Field Instruments
Lifecycle of a field instrument -
An EPC Perspective
Shivendra Kapoor
Shivendra Kapoor is Manager- Functional Safety with
Chola MS Risk Services in Mumbai, India. He is an
Instrumentation Engineer and a Certified Functional
Safety Professional from TÜV SÜD. He has +13 years of
industry experience covering a variety of sectors like: Oil
and Gas, Mines and Minerals, Chemicals, etc. He is also
a freelance writer at heart and has many short fictional
and non-fictional stories published globally in reputed
publications.
80 Chemical Industry Digest. March 2016
Instrumentation engineers, not predominantly in
the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC)
sector, often wonder as to what happens in the
lifecycle of a field instrument? Who specifies,
evaluates, decides, purchases and does the de-
tailing and final installation of a field instrument?
This article highlights the author’s perspective on
all the key phases through which a field instru-
ment (sensor and final element) has to pass
through in an EPC organization to finally reach
the engineering site, get installed and be in op-
eration.
Understanding the details in the lifecycle of a
field instrument at the EPC phase of a project i.e.
after completion of Conceptual/FEED phase also
helps instrument engineers to rethink optimal al-
location of engineering man-hours required for a
field instrument.
 Field Instruments
I
n the process of passing through the Conceptual and
Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase of a proj-
ect, there is a logical reasoning ready in the mindset
of a chemical engineer (often called as process engineer)
to justify the use of various types of field instruments –
sensors (pressure transmitters, flow meters, etc.) and final
elements (control valves, on-off valves, etc.). Chemical
design engineers involved in preparation of Piping and
Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) request technical in-
puts from instrumentation design engineers and allied
discipline engineers. These inputs may be required to se-
lect the correct type of field instrument for a specific pro-
cess fluid under consideration or whether or not a field
instrument is really required. While preparing a P&ID,
a collaborative approach between a chemical and instru-
ment engineer is a must for smooth execution of the en-
tire project, as frequent revisions in the P&IDs may burn
useful man-hours of various engineering disciplines and
ultimately affect the overall cost dynamics of the project.
Lifecycle
Let us now see the details in the lifecycle of a field
Figure 1: Lifecycle of a Field Instrument (Key steps)
Chemical Industry Digest. March 2016
instrument during the EPC phase. For ease in under-
standing, it is recommended to simultaneously refer to
Figure-1: Lifecycle of a Field Instrument.
l Once the chemical engineer stamps the P&IDs as
‘Approved for Design/Detailing’ it becomes the key in-
put document for all other engineering disciplines. To
reach up to this stage, the P&IDs have to pass through
series of interdisciplinary checks and end-user approv-
als.
Pre-ordering phase
l The instrument engineer sets his target to prepare a
key deliverable called as ‘Instrument Index/List’. This
document summarizes all the field instruments as seen
on the P&IDs and becomes a master database docu-
ment which supports all other instrumentation engi-
neering activities right till the commissioning stage
and afterwards as well.
Refer to Figure-2: Instrument Index (For Process Gas
Area).
The figure shows a typical instrument index with
81
 Field Instruments

Figure 2: Instrument Index For Process Gas Area (Area No: 029)
Field
Sr. Loop
Instrument Fluid Service Description Instrument Description Location Line No./Equipment No. P&ID No Data Sheet Junction Hook-up No Scope Remarks
No Box No Drawing No
Tag No. No

Liquid / Process Cooling Water From Pumps (029-P-101A/B) 029-KT-1-PID- 029-CMS-P0004- Later Later
1 029-FE-1234 To Cooling Gas Quench Tower (029-V-101) Orifice Flow Element Field 100-W-5204-W01-NI IS-4-001A EPC contractor
Water 1001, Rev.1
2 029-FT-1234 Liquid / Process Cooling Water From Pumps (029-P-101A/B) Differential Pressure Type Trans- Field 029-KT-1-PID- 029-CMS-P0004-
Across Orifice FE-1234 029-JB-A1-001 Later Later EPC contractor
Water To Cooling Gas Quench Tower (029-V-101) mitter (Flow) 1001, Rev.1 IS-4-002A

