Pre-Commissioning, Commissioning

and Startup Studies

Pre-Commissioning

After mechanical erection of plant/ project, precommissioning activity typically starts up to nine
months before the project execution phase.
It involves the assigning of responsibilities
between various parties, such as the engineers,
construction contractor, equipment vendors and
the organization commissioning the project.
Preparation of Punch lists is carried out as per
design requirements.

Pre-Commissioning Activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
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6.
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12.
13.

Cleaning of lines
Hydrostatic testing
Flushing of lines
Air blowing / drying
N2 purging
Acid cleaning of compressor lines
Breakingin pumps
Breakingin Compressors
Dryout and Boilout
Catalyst loading
Tightness test
Air purging and Gas blanketing of NonCatalytic sections
Catalytic Units Reactor Section Air purging and Gas
blanketing
14. Inhibitor / Chemical Injections

Cleaning of Lines
Internal Surface Finish Class
Class 1
a) Removal of all loose material and adherent material which could
become detached during operation of the plant.
Class 2
b) Removal of all loose material and adherent material which could
become detached during operation of the plant.
c) Removal of all oil, grease and protective coatings
Class 3
d) Removal of all loose material and adherent material that could be
detached during operation of the plant.
e) Removal of all oil, grease, and protective coatings.
f) Removal of adherent mill scale, rust and welding slag to achieve
bare metal.
g) Protection of cleaned surfaces to prevent rusting after cleaning

Hydrostatic Testing
Hydrostatic pressure testing of the Unit
shall be performed to prove strength of
the materials and weld integrity after
completion of the construction.
The tests shall be made on new or
repaired equipment and pipings.
Equipments / Pipelines are normally
pressure tested on the designed operating
pressure parameters.
This test is preferred over pneumatic test
due to safety reasons.
Hydrostatic test method is applied on the
newly manufactured pressure equipments,
after alterations, repairs and before
commissioning stage.

Flushing of Lines
As a pre-commissioning activity, flushing can be defined as the act of
pumping water, in sufficient quantity and velocity, through a given
section of pipe or piping, completely filling that section of pipe or
piping, such that the flow of water through the system will forcibly
remove any loose rust, mill scale or construction debris from the
system.
The flushing duration for an "open ended" system is such that for a
period of > 5 minutes "clear water" (no debris or other foreign
materials) must be discharged.
Guidelines
Detailed flushing plans shall be prepared for each system to be
flushed
Flushing shall be carried-out under the supervision of the
commissioning team
Flushing shall be performed through fully open flanges and/or open
pipe ends.
Flushing through smaller openings, such as drains or vents, is not

Air/ N2 Blowing
Air blowing is carried out after steam / water flushing to dry the
pipeline/ vessel.
Process lines if service for air, gas and steam shall be blown with air or
steam.
During this operation, all instruments shall be isolated, all orifice plates,
flow meter elements, control valves and safety valves shall be
removed.
All natural gas handling piping, vessels and equipments shall be dried
to a water dew point of -22 F (-30 C) and inerted with nitrogen.

What is Breaking-In?
Break-in or breaking in, also known as run-in or running
in, is the procedure of conditioning a new piece of equipment
by giving it an initial period of running, usually under light
load, but sometimes under heavy load or normal load.
It is generally a process of moving parts wearing against each
other to produce the last small bit of size and shape
adjustment that will settle them into a stable relationship for
the rest of their working life.
Breaking-In Pumps
New pumps should be given a preliminary run, with strainers
in their suction lines, in order to test mechanical performance
and reveal any defects before attempting to start up the Unit.
Breaking-In Compressor
Compressors and drivers of all types must be properly
installed and operated for "run-in" similarly to pumps to
assure their satisfactory service.

