Commissioning – the buck stops here!

Commissioning is the final key stage of any substation design and build project. It is the first time that all the various equipment is tested as a complete entity. The pressure is on to prove that the project works safely, that it will feed power at the right levels and the protection and control systems function correctly So it really is a case of ‘the buck stops here’ especially when working within a fixed outage period to get the project signed-off and handed over to the customer.

Traditionally the industry saw commissioning as the last link in the project chain – from winning the order, developing the design, carrying out civil works, installing the equipment and then calling on the commissioning team to prepare it for hand-over. It was not unusual for the commissioning engineers to arrive on site ‘cold’ with little prior project knowledge. They would then be bombarded for requests for test schedules, risk assessments, working documents and so on. Resulting in a great deal of work being done ‘on the hoof’, with little forward planning.

Towards the end of the 1990s, it had become clear to ABB that there must be a better way to do things. So we set up our commissioning management team to develop a more structured and fully documented commissioning programme – with the aim of ensuring that the commissioning engineers would be fully prepared when they arrived on site. An important stage in the process was to develop a template for a commissioning file for each project. With some 20-plus sections, the folder includes accurate documentation of:
· Inspection and test plans
· Switching programmes
· Thermal rating schedules
· Stage-by-stage documentation
· Protection settings
· Emergency return to service
· Method statements and risk assessments.

The changes did not stop there. We decided to integrate the commissioning engineers within the project design and installation team. So rather than arriving on site and trying to make someone else’s design work, the engineers can provide direct input to the design as it happens, right from the very start. Not only does this provide another pair of eyes to review the design, the feedback of practical site experience proves invaluable in ensuring that the systems will function as designed, and can actually help to shorten the commissioning process as well. We find this approach really helpful in developing the best value-added solution.

Naturally, the success of our new commissioning process comes down to finding the right people. And we have worked very hard to build a team with the right qualifications, and authorisations, such as TP141, combined with experience in design, protection and control and site management. Crucially, we look for people who do rather more than just follow a set of rules, who can check what other people have done, and think round problems. We also aim to develop a close working relationship to support the customer throughout the project and to understand fully how they like to work. Peter Milne manages the section and has been instrumental in setting up the department and the associated documentation. He brings to the role 25 years of experience with National Grid (previously the CEGB), where he held positions such as senior engineering officer. He is supported by commissioning team leaders such as Ken Rudge, who has 34 years of experience within roles such as asset management and incident and control management for Central Networks (formerly Midlands Electricity).

The ability to plan ahead is especially important when dealing with events such as an emergency return to service. Sometimes, for reasons completely out of our own control, we may lose the outage window we have taken – for example when a fault occurs at a neighbouring substation. So whatever stage we are at, the commissioning engineers must have a contingency plan to restore the circuit as quickly as possible.

As well as developing thorough stage-by-stage documentation that helps the commissioning process to operate as smoothly and efficiently as possible, our new approach is enabling us to expand our scope to offer extra added-value services that can relieve some of the burden on the customer. For example, it was usual for the customer to develop the switching programme to ensure that the new HV equipment was energised safely and correctly. This can now be performed by the commissioning team. Furthermore, we can now ensure safe energisation of LV systems through the development of our own authorisation process, where commissioning engineers become ABB nominated persons to carry out LV switching. design process, helping to develop the optimum added-value solution. It greatly reduces the potential of unexpected design issues arising on site, so that the commissioning process runs as smoothly as possible. Most importantly, it enables customers to be assured that the commissioning will provide complete proof that when the substation enters service, it will function safely and correctly, exactly as it has been designed.

In summary, we are finding that a growing number of customers welcome this new approach to commissioning, particularly in an industry where the integrity of the supply network is paramount. It provides a formalised structure at every stage, with all the work to be carried out fully documented and presented for customer approval before we arrive on site. It enables site experience to be fed back into the design process, helping to develop the optimum added-value solution. It greatly reduces the potential of unexpected design issues arising on site, so that the commissioning process runs as smoothly as possible. Most importantly, it enables customers to be assured that the commissioning will provide complete proof that when the substation enters service, it will function safely and correctly, exactly as it has been designed.