9

2.

VISUAL OVERALL INSPECTION

2.1 Determine and improve

preconditions

barriered - intrinsically safe - cables are laid well

apart from other category cables both inside and
outside classified zones.

An initial visual overall inspection is essential to

achieve a good picture of the state of the
installations to establish the commissioning tasks
as well as the possibilities of fulfilling these tasks.
Remember to record all your findings from the very
beginning!
This first inspection should ascertain that all the
necessary electrical equipment is located and
installed as intended - all control gear, panels,
switchgears etc. are installed for optimal
operational and maintenance access, control gear
and cables are not unnecessarily exposed to
damage, heat, moisture or other ambient stresses.
This inspection will also give an impression of the
quality of the installation work and should produce
a preliminary report highlighting the items which
must be improved before the plant is accepted for
commissioning.
Inspect the labelling of the equipment for
correctness and uniform appearance, and that the
nameplates are clearly visible and securely
fastened. Besides panels, MCCs, cubicles etc., this
inspection will also apply to field equipment such
as cables, field instruments, earthing bars etc., all
of which must also be equipped with markings of a
standard or project-defined kind.
A thorough-going inspection of the cabling and
cable routes is to be made, checking
* the fastenings of conduits, racks and cables
* sealings where the routes pass through walls and
floors
* and that bends do not to undercut the minimum
radius nor to bring the cable close to sharp
edges.
Power cables must be
laid
ensuring
the
necessary
cooling
especially at bends and
crossings. Control and
signal cables are to be
laid with a distance to all
power cables, and if
necessary appropriately
shielded from these to
avoid electromagnetical
Fig.2.1: Observe
interference.
distances
Pay special attention to
cabling in hazardous areas, ensuring that

Fig.2.2: Cable rack dropouts.

Trace heating cable along piping is to be inspected
for good, well spread laying, providing heating
capacity as calculated and for good insulation
before being covered by heat insulation. A new
inspection and insulation test must be performed
after heat insulation is finished. Pay attention to
cable laid on valves and instruments which may
have to be detached for maintenance but as they
also may need extra heat while being uninsulated.
Check that e.g. leaps across flanges do not
unnecessarily expose the cable to mechanical
damage.

2.2 Beware of welders

Electrical welding performed anywhere near
sensitive electronic equipment or even near cables
or instruments connected to electronic appliances
will endanger this equipment. Such equipment may
gain a fault which will not show up until later when
transient damaged semiconductors break down.
For this reason no supplies to such equipment or
any input cables should be connected until all
nearby welding is completed. The most reliable
way of avoiding problems with damaged
electronics is to detach plug-in units and cards until
welding is finished. Carefully monitor any welding
to be done to ensure that this does not cause
circulating currents which might damage electrical
equipment.

2.3 Earthing system

Inspect the earthing systems for protective
earthings to ensure they are made in accordance
with the principles presented in Fig. 2.32 below or
according to other standards agreed for this
installation.
As well protective as signal screen earth bonding
should be performed for minimum impedance to
the main earthing bar. We recommend that double-

10
screened cable is used for sensitive circuits, outer
(HF-)screen grounded both ends and the inner/pair
(LF-)screen grounded
where the circuit is
grounded only. The loop/pair screen (suppressing
low frequency interference) is thus to be built for
tree-shaped bonding to the PE-bar closest to
where the signal-loop is terminated. With signal
screens attention must be paid to prevent earth
current loops from forming. Signal screens are
isolated at the outer end unless the manufacturer
recommends that they are terminated at the outer
signal source end. In such a case the opposite end
is to be isolated from earth unless the
recommendation is for grounding both ends. The
outer common screen must not form an
equipotential bonding and is thus to be grounded
both ends only to earthbound equipment.

accordance with the principles for cable markings.

They should be protected from damage where
necessary. All joints must be made on clean
surfaces and well protected against corrosion.
Connections to the earthing bars should be made
to allow Am-metering of each branch using clamp
meters. For this reason outgoing earthing wires
should be insulated near the bar when necessary
for the result. Electrode connections should be
made de-connectable for resistance metering.
Earthing resistance metering (see chapter 19)
should be made before running up the plant. This
is to ensure that the earthing electrode(s) built are
sufficient to keep fault voltages of exposed parts
below limits during any fault conditions. The
method for performing this metering depends on
the kind of equipment available; this operation
must be done strictly according to the instructions
supplied with the metering equipment.

2.4 Tidiness for safety and efficiency

Fig. 2.31: Signal cable screen connections.

All earthings, and also all equipotential bondings,
should be well fastened, and marked in

Fig. 2.32: Earthing principle

All electrical rooms, cable ducts, trenches, floors

and racks, and naturally also the insides and
outsides of all electrical equipment must be clean
and free from any installation waste or other
irrelevant objects.

