The start-up phase is the most demanding and rewarding part of any project. Weeks, months or even years of engineering, design and programming culminate in onsite checkout and startup commissioning.

Wunderlich-Malec believes that a key component to a successful startup is having the right personnel on site. This is usually your Wunderlich-Malec project manager or project engineer, who has worked on the project from its inception. Our project model does not include handing off the project to a field-service technician. Having the project manager and engineering staff onsite during the critical startup phase ensures that all project knowledge and history is brought to the field. This not only allows for fast and accurate commissioning, but also expedites any process changes that need to be implemented due to field conditions: The people who designed and programmed the system are already on site to make the changes.

Our thoroughly detailed approach to commissioning includes the following:

• Controlled and safe initial power-up of field equipment. Wunderlich-Malec personnel check and verify safeties, e-stop circuits, field disconnects and lockout systems. This requires coordination with all site personnel, contractors, maintenance staff and owners. During this period we take ownership and ensure proper communication to all parties.
• Commissioning of all process control networks. This includes all switches, ports, cables, fibers, connections, etc. Wunderlich-Malec brings internal test equipment to the site to verify the field installation of your networks. Where applicable, we will recommend third-party testing or certification. Ensuring your networks are reliable is one of the most critical steps in the commissioning process, because future steps require that this backbone be in place.
• Complete checkout of field devices to the HMI. At this point in the project, we have already verified our programming, HMI configuration and control panels; the focus during I/O checkout is field devices. We use electrical schematics as the primary commissioning document, and we verify every single field connection, from the end device all the way back to the HMI screen.
• System dry runs. To verify the operation of your equipment per the sequence of operations, Wunderlich-Malec will perform a complete “dry run” of your system. Testing the system first without product helps control the number of variables, ultimately reduces process waste and speeds up overall commissioning by functionally testing items without losing time on cleanup.
• System wet runs. During this stage of the process, Wunderlich-Malec will commission all items that require actual product, such as flow meters and cleanout timers, as well as set PID tuning parameters. We will also check for leaks and verify equipment performance under load.
• Product development. Wunderlich-Malec will work with process engineers to ensure that process data is available and will make any adjustments necessary to get the product to your specifications as rapidly as possible.