Processing, August 2019
OEM System Integration SystemS integrators and OEMs ac h i e v e s tartup ater wastewater capital projects commonly involve many levels of contractors and suppliers Whether the projects are new greenfield developments or retrofit W brownfield undertakings a significant amount of coordination among these parties must occur to achieve startup success Systems with any amount of electrical controls and automation which includes most any modern project usually involve a control system integrator SI The SI designs and implements the control and visualization elements so that all subsystems operate and integrate properly resulting in a fully functional project The task is complicated not only by the scope of supply assigned to multiple parties but also by the number of vendors and products involved An SI must work closely with many entities to ensure the success of capital projects in process plants yet the communication may be obfuscated within the design bid build DBB project organizational hierarchy Figure 1 Significant underlying systems are usually supplied by original equipment manufacturers OEMs adding to the challenges These include three main types of OEMs suppliers of electrical equipment suppliers of process skids and suppliers of automation components This article will focus on the relationships between an SIs commissioning and startup team and each of these three types of OEMs for water wastewater capital projects although much of the discussion is applicable to many types of process plants and facilities Theory versus reality In theory most of the issues discussed in this article should have been resolved prior to startup during the design development factory testing and construction phases of the project But in practice there are so many interfaces and opportunities for technical and scope discrepancies that many issues persist into or become exposed at startup Even with best efforts in the design and construction phases some items can only be completed during startup because this is when all elements are fully installed interfaced and in position for integrated testing under actual operating conditions Figure 2 Complications discovered late in a project are always more expensive and difficult to solve Some 40 Processing AUGUST 2019 success How to solve common problems encountered between systems integrators and OEMs during the commissioning and startup phase of water wastewater capital projects By Alan Horikawa and Scott Okasaki Tesco Controls Inc
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