Reficar Cartagena Refinery Expansion Project

Doc No.

Commissioning & Start Up Management

125696-CMEX-010 Rev 0

Instrumentation Guidelines

Date:
2015-02-16

General
In order to achieve an orderly transition from the geographic area approach employed
during construction to the operational system perspective required for commissioning,
has been approved the subdivided physical scope of facilities into systems. The selection
of the makeup of a system has been based both on its intended operational function and
on the practicability of managing its progress in final construction and Precommissioning.
The plant has been divided into systems both operational and non operational with the
purpose of facilitating the Precommissioning activities. Operational systems are dynamic
process oil and gas, utility or facility system such as high pressure steam, gas oil, cool
water, low pressure flare header, etc. No operational systems are system such as surface
and passive fire protection, architectural, cable/tubing, trays, etc. These non operational
systems will be completed through geographical areas, that include packages.
Pre Commissioning notes
The adequate Precommissioning test will be performed on every item of the plant and
reported through specific B Check sheet.
Reficar technician will be encouraged to participate during tests, as well as performing a
witness role. Lack of commissioning, operation, instrumentation witness will not delay
function testing progress.
The Precommissioning check involves the three following phases:
a) Documentation check. The documentation check consists of the following activities.
The checkout of the loop should first establish that all documentation pertaining to that
loop is available and consistent. If the loop is one to be given special attention or
significance (e.g. complex Loop), its required to have a list of them submitted by Process
Eng. in order the contractor to do a plan and to be sure the documentation for that loop
should be correctly labeled or identified accordingly.
The pertinent documentation shall, as a minimum, contain a loop diagram and a
specification containing all calibration and functional data necessary to verify the correct
operation of the loop.
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Reficar Cartagena Refinery Expansion Project

Doc No.

Commissioning & Start Up Management

125696-CMEX-010 Rev 0

Instrumentation Guidelines

Date:
2015-02-16

b) Installation check.
The installation of each loop component should be visually checked against the
documents to ensure that the correct instruments were installed and that the installation
is in accordance with the hardware specifications and loop diagrams/circuit diagrams.
Installation checks shall include:

Valves and flowmeters are checked for correct installation with the direction of flow

Local instrumentation can be easily read

All the elements of the loop are available, accessible, labeled and installed in a clean
and neat manner (including cables/wires, junction boxes, panels, cabinets, racks), giving
consideration to their maintenance

Component and wire tagging is clear and unambiguous (no danger of false
interpretation)

Field elements are adequately protected from mechanical or environmental damage

Supporting infrastructure shall also be visually checked for completeness and correctness
of installation, including properly installed and labeled:

Junction boxes, panels, cabinets, racks, and all wiring terminations

Instrument piping and tubing

Instrument air supply

Utility power and power supplies

Clean all transmission and control tubing by blowing with cooled and filtered clean air
before connecting to instrument component. Clean all air supply headers by blowing
with clean air and check them for tightness.

c) Functional check. The loop components are checked for proper configuration and
operation

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Reficar Cartagena Refinery Expansion Project

Doc No.

Commissioning & Start Up Management

125696-CMEX-010 Rev 0

Instrumentation Guidelines

Date:
2015-02-16

The purpose of the functional check is to test individual components of a loop and verify
their individual proper operation. Checking a loop in pieces does not qualify as a loop
functional check and shall not substitute actual loop test.
As per Reficar guidelines, functional check only will be performed on control valves in
order to verify the stroke, the functional verification for transmitters will be done during
the loop test, considering that all instruments were calibrated and continuity test was
done, as recorded in A check sheet.
Due the character of Urgency given to the project, the Loop test will start as soon as
possible and the Precommissioning activities will be made at the same time, the B and
C Check sheets will be completed during the loop test. In units where is not possible to
start with the loop test, Precommissioning activities will be developed as scheduled.
In any case, in order to starts with loop tests, the contractor must have the foresight to
perform activities of check local instrumentation, support for disassembly and assembly of
the instrumentation before / after flushing, etc.
Commissioning notes
The inspection and verification of the individual measurements and controls in
conjunction with the control systems used to monitor these devices (DCS, PLC, etc.) is
referred to as loop check.
Loop checks are performed to verify the proper operation of all loops prior to the
commissioning of a new plant or plant modification. They follow the installation of all the
loop components and the functionality checks of the control system after field installation.
For the execution of the loop tests the contractor should be guided with the procedures
per type given to them. However, the contractor in order to execute the tests shall
prepare, if necessary, their specific working procedure and develop the work with the
know-how of the company in this activity. Loop tests have associated a format "C" Check
Sheet to be completed by the personnel located in Control Room.
Loop check documentation should also include a punchlist listing all of the deficiencies
found and tracking their final resolution

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Reficar Cartagena Refinery Expansion Project

Doc No.

Commissioning & Start Up Management

125696-CMEX-010 Rev 0

Instrumentation Guidelines

Date:
2015-02-16

Loop check planning begins with a complete list of all loops to be checked. Execution in
field is privileging for subsystems/loops, however when it is possible to complete signals
(planning previously) located in close geographic area, it shall be done.
In order to comply with the current L3 execution plan and avoid the rework, we reach a
consensus to follow the below steps:

Gather information of all instruments that need to be removed for cleaning

activities and build a plan to start removing these right away (in-line
instrumentation)
Start instrument pretesting and functional tests for all instruments that do not
need to be removed.
Start loop checks for loops that only include instruments mentioned under action
item 2 (not in-line)
After reinstalling the in-line instruments execution of the corresponding
instrument functional test and posterior loop checks.

The Loop check will be done with forced signal to simulate process conditions, if is not
feasible to simulate the process conditions (usually by the type of instrument) then the
check will be performed with simulated signal
Forced: In this test method, the primary sensing element is physically forced to induce
loop functions. When a sensor is physically forced, it should be done in a manner as close
to the way the process will be applied.
Specific checks to be performed on a loop and its components must be established, along
with the respective acceptance criteria, for each loop to be checked.
When problems are encountered, if a quick fix is not possible, the function test shall be
suspended and the problem noted.
A complete recheck shall be required for any loop that has been modified or disconnected
after successful loop checks have been completed.

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