Here’s how to solve common problems encountered between systems integrators and OEMs during the commissioning and startup phase of water/wastewater capital projects.
Alan Horikawa, national service manager, and Scott Okasaki, Northern California field services manager, both of Tesco Controls, recently co-authored an article for the August 2019 issue of Processing magazine. The article is titled Systems Integrators And OEMs Achieve Startup Success. Here’s a summary, click on the link above for the full text.
Water/wastewater capital projects, whether new greenfield developments or retrofit brownfield undertakings, demand coordination among many levels of contractors and suppliers. Most modern projects have electrical controls and automation elements, often provided by a control system integrator (SI), and the SI must work closely with many entities. Unfortunately, the typical design/bid/build (DBB) project organizational hierarchy can hinder communications.
Horikawa and Okasaki point out a common challenge for SIs.
Significant underlying systems are usually supplied by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), adding to the challenges. These include three main types of OEMs: suppliers of electrical equipment, suppliers of process skids and suppliers of automation components.
In this article, they cover some strategies, and show how SIs can successfully work with OEMs during commissioning and startup.
Theory versus Reality
In theory, most issues should be resolved before construction, but in practice there are many interfaces and opportunities for technical and scope discrepancies, some of which may persist into or become exposed during startup. During startup, SIs are performing many tasks and time is of the essence, with SIs often operating under the motto “last in, first out”.
Automation Commissioning and Startup Basics
Although projects use varying terminology, for this article commissioning involves basic signal verifications, while startup refers to functionally operating equipment. Ideally much of the design is pre-tested via the factory acceptance test process, but the authors describe how various automation platforms can only be fully integrated with actual signals in the field.
Input/output signals, whether hardwired or fieldbus, must be tested and documented. This involves the SI, the electrical contractor, and affected OEM vendors. The effort then proceeds to functional checks where every party must internally test their own area, and then perform integrated testing with each other.
Engaging Electrical OEMs
Since ensuring adequate and safe electrical power is fundamental to any startup effort, the electrical OEMs are often the first engaged by the SI to check out switchgear, generators, motor controls, and other elements. Usually this involves monitoring these systems, but sometimes more complicated automation and interlocking is tested.
Integrating Process Skids
After the electrical utilities have been proven out, process skid integration is the next step. Process skids take many forms. They may ship complete or require field assembly, may be provided with on-board controls, or may be procured as bare equipment requiring field automation. Horikawa and Okasaki say this increases the complications.
Process skids, however, are more likely to have extensive automation requirements, each of which affect overall performance. This includes sequencing for events like backwashes, cycling of equipment like ultraviolet systems based on demand, timing of trains within a unit, tuning of continuous regulatory control such as for chemical injection, and other process operations. When process skids arrive with their own control package there may be a simple enable/disable interface exposed to the main automation system via a hardwired connection. But even in this case, a skid may also require operational parameters to be determined, set and tested.
At this point, the SI is focusing not only on specific equipment, but may be solving problems central to the automation design or control platform.
Automation OEM Issues
SIs must be adept at working with a wide variety of automation hardware, software, networking, and field instrumentation products and issues. The authors identify many common tasks which must be performed. Each activity requires test procedures and documentation to provide a complete result and support efficient problem solving.
So, if any one thing, small or large, fails to work as planned, it may be difficult to identify the root cause. The best run projects avoid assigning blame and instead employ a team-based problem-solving approach. Establishing this type of positive culture for executing the work and resolving the inevitable challenges must be led by the owner and general contractor, with the proper degree of autonomy granted to the SI.
The SI is uniquely positioned to discover and help solve any problems when integrating multiple OEM systems into a cohesive whole, helping the entire team achieve startup success.
Mr. Horikawa, National Service Manager for Tesco Controls, Inc., has over 40 years of involvement with a wide range of industrial control systems. As a communications specialist, he has developed hands-on experience with all major instrumentation, control and telemetry systems used in water and wastewater. Alan led the teams commissioning one of the largest wastewater projects (over 500 sites) in the southeastern U.S.
Mr. Okasaki, Northern California Field Services Manager, has more than 13 years’ experience with Tesco Controls, Inc. in the modification, startup and support of industrial control system projects for the water and wastewater industries. He has led teams in the commissioning of Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District’s EchoWater Project, a $2 billion upgrade to produce cleaner water for discharge back into the Sacramento River.