Construction and Design Division

December 2016 Newsletter

In this Issue
1 .... Directors Welcome
1 .... Newsletter Editors Welcome
2 .... Committee member introductions
3 .... Ray Vandales Column: The Dos and Donts of Automation
4.Technical Article: Compacting Your Project Schedule
8 .... CONDES Volunteer Contacts
8 .... About the ISA Construction & Design Division

Upcoming Events
March, 2017 ISA Construction & Design Division
Spring Newsletter
May 6-8, 2017 ISA Spring Leaders Meeting Division Director
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA J Parsons
Oct 28-30, 2017 ISA Fall Leaders Meeting Newsletter Editor
Tampa Bay, Florida, USA
Ray Vandale

Directors Welcome
Welcome to the Construction & Design
(CONDES) technical division of the ISA. You are
receiving this newsletter because you indicated
an interest in construction and/or design when
you joined the ISA or renewed your
membership. This division has been dormant for a while, so if
you were receiving newsletters before welcome back! We have
a new team of volunteers in the division and some old faces to
help us, so please welcome them if you see them or online at
our LinkedIn discussion group. They are your points of contact
for everything you need from the division, and if you aren't sure
who to talk to let me know and I'll find out.
This newsletter is just the start of our member outreach. I hope
that all of you can reach out to us and let us know what you
want to see from the division and how you want construction
and design issues addressed within ISA. Are there technical
papers you would like to see or maybe have written and don't
know where to publish? Are there webinars and other learning
opportunities that you want that are relative to our fields? Do
you think we should have a symposium? All of these can and
will happen with your input and support.
So please enjoy this newsletter, check out the LinkedIn group,
and let us know what you think. And if you know someone who
would benefit from membership in the ISA and the CONDES
division, forward this newsletter along to them. I hope to see
you at a future ISA event.
J Parsons
Director
ISA Construction & Design Division
Newsletter Editors Welcome
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the
December 2016 issue of our ISA Construction &
Design division newsletter. In this issue find
introductions from the new committee of
volunteers, a project management article, a
dos and donts article from the field, an article about the
scope of our divisions activities. I hope your enjoy reading our
first newsletter, and I look forward writing to you further in our
planned newsletters in 2017.
Ray Vandale
Newsletter Editor
ISA Construction & Design Division