some standard columns that are found in any well pre- mentation deliverables prepared simultaneously that are
pared instrument index. Based on end-user criteria, there directly related to the field instruments. Some of these in-
may be additional columns giving extra details related to clude:
field instruments. • Junction Box (JB) schedule
• Cable schedule
Development of other deliverables like: Instrument
• Hook-up drawings
design basis, instrument philosophies, I/O list, control
• Installation sketches
system architecture drawing, etc. also proceeds simulta-
• Material take-offs
neously.
• Loop wiring drawings
l Preparation of ‘Instrument Datasheets’ for all field in- • Interlock logics, etc.
struments proceeds using inputs/deliverables received
All these deliverables are also updated after vendor
from chemical, mechanical, piping, etc. engineering
order placement and on receipt of drawings/documenta-
disciplines. The instrument datasheets after completion
tion from the selected vendor.
are reviewed thoroughly within the instrument project
team and also sometimes by other discipline engineers Post-ordering phase
for incorporating important technical inputs that are a
must and need to be taken care by the instrument ven- l Based on the engineering schedule agreed between
dor/manufacturer. the selected vendor and the EPC contractor, the ‘Post-
Order Vendor Documentation’ is submitted by the
l Preparation of ‘Request For Quotation’ (RFQ) docu- vendor to the instrument engineer for checking and
mentation is finalized for each field instrument and approval. This checking and approval cycle is a sub-
along with the respective instrument datasheets, the stantial time consuming process as a lot of co-ordina-
complete technical pack is sent for a quotation to pro- tion is usually required between instrumentation team
curement discipline for onward transmission to select- and other engineering disciplines especially for field
ed/approved instrument vendors/manufacturers. instruments like control/ESD valves, analysers, etc.
l On receipt of offers from vendors, ‘Technical Bid Some typical vendor documentation where interac-
Evaluation’ (TBE) begins and it is at this stage that all tion is a must includes:
specified technical requirements for the field instru-
ments under consideration is evaluated, so that the General Arrangement (GA) drawings, calculations,
purchase order placement process could be initiated for wiring details, inspection and test plans, statutory ap-
a technically competent vendor. Before recommending proval documentation, etc.
any vendor as ‘technically approved’, there is usually The above phase allows the instrument engineer to
a series of technical queries/clarifications sheet that is consider/incorporate any final technical changes (some-
exchanged between the vendor and the instrument times with commercial implications) that may be re-
engineer and for critical instruments like control/ESD quired because of changes in P&IDs/other project docu-
valves, analysers, etc. almost always between other dis- mentation.
cipline engineers and instrument engineers. This is a l On receipt of documentation/drawings stamped as
key stage which needs strict control and checking so as ‘Approved for Manufacturing’, the vendor proceeds
to avoid any technical lapses that may escalate cost at a with ‘Manufacturing’ the field instrument and subse-
later stage of the project. quently calls for an ‘Inspection and Test’ at their works.
l For every field instrument, procurement discipline Before placing the inspection call, vendors make sure
then prepares to finalize the ‘Purchase Order’ (PO) for that the instrument is tested and calibrated according
the technically recommended vendor and also for the to an approved test plan and datasheets. After the test
vendor that is commercially most viable. and final technical clearance from the inspection engi-
As the above proceeds, there are many other instru- neer, the field instrument is ‘Dispatched on Site’.

82 Chemical Industry Digest. March 2016

 Field Instruments Field Instruments
READILY AVAILABLE
l On receipt of the instrument at site, the site engineer- v Sulfamic Acid (Imported) v Gluconic Acid (China)
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ing projects are planned and executed. Today, FEED proj- (Russia) (China)
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on technical aspects). Price wars and pressing timelines
from end users, at times, make it practically difficult for 1. Place of Publication : Mumbai
the EPC contractors to fulfill all technical requirements, 2. Periodicity of its Publication : Monthly
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Chemical Industry Digest. March 2016 83