Dry Out / Boil-Out

Before a heater is put into service for the first time, it will be
necessary to slowly expel the excess moisture from the insulating
concrete (setting) by gradually raising its temperature before any
appreciable load is put on the heater.
Chemical boil-out is desirable as a means of internally cleaning the
system parts with a mixture of chemicals (Soda Ash Na2CO3 and
Caustic Soda NaOH)) and hot water to remove oil and other
deposits that may have accumulated during fabrication and erection
of the components.

Catalyst Loading
Initial catalyst loading activities shall be performed according to the
Licensers and/or catalyst manufacturers procedures under
supervision of the Licensers representatives.

Tightness Test
During equipment cleaning, lines have been disconnected, orifice
plates and blinds removed and re-installed. As a consequence,
tightness tests shall be required to eliminate leakages due to gaskets
which have been damaged, flanges or drains which have been left
open.
Thightness test pressure will depend on the operating pressure of
the system under test. Normally shall be 1.2 times the normal
operating pressure provided that this does not exceed the set of the
PSV existing in the section.

Commissioning

Commissioning is a process that serves to

ensure the various parts of a system involved
in the project perform according to the client's
specifications.
For instance, the client would like to verify
that equipment is installed as per the
manufacturer's specifications.
Usually prolongs 3 to 14 days without any
breakdown.

Commissioning Procedure
Commissioning during the construction phase is intended to
achieve the following specific objectives according to the Contract
Documents:
a. Verify that applicable equipment and systems are installed
according to the manufacturers recommendations and to
industry accepted minimum standards and that they receive
adequate operational checkout by installing contractors.
b. Verify and document proper performance of equipment and
systems.
c. Verify that O&M documentation left on site is complete.
d. Verify that the Owners operating personnel are adequately
trained.
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e. Ensure that Pre Startup Safety Review (PSSR) is carried out.

f. Ensure operation of the unit/equipment at its rated capacity.

Startup of Equipment /
Machineries

Objectives

To start up the equipment in a safe and

efficient manner that avoids damage to
equipment, process upsets, excessive waste
and injury to personnel.

To develop Standard Operating Procedures

(SOPs) mentioning startup/shutdown of
units/machineries, safe operating limits,
critical operating limits and Health, Safety and
Environmental Requirements.

Pre-Startup Checks

Before starting any item of equipment, prestart checks must be carried out to:

prevent equipment damage

equipment is mechanically and/or electrically complete

oil level and coolant level is correct in rotating machinery

oil systems and coolant systems are operational

valves are lined up to ensure equipment does not run dry, or is not damaged on
startup due to high temperatures or pressures.

prevent injury to personnel

fire water systems

vent and relief systems

emergency shutdown systems

alarm systems

interlock systems

thermal insulation.

prevent process trips

valves are lined up correctly, into and out of the equipment item

raw materials supply is ready

utility systems such as instrument air, steam, fuel, gas and water are in operational
condition

pumps are correctly set for manual or automatic startup.

Equipment Start-up

When starting an item of equipment,

temperatures, pressures, levels and flows must be
carefully monitored and increased gradually to
normal operational levels to prevent:

damage to equipment due to sudden temperature or

pressure changes
trips due to sudden changes in parameters
plugging or fouling of equipment due to production of
unwanted byproducts.

Electrical equipment, especially pumps and

motors, need to be monitored closely to prevent
high amps, which can lead to trips, motor damage
and possibly costly repairs.

Startup after Maintenance

When starting after maintenance, checks must be made to ensure:

all work permits are signed of

spades and blinds have been removed from equipment lines
all lines are connected
lines and vessels are purged to remove air
block valves are in the correct operating position
instrument lines are connected
control valves are installed correctly
safety valves and pressure relief valves are correctly set and installed
vessels that were drained during maintenance are refilled
pumps are operational and primed
during startup, gauges and instruments must be closely monitored to
ensure:

all flow rates, fluid levels, pressures and temperatures are carefully monitored
equipment is brought up to operating parameters in the minimum allowable time
for safe operation