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 ISA Construction & Design Division
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Introducing our Volunteer Leaders
Please welcome our new volunteer leadership team:
Director ............................. J. Parsons
Director-elect .................... Open
Newsletter Editor .............. Ray Vandale
Membership Chair ............ Clifford Wuertz
WebMaster ....................... Glendon Shaw
WebMaster ....................... Diego Orduz
Program Chair ................... Naidu Singampalli
Section-Division Liaison .... Jonathan Rodden
Facilitator .......................... Kalpen Vachharajnani
Committee Members ........ Don Segura
Patrick OHara
Leader Biographies
J Parsons is an Electrical/I&C engineer with
Corbin Consulting Engineers in Portland,
Oregon. His current focus is on semiconductor
processes and waste. In the past he has been a
HVAC controls engineer and technician, licensed
in both Oregon and Washington. He hopes to have his PE
license in Control Systems early next year, and is a LEED
Accredited Professional for existing buildings. He is also an
instructor at the Oregon Military Academy where he teaches in
the Officer Candidate Program for the Army National Guard. In
the little free time he has left, he plays video games and builds
Lego sets with his wife, Kat, and collects Magic: the Gathering
cards. He is relatively new to the ISA and sees the CONDES
division as a great way to meet other automation professionals.
Ray Vandale has 29 years of EI&C industry
experience. Ray has diversified his career by
working on many projects through design,
project management, inspection, start-up,
commissioning and quality surveillance. Ray
truly enjoys applying the years of knowledge towards successful
completion of projects. Ray is a Senior Member of the
International Society of Automation and enjoys working with
new technologies as well as mentoring others. Ray lives in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada consulting for EPCM and Senior Oil and
Gas producing companies.
Jonathon Rodden is a Senior Instrument &
Control System Technical Advisor working in
Indonesia for BP Asia Pacific on an LNG Complex
which is are currently expanding by adding a 3rd
LNG Train and two Offshore Platforms.
Jonathon has over 25 years experience in LNG
industry and over 34 years overall experience as an
Instrumentation Engineer in both Oil & Gas and the Chemical
industry. Jonathon is also a BP Global approved LOPA and FSA
Chairman and has chaired numerous LOPAs and FSA
Assessments throughout BP facilities globally.
ISA Construction and Design Division 2016 December Newsletter
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December 2016
Clifford Wuertz has been involved with
instrumentation and control systems for over
forty (40) years, beginning with his first
employer after college, M. W. Kellogg, in
January of 1974. He has worked for engineering
& design firms on projects for a variety of end
users, including oil & gas (onshore and offshore),
petrochemical, LNG, pulp and paper, water treatment,
electronics manufacturing, power and co-generation companies
as well as others. As a part of the I&C team on these projects
Clifford has provided construction support in the form of
responding to RFIs (Requests for Information) and RFD/RFWs
(Requests for Deviations or Waivers) in addition to meeting
with construction personnel to address lessons learned from
previous projects. Clifford has also contributed with
commissioning/startup duties as well as constructability
meetings with construction supervisors prior to kickoff, offering
valuable insight to further engineering and design.
Glendon Shaw, CAP is the president of
Autom8engr LLC. He is an ISA Certified
Automation Professional with over 16 years of
experience in electrical systems and process
control in water treatment, power generation,
gas processing, compression, and storage facilities. Specialties:
Particular expertise in the design, configuration and startup of
programmable logic controller systems and distributed control
systems. Wonderware System Integrator (System Platform 3,
Historian, Intouch), Allen-Bradley PLCs(ControlLogix,
CompactLogix, MicroLogix, SLC, PLC5), DeltaV (Administration,
Graphics, Implementation), Bailey Infi90, GE (Matrix, Mark VI,
LCI, PLCs) Emerson (Westation, WDPF-II), Citect HMI, Bently
Nevada 3500.
Diego Orduz is an instrumentation and control
specialist with over 10 years of experience in
engineering, construction, pre-commissioning,
commissioning and start up for production
facilities in oil, gas, power generation and
process industries. He has successfully executed several
projects and has been involved in different stages of maturity
within project lifecycles. He has participated in EPC projects and
is leading the I&C discipline for surface facilities projects within
the America Region (North, Central and South America) for an
oil and gas services company. Additionally he's also the
technical support for all I&C assets in this region. Diego is
supporting the standards implementation in FEC (Facilities
Engineering and Construction) and PSIM (Process Safety and
Integrity Management) to all assets in the region. Diego has
been involved with the ISA for 7 years and is a volunteer with
several other ISA committees.
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Naidu Singampalli is a graduate Engineer with
25 years of design & construction experience in
the field of Oil & Gas and Cryogenics and has
exposure to complete project life cycle, from
concept to commissioning including
multidiscipline engineering management. Naidu
currently works for Technip in Doha Qatar. He has previously
worked in the Instrument Lead roles for Consultancy and EPIC
firms in Brunei, Oman, Saudi Arabia and India. Naidu is
associated with ISA since 2002 is currently active volunteer of
ISA Qatar Section. He is also PMP-certified and member of PMI.
Kalpen Vachharajani is an Instrumentation & Control Specialist
with over 27 years of extensive experience in
engineering, installation and commissioning of
process control and instrumentation systems for
total plant automation & control. He has
successfully executed a number of projects from
Concept to Commissioning, in refining, petrochemical, oil & gas,
chemical, power, food, brewing, pharmaceutical and
automotive industries. At present, he is the President of
