Commissioning a Control System – The Payoff
When I describe what a controls engineer does, I always talk about commissioning. It’s easily my favorite part of controls engineering. Walking up to a job site feels like a fighter walking to the ring for the main event. Everything you (and many others) have worked for is about to come to fruition — or not. Your preparation, experience, and mindset all play a major role in how commissioning will go.
Where Design Meets Reality
There are a lot of factors leading up to the commissioning effort for a control system – the sales process, engineering design, and pretty much the completion of every other trade including construction, millwrights, piping, electrical, and more. All of these have an impact on how commissioning will go, and several of them are out of your control as a controls engineer.
But one thing is undeniable – commissioning is where a previously theoretical system will be tested by reality.
How is it really going to perform?
Preparation for Commissioning
As with most things in life, success depends heavily on preparation. Controls engineers face a unique challenge: they have a narrow focus (controls) with an outsized impact. They must understand nearly all aspects of the system — especially the mechanical design. They’re the final engineer on site before the system must run, and they may be there long after other trades have left.
Controls engineers help define the character of a system. If you’ve given the system thorough consideration and provided a detailed design, it will likely be predictable and robust. If you haven’t, it could become a daily nightmare for operators — and commissioning will make that clear.
Step one of preparation is having a thorough understanding of the system you’re commissioning. While I believe commissioning personnel are sometimes viewed somewhat as a commodity, i.e., easily swappable, if you have an engineer who is familiar with the equipment you’re commissioning and knows every rung of logic or every sheet of the electrical design, they’re going to be a step ahead of someone who doesn’t. And that confidence will exude on site.
Engineers should have also considered their validation plan prior to arriving at the job site. What are you going to check at the job site? At a minimum, I would think you’ll be checking inputs and outputs and validating alarms. How are you going to verify that the system meets specifications as well as the required operation
Another key consideration is what to bring to site. Commissioning is typically an in-person and physical process. You’ll need site access instructions, contact info, and appropriate PPE. You want to consider pre-task plans for safety. If you’re a part of a large team, daily toolbox safety talks are appropriate. Would you prefer to have hard-copy electrical drawings? Updating drawings post-commissioning is an often-neglected part of the job. Think about what tools you’ll need. Small hand tools? Electrical measuring devices, like a multimeter or amp clamp? Lastly, I would recommend bringing cut sheets or IOMs for any devices you may encounter on site. Be it field devices or PLC equipment in a control panel, have a manual at arm’s length can save immense time resolving an issue, like “What do the LED status indicators mean?”
What You Can Control
I have been on successful commissioning projects and less-than-successful commissioning projects. For myself, the key to performance is focusing on what I can control.
The controls engineer probably didn’t specify the undersized motors for the system. But that doesn’t mean you can’t control how you respond to discovering this situation, say when a pump can’t keep up with inflow.
The first thing a controls engineer can control is their attitude. Are you upset? Are you angry? If so, this energy will radiate to those around you and continue to build. Instead, take a deep breath. Think of your happy place. Stand up straight. You should be projecting calm and confidence. Realize that nothing about this project is likely going to mean the end of the world. You’re here to do a job and that is to make sure this system is proven out so that everyone can sleep well at night.
Another thing an engineer has in their control is their communication. If you communicate in a predictable way you tend to get calmer heads prevailing. No one likes a bad surprise. You should be communicating in person but also following up with written daily or weekly reports as required. Realize that you’re part of a team and everyone would rather like their team members. Don’t be afraid to be friendly with others.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to recommend changes to make the system right. It is entirely possible that something was missed during the sales or design phases of the project. I’m not suggesting you do a wholesale redesign of PLC code or HMI screens, but if you see something that can enhance the robustness or reliability of a system, don’t be afraid to communicate that to decision-makers.
Enjoy Your Success
To me, commissioning a system and seeing something come alive in a privilege. Commissioning has brought me to locations I never would have thought I would be growing up. Relish the moment. When you hit “start” and production happens, you are literally changing lives.
Nothing raises my heart rate quite like large fans and pumps roaring life. Always remember what it took to get to that point, and do your job to make sure it operates for decades to come.
This is the payoff.
Written by: Chris Smith
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