any process which may be afected by the startup is being monitored

Types of Shutdowns
Level 1 Unit Shutdown (USD)
Unit Shutdown (USD) is the shutdown of individual process or utility system or
subsystem and intended to prevent equipment from operating outside process limits
that may cause damage to the equipment or adversely afect the process.
Level 2 Process Shutdown (PSD)
Process Shutdown (PSD) is shutdown of all process system. PSD is activated
automatically by various process sensors. PSD will shutdown and isolate all related
process equipment or systems, to limit the probability of an abnormal operating
condition leading to an emergency situation.
Level 3 Emergency Shutdown (ESD)
Emergency Shutdown (ESD) is shutdown to minimize the consequences during
emergency. ESD can be automatically initiated by load shedding functions or
manually by the operator through push button on the panel. ESD will shutdown and
isolate all designated process related equipment, including inlet and outlet ESD
valves.
Level 4 Emergency Depressurize Shutdown (EDP)
Emergency Depressurize Shutdown (EDP) will shutdown, isolate and depressurize all
equipments by opening the de-pressuring valves to flare. In this condition, main
power generation system will be shutdown and the emergency power generator will
start. EDP is manually activated by the operator through push button.

Monitoring of Equipment
Operation

Monitoring checks

Routine checks and careful monitoring of equipment

is required to identify equipment or process problems
in the early stages, so that corrective action can be
taken, to prevent trips, shutdowns, costly equipment
failure or ofspec product.
The results of routine checks must be recorded in logs
and other records, so that an equipment or process
history is developed which can be used to identify
trends leading to equipment failure or process trips.

Monitoring feed rates and production

It is essential that feed rates and product quality are

monitored to:
ensure the products are within specification
maintain the required production rate from the process
or equipment.
To correct any deviations,
adjustments must be made to
feed rates or other parameters
by:
changing equipment
configuration
adjusting setpoints on
controllers
manually adjusting valves to
increase or decrease flowrates
increasing or decreasing the

Monitoring of equipment malfunction

The object of maintenance is to ensure that equipment will operate

satisfactorily when required.
Two types of maintenance are:
1.
2.

Preventative Maintenance where servicing is carried out, to prevent

equipment breakdown
Breakdown Maintenance where maintenance is carried out, to repair
equipment after a breakdown.

Early warning signs for malfunction may be:

. a

sudden deviation from normal operating conditions - as noted on the

routine reading sheets
. indicated on field or control room instruments
. alarms
. abnormal smell or sound from equipment
. abnormal vibration from equipment
. equipment feels hotter than normal (use with care to prevent burn injuries)
. leaking process fluids or utility streams (cooling water, lubricating oil).

Equipment isolation

Before any maintenance is carried out on

process equipment, all relevant work permits
must be obtained and the equipment must be
isolated from:

electrical supply to prevent electrocution

mechanical movement to prevent physical injury
flowlines in or out of the equipment to prevent
spills or chemical injury.

Carrying out minor maintenance

The maintenance work may require special

conditions such as:

standby personnel for confined space entry

fire spotters for welding operations
Personal Protective Equipment
breathing apparatus
earthing connections
wetting equipment to keep it cool or prevent sparks
safety harness for working in confined spaces or at
heights
forced draught ventilation for confined spaces
communication equipment for working in confined
spaces.

In which of the following cases, shutting down unit X will

shut down the entire process?

Changeover of equipment
Equipment items such as heat exchangers, pumps and
filters are often installed in parallel where one equipment
item is on duty while the other is on standby.

Typical checks during a shutdown could

include:

equipment cools down at a safe rate to prevent

thermal fractures

the correct valve sequence is followed to

depressurise and purge equipment and lines

shutdown valves close at the appropriate time

to isolate equipment from process flows and
utilities

lube oil pressure is maintained during the

rundown period

valve status is correct at the completion of the

shutdown

all process flows are maintained at required

values, by use of standby or alternative

Controlling Hazards in Work Area