Provincial Controls, Sarnia, Ontario based products & solutions
provider for Instrumentation & Controls, Valves and Data
Communications. Kalpen is a Senior Member of ISA and served
on various committees on section, division, district & society
levels over the years.
Graham Nasby, PE, PMP is the ISAs VP-elect of
Industries & Sciences. As VP-elect, he helps
oversee twelve of the ISA's global technical
divisions. Graham is delighted to see that our
Construction and Design technical division is
now being led by a new energetic group of
volunteer leaders. Graham lives in Guelph, Ontario, Canada
where he is the Water SCADA & Security Specialist at publicly-
owned water utility.
ISA Construction and Design Division 2016 December Newsletter
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December 2016
Rays Dos and Donts Column
By Ray Vandale, CONDES Newsletter Editor
This section is an avenue to recognize the things that work or
do not work when designing or constructing your projects.
Todays dont is Never Assume!
Far too often one assumes that proper checks and balances
within systems have identified NCRs (Non-Conformance
Reports) or deficiencies prior to shipping of equipment. Your
equipment package has gone through final QC (Quality Control)
and shipping inspection and is now travelling to site for final
installation. Once at site it will be placed in its final location.
At this point never assume that it is 100% compliant and ready
for pre-commissioning or future tie-in. This is the time to have
your front line site inspection walk through the product and
verify it to applicable IFC (Issued for Construction) drawings, all
applicable addendums/change-orders, and project
specifications, and to also check if it was damaged during
shipping. Is it missing peripheral equipment? Does it meet
client specifications or local standards? Has it been damaged
during shipping? Does it require additional work and does it
meet the project requirements? These are pertinent questions
to identify once the equipment is placed. It is also important
that if problems are found, they are fully documented. A
product received inspection report accompanied by photos is
an indispensable tool for construction projects.
Failure to identify deficiencies prior to pre-commissioning can
cost valuable time during start-up as well as additional funds,
warranty implications, lead time involved with replacement or
repair and lost production. The bottom line: Never Assume!
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TECHNICAL ARTICLE
System Integration:
Compacting Your Project Schedule
By Tim Green
When a company launches a major projectsomething on the
order of a new plant, process unit, or automation system
upgradea schedule is produced. For far too many companies,
the schedule is merely symbolic, as they do not believe it will be
strictly adhered to as the project progresses.
Such an attitude is simply wrong, and can end up being a self-
fulfilling and expensive prophecy. Schedule delays add costs,
because labor resources spend more time than planned. But
maybe worse, the company loses income every day its new
plant or equipment is not running (see Figure 1).
Figure 1 Projects that fall behind schedule can cause significant cost
increases beginning with capital expenses by virtue of the additional
time needed. Most companies understand this cost, but are not as fast to
recognize that operational costs also begin to accumulate and are not
offset by production, because the plant has not started operation. When
all these costs are combined, the cost of a delayed startup grows for
every day past the desired schedule.
Projects can stick to a schedule if construction is managed
properly. This kind of thing does not happen of its own volition,
but instead depends on properly executing three major tasks:
1. Effective planning
2. Active management
3. Proactive testing
Many articles have been written on project planning, so for this
discussion we will assume that planning has been well
executed, and concentrate on the second and especially the
third factors.
ISA Construction and Design Division 2016 December Newsletter
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December 2016
Active management
Once a project moves from planning to actual construction, it
has to be actively managed to stay on course and on schedule.
The key word is actively. Without proper supervision, projects
can quickly fall behind. Why do schedules get off track?
Too many companies look at construction as a black box. They
understand it begins and ends, but there is little sense of what
goes on in the middle, so management is passive. Those
charged with project management often simply expect
everything to happen on its own. Without people who can dive
in and get a grip on each project task, companies feel helpless
to drive or even manage the process.
The project management team must work with contractors and
monitor the schedule constantly, but must avoid becoming
micromanagers. There is a fine balance between being effective
and being a nuisance, and each situation is different. It can take
some time for novice managers to develop such a sense, but it
is critical for effective project management.
A key first step in active management is opening the black box
and breaking the construction timeline into subsections, so
each can be monitored and tested along the way. Some things
do have to happen sequentially. A flowmeter cannot be
installed before there is piping, but it should be possible to look
ahead while the piping is being fabricated. Are the flowmeter
and all its necessary fittings on hand so it can be installed
without delay when the piping is done? Does it require any
additional support structure to be fabricated along with the
piping?
Steps that can run simultaneously should do so, because this
makes the schedule collapse on itself, and it reduces overall
project time. Those steps are not likely to happen
simultaneously without getting into the construction black box.
Testing has to happen at each step as soon as possible to
ensure every element is functioning properly before a particular
contractor moves on. Few companies realize the benefits of this
approach until they see it firsthand. Integrating testing with
construction drives the schedule and keeps everyone,
employees and contractors, focused. Individual contractors are
held accountable for correcting any problems they caused and
