Testing and Balancing, Commissioning, Start Up Services
The Testing and Balancing (TAB), Start Up and Commissioning Team, or simply the “TAB Team” focus is to remain nimble and responsive to the complex interdependent needs of the units during the testing, balancing, start up, commissioning and operationalization effort. The sequenced start up will be executed by the TAB Team. Performance metrics will be clearly defined and the effort is not complete until the TAB is no longer needed such that operations is fully trained and functional to maintain the defined performance.
The TAB effort begins with the Yellow Line Turn Over from construction which confirms that the equipment is installed and prepared for operations as defined by the engineering design. Motors are bumped and gear boxes are loaded with lubricants. A Pre-Start Up Safety Review is completed prior to any dry runs or loading shake down fluids. Daily planning meetings reviewing the detail of the day, and daily data review meetings use the facts from the process to determine any adjustments needed to the predetermined plan.
The effort uses a series of shakedown runs that will then evolve into designed experiments to develop the needed correlations and performance metric targets that enable the long term reliability in the performance overall system. The team uses Obvious At A Glance (OAG) information dashboards to keep communications simple and straightforward.
The ultimate operations philosophy is to use a “lights out” type of control room and allow most of the routine operations to be automated by locking the various algorithms and correlations in the process control system to keep a tight steady state operation enabling repeatable, reproducible reliability in product and operations.