Planning for Pivotal Moments: Operating at the Forefront of Commissioning

Planning for Pivotal Moments: Operating at the Forefront of Commissioning
Digitizing is repeatedly hailed as the next great step change for many industrial operations.

This piece presents the opinions of the author.
It does not necessarily reflect the views of Rigzone.

Commissioning is much more than flipping a switch. For greenfield and brownfield projects alike, it’s a critical moment: the culmination of a significant investment in time, resource and materials.

Digitizing is repeatedly hailed as the next great step change for many industrial operations and it has the potential to transform the pivotal commissioning stage in the project life cycle. But with so much at stake—and a high safety risk—the transition to a digital workflow must be carefully considered.

Josh Goolnik
Josh Goolnik, Technology Manager, Wood
Technology Manager, Wood

Most operators have well-established processes that are heavily embedded. Digital processes can bring new challenges. So, a live commissioning project is not a good arena to introduce new ways of working.

Commissioning is the most critically collaborative point in an asset’s life. Software and digitization offer a more efficient, robust and visible way for operators to stay in control of commissioning. This paper will look at a number of key challenges and considerations when moving to an electronic process.

Work the Process

Updating to digital hardware or introducing new systems is only part of the answer. In fact, the bigger issue is that old processes are no longer fit for purpose with an updated system. The real difference to commissioning comes when you optimize operational processes to suit new, digital technologies. From experience, swapping to faster technology or digitizing parts of a process only shifts bottlenecks to a different point. This is one of the biggest challenges facing the shift to digital, but there are opportunities to ease it.

Advance Warning

Best practice is based around early planning, therefore its best to involve commissioning teams at an early stage. A key advantage if you are looking at digitizing is the opportunity to start using the software well before commissioning begins. This provides teams the chance to familiarize themselves with the system and experiment with the connectivity. There will be site visits and queries throughout these stages providing many opportunities for teams to understand the new software or hardware – increasing efficiency when commissioning begins.

All or Nothing

Partly digitizing your commissioning process will have very little positive effect on efficiency. It means dealing with two systems and moving between hard copy and electronic. This can create inefficiencies and errors and reduce any productivity gains.

Confidence in Compatibility

Bespoke systems and tailored hardware might be desirable, but mainstream solutions have the advantage of familiarity. Popular devices and software mean more widespread use, which in turn means users are likely to learn faster and have a better network of support. Larger technology providers have made their devices and programs compatible across more systems, so integration should be easier. Operators need to make sure it’s deployed company-wide to get the most value from the change.

Watch for Black Holes

Efficiency from fully digitized processes are impressive, but they create a new set of challenges. Real-time operations are still limited by system connectivity. If you have a remote site or intermittent network access, then the problem of synchronizing data can arise. Any digital process should account for potential data holes, transfer issues and blackouts. Many devices can continue to operate offline, so work can continue without interruption, however it then becomes important to synchronize data, preferably at an agreed time, to ensure all parties are working from the same information.

Safety First

Most handheld devices can be shielded so there is no ignition risk, but additional risks are dropped object potential, the removal of at least one hand from use while operating a device or being distracted. All be acknowledged and assessed within the operational processes.


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