for fixing items left undone, all while they are still on site.
Proactive testing
Maintaining an aggressive project schedule requires testing at
each step of the process to verify performance and fulfillment
of specifications. Given the criticality of testing, it needs to be
divided into three phases or stages, corresponding to the
relevant stage of construction (table 1). In a large-scale project,
all three phases can often take place simultaneously in different
areas.
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Table 1. Stages of testing during construction
Prestatic inspection: Identifies installation issues early in the
process and helps quantify the percentage of completion of a
specific portion of the project.
Static check: Identifies wiring issues during electrical
construction. Checks are performed before any of the equipment
is energized, primarily checking wiring continuity to verify
wiring is as-designed and wire tagging is correct.
Predynamic testing: Confirms the functionality of instruments,
valves, and motors and verifies operability from the appropriate
controller. Predynamic testing is the first stage when equipment
is energized.
Full dynamic testing: Exercises logic to ensure adequate
interlock protection is in place for a safe process and the
operational logic functions are in accordance with the needs of
the specific process. Full dynamic testing is the final stage when
equipment is energized.
Prestatic inspection is designed to identify installation issues
early in the process. It also helps quantify the percentage of
completion of a specific portion of the project. This is critical to
keeping parallel activity moving to fulfill the schedule. Without
it, the timeline often stretches out, because the desired overlap
is eliminated.
Static checks deal with wiring issues during electrical
construction. These checks are performed before any of the
equipment is energized, primarily checking wiring continuity
and correct wire tagging. For motors, thermal protection and
correct rotational direction may be verified. Like prestatic
inspection, this step is critical to verifying a contractors
performance and percentage of completion.
Predynamic testing is the first stage when equipment is
energized. It confirms functionality of instruments, valves, and
motorsand verifies operability from the appropriate
controller. Process variables are simulated to verify scaling;
valves are given full-stroke tests; motors are bumped; variable
frequency drive operation is confirmed, and so forth. This is the
last phase of functional testing before full dynamic testing.
Each test is performed as early as possible, corresponding to
the stage of construction, and all testing is documented and
incorporated into the schedules
Commissioning and startup
As the final stages of construction are taking place, the project
is almost ready for full dynamic testing. Using the heel-to-toe
process of testing at each phase of the project means there is
no lengthy period at the end when all elements have to be
tested at once.
Full dynamic testing is the final stage when equipment is
energized and controller logic is exercised. This testing ensures
adequate interlock protection is in place for a safe process, and
operational logic functions are in accordance with the needs of
ISA Construction and Design Division 2016 December Newsletter
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December 2016
the specific process. This live logic testing confirms operation as
defined by the control narratives.
Now the instrumentation and controls (I&C) team gets to see
the culmination of all the efforts, as the last elements are put in
place and late-stage design modifications are made. But there is
still much to be done as commissioning and startup begin. At
this point, ownership transfers from the I&C provider to plant
personnel. The I&C team members of the larger startup team
support the process experts as they execute their full dynamic
test plans.
The plant and the automation solutions provider typically
verify functionality and interlocks by performing water runs
or some other full functionality simulation.
Complete control system functionality is verified.
Final loop tuning is performed.
Resource flexibility
Considering all the project activities that must take place in a
short period, any company trying to carry out such a
comprehensive range of tasks has to have huge resource
flexibility. Over the weeks and months of a project, there will be
times of relative inactivity, and other periods when many things
have to happen together, such as when a major phase is
nearing completion.
Keeping things moving as quickly as possible while maintaining
peak personnel efficiency demands constant adjustment of not
only headcount on a site, but also of personnel skill sets. The
ability to have the right number and right type of people on the
clock, no more and no less, requires a pool of highly qualified
engineers and technicians ready to move as needed. Major
automation solutions providers have this kind of flexibility, and
this capability is critical to realizing all the gains possible from
more aggressive scheduling, while still controlling costs.
A major upgrade project can require more than 100 people to
be on site simultaneously for the startup and commissioning of
just the electrical and automation system portions of the
project, typically requiring the plant owner to engage outside
assistance to meet the schedule
Hot cutover techniques
For many production facilities, the costs of interrupting
production to perform an automation system upgrade are
prohibitive. However, in some cases the need to implement
such an upgrade is also highly compelling. The solution to this
dilemma is performing a hot cutover while the plant remains in
production. This stage of a project requires very careful
planning and coordination between the plant operations team
and the automation solutions provider.
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A hot cutover moves one control loop at a time from the old to
the new automation system. Each loop needs to be verified and
tuned in the process. All parts of the new system hardware Best Case Project
must be thoroughly tested and need to perform flawlessly so Scenario
there are no unfortunate surprises at any step. Both
automation systems have to run simultaneously, so all digital
communication networks must be capable of supporting
increased traffic.

