Process Flow Diagram Checklist

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View all posts by admin 7/9/2011

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This short checklist will help you when drawings a Process Flow Diagram and the associated heat and material
balance (aka stream table). This is a sister article to my Process and Instrumentation Diagram Checklist.

Items to check:

Page number
Revision number and revision purpose
Sign-off information (such a drafter/designer/checker/approver) is correct
All dates
Drawing Title-block
Notes/holds are there and correct. Check spelling, placement. Ensure any project-wide notes and holds are
present.
Stream Table – latest data, correct units of measurement, all necessary streams are listed
Stream Table – quick logical spot-check: vapor lines don’t have liquid flowrates or vice-versa, low pressures
do not flow into high pressures, mass balance closes, two sides of an exchanger have the same change in
enthalpy
Stream Table – any notes and holds required are there and spelled correctly. Document number, revision,
date etc. are in place
Stream Flags/Tags are placed well and match the stream table
Avoided bends/doglegs in all piping and instrumentation lines where possible
Borders all visible, drawing centers
Equipment Tags Correct Format
Equipment Tags Correct Names, matches equipment list, P&ID, etc.
Equipment Tags Placed Well
Instrument types and logic is shown correctly. Level of detail is appropriate for a PFD
Legend is Correct
Old/New lines and items are differentiated correctly (if applicable)
Lines break correctly (most companies follow the rule that control lines break for process lines, and vertical
lines break in preference to horizontal lines)
Correct lineweights, arrow size, line patterns
In/Out Stream flags (aka Off Page Connectors) match across all drawings, correct text and spelling, correct
drawing references
Streams enter the drawing from the left side and exit from the right side where possible
For any revisions to a previous drawing, take a quick glance to make sure changes from the previous revision
are correctly in place, and that the redrafting did not introduce any new errors. (Which could occur even in
areas that were not changed)

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Take a highlighter and trace over everything once. This will force you to find final errors

Page number

Revision number and revision purpose

Sign-off information (such a drafter/designer/checker/approver)

is correct

All dates

Drawing Title-block

Notes/holds are there and correct. Check spelling, placement.

Ensure any project-wide notes and holds are present.

For any revisions to a previous drawing, take a quick glance to

make sure changes from the previous revision are correctly in
place, and that the redrafting did not introduce any new errors.
(Which could occur even in areas that were not changed)

Stream Table – latest data, correct units of measurement, all

necessary streams are listed

Stream Table – quick logical spot-check: vapour lines don’t have

liquid flowrates or vice-versa, low pressures do not flow into high
pressures, mass balance closes, two sides of an exchanger have
the same change in enthalpy

Stream Table – any notes and holds required are there and
spelled correctly. Document number, revision, date etc. are in
place

Stream Flags/Tags are placed well and match the stream table

Avoided bends/doglegs in all piping and instrumentation lines

where possible

Borders all visible, drawing centers

Equipment Tags Correct Format

2/3
Equipment Tags Correct Names, matches equipment list, P&ID,
etc.

Equipment Tags Placed Well

Instrument types and logic is shown correctly. Level of detail is

appropriate for a PFD

Legend is Correct

Old/New lines and items are differentiated correctly (if

applicable)

Lines break correctly (most companies follow the rule that

control lines break for process lines, and vertical lines break in
preference to horizontal lines)

Correct lineweights, arrow size, line patterns

In/Out Stream flags (aka Off Page Connectors) match across all
drawings, correct text and spelling, correct drawing references

Streams enter the drawing from the left side and exit from the
right side where possible

Take a highlighter and trace over everything once. This will force
you to find final errors

3/3