11

3.

COMMISSIONING PRACTICE

3.1 Initial inspection

For each functional unit or system submitted for
commissioning, an initial visual inspection is
necessary to ensure completeness, comparing the
assembly to the latest documentation. Special
attention should be paid to observing any damage
due to transportation and installation. Scratches
are to be repainted as soon as possible. Any
corrosion observed on or inside cabinets or
apparatus should be examined and recorded,
listing the obvious or assumed reasons (e.g.
missing inertia vapourating pad).
Check that isolating distances are sufficient where
they may be considered critical. Check that the
switchgear and controlgear units are well
supported, fastened and earthed. Check that all
hinged and screwed lids, doors and locks are
functional and close well.
Cable and busduct intakes must be checked for
good cable routing, fixing, sealing and labelling.
Check site-mounted and main bolted joints for
proper tightening (spot-tests using a wrench). The
assemblies must be dry, clean and free of dust,
installation waste and other inappropriate
materials, and wire channel covers must be
fastened.
During this inspection, confirm that the rated values
of vital equipment and main equipment signs are
correct. Check the factory acceptance test reports
that parts originally missing have been installed.
See to that no fuel is let into systems surrounded
by classified areas until the installations have been
assessed and accepted for the appropriate zones.
A closer description on requirements for
supervision and assessment of installations in
hazardous zones is found in chapter 19.

3.2 Powering up
Before powering up, verify that the insulation
resistance values are sufficient as described in the
chapter INSULATION TESTS. Test that manually
controlled distributing isolators and switches are
operational and leave them open.. Isolate the
assembly to be tested from unauthorised staff and
equip it with warning signs; e.g. Voltage
connected.
Auxiliary voltages should be connected step by
step, closing MCBs and fuses while watching for
earth and polarity faults. Assemblies equipped with
their own control voltage supplies which are

powered from the main supply will have to be

connected to their main supplies before the control
circuits can be energised. In these cases special
attention must be attached to avoiding uncontrolled
energising of connected motors, heaters, units or
other external or internal equipment when
powering up and testing the controls.
Voltage supplies to delicate apparatus should be
checked for correct values immediately after being
energised. The reasons for MCB trippings,
overheating power supplies or any other fault that
appears should be examined and repaired before
proceeding from the faulty circuit.

3.3 Circuit functionality tests

Though the main idea of the commissioning work is
to ensure correct and full functionality, it should still
rely on the documentation and verify the latest
documents versus the installed circuitry. For this
reason the tests might well be based on the circuit
diagrams of the system which is being tested.
Thus the circuit diagrams will, to some extent,
constitute the checklist of all the functions which
are to be tested.
WARNING! For each controlled motor, valve or
other operated device, a primary check should
ensure that the device may be activated without
causing any danger to persons or equipment - or

whether it should be disconnected or locked to

make it inoperable even by false signals.
If any part of the circuitry or of the operational unit
is excluded from the test, you will have to test this
at a later opportunity when this can be done. A
completing test should be performed for sufficient
overlapping with earlier tested functions.
Each circuit and branch of a circuit should be
tested by activating each signalling or interlocking
element and ensuring that it will affect the operated
device as expected. The test should as far as
possible cover the complete function from pysical
influence to physical action.

Fig. 3.1: Circuit checkout method

The test must also include all the indications,
activity reports, alarm signals etc. caused by these
circuit activities directly or via a programmable

12
controller, operator stations or other connected
systems.
A check mark or marker pen is recommended for
marking off the circuit elements on the drawings
after they are checked for correct function.

locations may also prove to be of another class

than assumed. Hotter, wetter, badly protected
locations may well need to be improved or the
apparatus may have to be relocated. When neither
is possible, the equipment must be modified or
upgraded to apparatus of an acceptable
classification.

3.4 Modifications
3.5 Test documentation
When the original technical solution is tested and
shown not to function well enough, it will have to be
improved before it is accepted. You will normally
need to make minor modifications, mainly to
improve reliability, and to revise the as-built
documentation; no further investigations will be
needed. In the case of major functional problems,
the designer should be contacted to establish his
reasons for such solutions before they are
modified. Corrective actions should also be agreed
with the designer when these are considered
necessary. Significant modifications must be
documented and approved like the original solution
before being implemented on site. Some of the

fig.3.2. Test protocols

The tests should always be recorded in a way that

every functionality mode can be proven as tested
and, if necessary, the testing method indicated.
Isolation test values, relay test and setting values
must also be recorded in these minutes. For these
reasons a test list should be prepared in advance,
and marked at each step when its function is
checked. Remarks concerning details not included
or deficient should also be entered in the test
protocol (see fig.3.2), as well as notes on repairs
which have been performed and tested. The test
list should also indicate the dates of the tests and
the persons responsible for performing them.