INSTRUMENTATION

We wanted to change the way the industry currently sees an Instrument and Controls Technician. A few years back we set out to create something that gave clients more bang for their buck than the typical I&C Tech who took work orders on a daily basis and attempted to complete them. In a plant where there are clear, concise instructions, and documentation is nothing less than perfect, a Technician is all you need. But what if your facility has suffered from years of neglect. Neglect in the form of employees not following through with updating critical documentation such as P&ID’s, Loop Drawings, Spec Sheets, Motor Control Schematics, etc.? There is likely a misconception in most facilities that these documents are up-to-date and accurate because no one hears otherwise from their employees, but in reality, many employees have the mindset that if they found it that way, it’s not their job to correct it. You will occasionally get an employee that doesn’t cave to peer pressure, feels they can make a difference, and goes the extra mile to get everything corrected and updated, but that’s not the norm, so we gave our I&C Techs some new skills and renamed them Specialists.

So what type of work has some of our I&C Specialists done for clients?

Our I&C Specialist are trained to do numerous things that the typical I&C Tech doesn’t, or even can’t do. Our I&C Specialists have performed the following functions for our clients:

Developed Scope

• Reviewed DCS alarm logs in an effort to evaluate the criticality of the alarms while prioritizing them, as well as determining a path forward for corrective action for each system and component level alarm.
• Reviewed instrumentation to determine whether the installation and condition of the instrumentation could lead to an unexpected unit upset or trip, and developed plans to replace such identified instrumentation.
• Reviewed plant tank gauging system for potential points of failures and developed corrective action plans.
• Reviewed plant Fieldbus infrastructure for potential failures and developed a corrective action plan.
• Developed scope for Preventative Maintenance cycles on various units and equipment which included defining the type of work to be performed, specifying parts, ordering parts, building a package for all items defined in the scope, and providing documentation for commissioning and QC of items worked.
• Reviewed warehouse stock versus field installations, as well as narrowed down the individual instrument models being used onsite, which resulted in adjusting ordering practices to ensure parts were available in the event of an instrument failure preventing both an overwhelming amount of stock, and limiting the down time due to a lack of replacement parts.

Planned Work

• Performed a detailed walk down of Instrumentation and Electrical on equipment and/or areas of upcoming turnarounds, developed a list of items requiring removal for other crafts, items requiring periodical check-outs, and items needing repair or replacement.
• Turned developed work lists/scopes into packages with work details that included loop checkout sheets, spec sheets, loop drawings, electrical schematics, P&ID’s for Positive Component Identification, identifying photos, location of parts, and work-in-progress logs as well as time-lines for performance of this work.
• Interfaced with vendors to order parts as well as developed MOC’s for obsolete parts.

Performed Critical Troubleshooting

• Performed work on SIS or IPF systems which included retrieving all paper work (procedures, data retention forms, inspection forms, logic drawings, P&ID’s, written mitigation plan, etc.) required to perform the job prior to starting, reviewing compliance procedures for mistakes prior to beginning work, understanding the procedure in its entirety, performing a pre-job brief with Operations, ensuring a mitigation plan is in place while the system is bypassed, performing the work without an unintended unit upset or trip, repairing failed instrumentation, returning the system from bypass to normal, and completing all regulatory paperwork required by the site and government agencies.
• Performed work on complex loops which included identifying such instrumentation prior to performing work, retrieving documentation (complex loop write-ups, P&ID’s, Spec Sheets, Loop Drawings, copy of control drawing, etc.), performing a pre-job brief with Operations to ensure no unit trip or upset would occur, repairing the critical instrumentation, and returning it to service.
• Identified numerous installations that were installed incorrectly in a manner that may have prevented the instrumentation from functioning correctly, and possibly resulting in a catastrophic failure.
• Identified and corrected numerous engineering errors that resulted in instrumentation never working since its original installation, or working in a manner in which was unreliable.

Procedure Writing

• Have written procedures for the implementation of MOC’s.
• Have written procedures for jobs with critical steps.
• Have written procedures for work processes that focus on Human Performance and mistake free work.
• Have written procedures for complex commissioning on items such as motor controls that may include numerous interlocks with either protective relays and/or the control system.

QC

• Ensuring installations per industry standards as well as local and national code.
• Create QC documentation for clients when needed.
• All employees are trained in good documentation practices.
• Ensure client’s design and engineering practices are followed.

Proficient with numerous software used in the industry.

• Intools-Creating new loops and tags in the database, as well as creating spec sheets.
• KMS-Creating MOCs, attaching documentation and creating action items for the purposes of following through with items that require following Management of Change from inception, through implementation, to the pre-startup-safety-review, and all the way through being placed in service.
• Electronic Data Management Systems-Locating documentation for the purposes of troubleshooting, scope building, etc.
• SAP and/or Passport-Creating notifications for creating work orders and history, planning Work Orders (adding operations, manpower, costs, ordering parts, creating requisitions for purchasing, etc.), maintaining warehouse stock by ensuring stock is reflective of field requirements, using historical data to identify bad actors, etc.
• Microsoft Office-Excel for commonly used forms like FCO’s, temporary databases, and/or tracking, etc.
• Databases that included policies, procedures and SDS’s (formerly MSDS).
• AutoCAD-For updating P&ID’s and other CAD documents.
• Adobe Pro-For use in creating notes or redlines on documents used in work packages.
• AMS and/or PRM-Asset Management programs used for commissioning and calibration of instrumentation along with other manufacturer plug-ins.

Management of Change

• Using the MOC process for replacement of obsolete instrumentation which requires spec’ing out an appropriate replacement that will meet the approval of Process Control Engineering, Process Engineering, Material Inspectors, and the Environmental groups.
• Using the MOC process for further engineering modifications to correct incorrect installations and/or incorrect applications.
• Starting with an idea, building a conceptual draft for approval by the MOC committee prior to building a full package, which includes selecting the correct application, developing engineering drawings for installation, developing a scope of work for the constructors, soliciting bids from vendors and contractors, and following through with the installation through commissioning all the way up to placing the new designs in service.
• Design from conception to implementation of installations that range from updated and upgraded instrumentation to entirely new designs, along with creation of correlating documentation that often includes P&ID’s, Loop Drawings, Electrical Schematics, Spec Sheets, etc.