Why Commissioning Starts During Engineering

Many projects treat commissioning as the final phase of the project. Construction is completed, systems are handed over, and only then does the commissioning team become heavily involved.

Unfortunately, this approach often results in delays, cost overruns and startup problems. Successful projects recognize that commissioning does not start after construction. It starts during engineering.

Why Start-Up Problems Are Usually Created Earlier

When projects experience startup issues, the root cause is rarely found during commissioning itself. More often, the causes originate much earlier:

• Incomplete Process Design Packages
• Missing operating philosophies
• Insufficient consideration of maintainability
• Lack of startup and shutdown procedures
• Instrumentation that is difficult to test
• Equipment arrangements that complicate operation
• Missing performance criteria

By the time mechanical completion is reached, these decisions have already been made and are expensive to change.

Commissioning Is About Building Operability

Engineering teams often focus on making the plant function. Commissioning teams focus on making the plant operable. These are not necessarily the same thing.

An operable plant must be safe, maintainable, testable, flexible, easy to start and stop, and capable of reaching design capacity.

Areas Where Early Commissioning Involvement Adds Value

Control Philosophy

Control narratives and functional descriptions should support startup and abnormal operating conditions, not only normal operation.

Equipment Layout

Accessibility for operators and maintenance personnel should be considered early.

Instrumentation

Instruments and valves should be designed to facilitate loop checks, functional testing and commissioning activities.

Mechanical Completion Strategy

Systems and subsystem boundaries should be established during engineering to support an efficient turnover process.

Documentation

Operating procedures, cause-and-effect matrices and startup philosophies should be developed long before construction is complete.

The Cost of Late Commissioning

Projects that postpone commissioning involvement often experience longer startup periods, increased contractor hours, additional modifications, more punch list items, reduced production during ramp-up and increased safety risks.

These costs frequently exceed the investment required for early commissioning planning.

Thinking Beyond Mechanical Completion

Mechanical completion is not the finish line. The true objective of every project is reliable and sustainable operation.

Commissioning bridges the gap between engineering and operations. Projects that involve commissioning early generally achieve faster startups, fewer surprises and smoother transitions into production.

Conclusion

Commissioning is not something that starts after construction. It starts when engineering decisions are being made.

The earlier commissioning thinking is integrated into a project, the greater the chance of achieving a safe, efficient and successful startup.

About the author

Peter Enting is the founder of Promacon Engineering. He supports industrial companies and technology developers with process engineering, project delivery, commissioning and technology scale-up.

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