC

Water tank

LT

Recirculation pump

2. Headbox thermal compensation system as three systems

Running agitators Field-verifying control valves Checking lines and valves for leaks Verifying some interlocks. Equipment checkout The equipment vendor usually leads this part of commissioning. One of the most important activities with equipment checkout is to verify that all emergency stops and interlocks are operable. Running the systemDynamic testing Once lines are flushed and equipment is checked, run the system on water as long as possible. If practical, a temporary line can be installed so that water can be circulated for several hours. This permits the DCS experts to tune the control loops in the system. Final punch list Commissioning is complete when a final punch list is submitted to the construction team. This list should reflect experiences from flushing, equipment checkout, and dynamic testing. SCHEDULE The schedule is the commissioning teams scorecard. The rules for the commissioning schedule are as follows: Be realistic. If, during schedule development, someone tells you that an activity can be done in 2 hours, but weve never done it in less than 6, pay attention. Also, plan on losing about an hour at the beginning of a shift.

Get operator input. If you are commissioning a process that the operators are familiar with, use that resource. In addition to getting their commitment to the schedule, you will get some valuable information. Use planning software. This is helpful in determining what really is the critical path. There are several brands of planning software available. A word of caution: Some software does not allow for a 24-h/day, 7days/week schedule. Also, some software cannot be adjusted to a calendar day that starts at 7:00 a.m. instead of midnight. Plan to the hour if you are on a 24-hour, 7-day schedule. Know the critical path. You must always let the team members know what is on the critical path. Along with knowing the critical path, the team must continuously work and drive the critical path. Establish contingency and build it into the schedule. Unexpected problems will occur and will challenge keeping the commissioning effort on the critical path. Building contingency into the schedule goes along with being realistic. Keep the E&C part of commissioning 23 days ahead of the main commissioning effort. The E&C portion of commissioning is critical.When the team is ready to flush lines and run the system on water, the E&C team members should have already signed off on control valves, transmitters, etc. This provides a safe, smooth commissioning. The construction schedule should follow the commissioning system definition. Typically the

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construction team breaks its schedule into the following components: structural, mechanical, piping, electrical, and controls. From a successful startup standpoint, it is best to have construction focus on completing systems instead of completing piping, for example. This means that, as soon as the P&IDs are approved by the client, define the systems in the process. This involves numbering and labeling the systems and communicating this information to the construction team so their schedule reflects the commissioning plan. UTILITIES Utilities usually comprise the following systems: Compressed air Water Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) Steam Electricity DCS. These systems are often treated less seriously than the process systems, even though the process cannot succeed without them. They are overlooked for the following reasons: They are not process systems; therefore, they often are perceived as being less interesting than the process. They are usually reliable systems and are taken for granted. They are often proprietary and require special expertise. These reasons create the temptation to group all utilities into one, large utility block. A better approach would be to have six systems. The best approach is to divide these utilities into smaller systems, e.g., water supply for the HVAC unit, DCS software, and DCS hardware. This would call more attention to the utility systems, since there would be more of them. These additional systems would also increase the reliability of systems that the utility systems depend on. Utilities should be completed first by construction. They should be commissioned first in their entirety by the commissioning team before other systems are commissioned. If utility systems are not commissioned first, commissioning and startup can be difficult and perhaps unsuccessful. PERSONNEL RESOURCES The following people make up a successful commissioning team:

Operators As previously stated, operators are a valuable resource. They may understand the process better than anyone else. Listen to them, and involve them in all phases of commissioning. Vendors Vendors are valuable in commissioning and are key to a good startup. They understand their equipment and know what is needed to commission it. Determine what resources they need for commissioning, and see that they get these resources. Provide as much support as possible during commissioning, and startup will be successful. E&C engineers and technicians These people are vital to commissioning. A commissioning team can never have too much of this expertise, because to commission the E&C portion of systems, these personnel must also understand how the process works. As a result, they can be very helpful in troubleshooting the process.You need about one E&C technician or engineer for each 30 control loops. DCS experts During commissioning, you need at least two people with a high level of DCS expertise. These people must be able to make the software changes that you need in a matter of minutes. This high level of expertise is needed, because the team will need to temporarily bypass interlocks to get individual systems commissioned. Also, interlocks must be verified as systems are commissioned. Interlocks are controlled in the DCS software. The team can lose momentum if it must wait an hour for each needed DCS interlock change. During startup, expect to have DCS coverage on a 24hour basis for about a month. Process engineering experts These people are usually provided by the EPC contractor. At least one of them should be the person who developed the process flow sheets and wrote the equipment specifications. Equipment vendors may also provide process engineers. Because commissioning and startup focus on the success of the process, the process engineers often take a leadership role during commissioning and startup. Construction personnel The commissioning team should include the following construction personnel: two millwrights, two pipefitters, and one electrical person. In addition, one of these people should know how to weld. These individuals have a key role in rolling flow elements out of lines, tightening leaks, welding leaks, and changing motor leads. They should be strictly dedicated to the commissioning team and report to the commissioning team leader.

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