Also, engineers and technicians must test control code in the

new system to make sure it operates correctly during and after
the transition. They also need to compare output image tables
of the new controller with image tables in the live existing
system for parity. Once they have confirmed 100 percent parity,
the cutover can begin.

This kind of transition can be smoothly carried out if done Using Internal
carefully by experienced engineers and technicians. Skilled Resources Only
automation solutions providers have performed many such
transitions during large distributed control system upgrades and
migrations without interrupting production. Such a track record
depends on having talented people and the know-how to
perform a wide range of critical functions.

Closeout and documentation

For new systems or those upgraded during an outage, a full

dynamic test is the final check before putting the new unit or
automation system into production. At this point, every hour
counts, because everyone wants to close out the project and
realize its income.
Using traditional project management methods, full dynamic
tests can be slow and painful as numerous bugs and problems
crop up. Inadequate testing at earlier stages leaves
undiscovered problems, so the test moves by fits and starts as
those bugs are identified and fixed. Many expensive people
may be left standing around while a technician corrects the
rotation of a pump or figures out why a valve will not respond
to a control system command. In many cases, test results prove
inconclusive, and engineers must burn up time with
troubleshooting and fixes.
By contrast, the right testing and other procedures ensure this
final stage moves ahead quickly and deterministically, because::
All systems and subsystems have already been verified at
each critical stage
Commissioning and startup personnel do not have to wait
for components to be fixed
Process gets to run continuously without stops and starts
Safety incidents and damage to equipment are avoided
Plant personnel see a reliable representation of the live
process for a conclusive test
Using Internal +
External Resources
Figure 2. Any project requires a certain level of effort (in man-hours)
over a specific period of time. The upper graph illustrates a project
operating under a theoretical best-case scenario given the practical
constraints of labor efficiency for the work being performed. If all the
resources necessary can be brought to bear, the work can be
completed in this period of time.
The middle graph indicates what happens in most situations where
companies try to carry out projects with only internal resources or
minimal outside help. The number of actual man-hours does not
necessarily increase, but the total amount of time required to get the
job done at the lower effort level pushes out the startup time, delaying
the beginning of production and income generation.
The lower graph illustrates what can happen when greater resources
are available and can be combined with aggressive project
management. Under these circumstances, even the theoretical best
schedule can often be beaten without increasing overall costs
significantly. The biggest benefit is production begins on time, or even
early, allowing the company to realize production income earlier.

ISA Construction and Design Division 2016 December Newsletter Page 6

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 ISA Construction & Design Division
Newsletter December 2016

Meanwhile, all the documentation compiled throughout the

planning and construction process can be easily assembled, so it
is accurate, complete, and ready for turnover.

As a final step, the automation solutions provider sits down

with the plant project team to discuss collective reactions to the
project. This debriefing is something of a celebration, but also a
time to gather observations and lessons learned to pass on to
operations and maintenance people. Tribal knowledge should
be collected and documented to support future projects.

