Plant modifications are an ongoing process throughout the life of any process plant. Reasons for modification include efforts to improve reliability, production capacity, quality, or productivity. Seamless incorporation is the key concern associated with the installation of any new equipment in an operating plant due to the high cost of process downtime. Several steps shall be taken to minimise the risk associated with the installation of new equipment such as hazard and operability studies, project management, development of redundancy plans, and commissioning of the new equipment.
Start-up and commissioning are essential activities in all process plant-modification projects and have significant implications for project success. Yet paradoxically they tend to be approached in an ad hoc manner. Commissioning is often included in project plans, so it is not that people are ignorant. However, there is usually a lack of systematic approaches to commissioning, so it is frequently left to tradespeople and plant operators to manage in whatever way they see fit. This is an undesirable situation since it results in unpredictable outcomes. In some cases it can even cause serious problems. Lack of experience in dealing with these problems has frequently resulted in prolonged and costly start-ups, caused by inadequate preparation for the events of start-up.
This course is designed to provide participants with an up-to-date overview of the start-up and commissioning of Process plants including troubleshooting of the start-up process. It includes the methodology for start-up and commissioning of process plants, which can be used when commissioning a new plant, or for modified equipment in an existing facility, or in a turnaround, shutdown or overhaul scenario. It takes the approach that commissioning is a series of checks and counter-checks to confirm every unit in the process plant is fit for purpose and suitable for operation.
During the course, each participant will gain enough skills to anticipate and avoid problems associated with start-up processes. Participants will gain a satisfactory understanding of the commissioning strategy, organizational issues, estimation of required resources, CPM planning, mechanical integrity, troubleshooting, start-up operations, technical inspection, instrumentation/control systems, HSE and other necessary knowledge associated with the process plant start-up and commissioning. Actual case studies from around the world will be demonstrated to highlight the topics discussed.