Conclusion

Quality automation solutions providers perform project

management, startup, and commissioning work, bringing a high
level of experience and technical skill to projects. Some
companies consider hiring outside help on such an extravagant
scale beyond a projects budget, believing it cheaper to use only
internal resources. However, the reality is few, if any,
companies these days have the necessary resources available. If
internal people are pulled into a construction project, what
other tasks are not going to be done?

Consider the situation as a mathematical proposition: A project

of whatever size is going to require some basic number of man-
hours to get all the functions done (figure 2). A company can
bring in a large number of people to do it in a short time, or it
can have a small group of people doing the project on a longer
timeline. Either way, the project cost is essentially the same,
but if the plant starts up sooner, the company enjoys the
income it generates sooner. Moreover, when a project can be
managed as described here, the company can realize major
efficiency gains.

An effective automation solutions provider improves efficiency

by having exactly as many people on a site as the situation
demands to push the schedule as far as practical. The number
might be 30 this week, but 110 the next. Such flexibility is
impossible with internal resources.

When a qualified and experienced automation solutions

provider, capable of bringing all the necessary resources to bear
on a project, can guide project planning and manage
construction and testing, companies receive the highest
assurance the project will meet all performance expectations,
will conclude on schedule, and will be at or under budget. The
costs of such services are typically recovered quickly through
improved performance and increased production realized
through an earlier startup.

About the Author: Tom Green is the US operations manager for

MAVERICKs Field Services Division. Contact:
tim.green@mavtechglobal.com

Copyright ISA 2016. Originally published in ISA InTech magazine in

May/Jun 2015. Reprinted with permission

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 ISA Construction & Design Division
Newsletter December 2016

CONDES General Contact Information Section-Division Liaison

Jonathan Rodden
Website ................................ www.isa.org/condes/ BP
ISA Customer Support .......... +1(919) 549-8411 Jakarta, Selatan, Indonesia
ISA Customer Support .......... info@isa.org Email: jonathan.rodden@se1.bp.com
ISA Customer Support Fax ... +1(919) 549-8288
Facilitator
The International Society of Automation Kalpen Vachharajani
67 T.W. Alexander Drive Provincial Controls Ltd.
PO Box 12277 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709, USA Email: kalpenv@provincialcontrols.com

CONDES Volunteer Leader Contacts Committee Member

Don Segura
Director Saudi Aramco
J Parsons Saudi Arabia
Corbin Consulting Engineers Email: donsegura@icloud.com
Portland, Oregon, USA
Email: j.andrew.parsons@gmail.com Committee Member
Phone: +1(503) 616-6753 Patrick OHara
Seaboard Controls
Newsletter Crosby, Texas, USA
Ray Vandale Email: patrick@seaboardcontrols.com
SMV Consulting
Calgary, Alberta, Canada ISA Staff Contact
Email smvconsulting@platinum.ca Kimberly Belinsky
Manager of ISA Technical Divisions
Membership Chair International Society of Automation
Clifford Wuertz Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Amec Foster Wheeler Email: kbelinsky@isa.org
Houston, Texas, USA
Email: clifford.wuertz@amecfw.com Visit us Online!

Web Master (www.isa.org/condes) CONDES Website ................. www.isa.org/condes/

Glendon Shaw LinkedIn Discussion Group:
Autom8enrg, LLC https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12011693
Houston, Texas, USA
Email: gshaw@autom8enrg.com
About ISA Construction & Design Division
Web Master (LinkedIn Discussion Group)
Diego Orduz The ISA Construction & Design division is focused on the realm
Schlumberger Surenco of Engineering Design, Project Management, Construction
Bogata, Columbia Management, Installation and Commissioning. That is to say
Email: diego.andresot@gmail.com any activities and techniques associated with Construction and
Design of I&C aspects towards projects. The Division offers up a
Program Chair forum to initiate questions, offer insight, peruse technical
Naidu Signampalli papers or simply communicate to others in your industry.
Technip Queries as well as Q&A are encouraged, or submit your Dos or
Doha, Qatar Donts to share with other ISA members globally. Submit your
Email: sinaidu@technip.com queries or requests to a division leader and utilize the
Construction and Design Division to stay engaged on a global
level.

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