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A good question. In case you are interested to become in a position of commissioning engineer please follow some articles and advice as follows :
1- Work at the project site to follow-up the project execution stages
2- Keep yourself as a trainee with oldest commissioning Engineer / Electrical or Mechanical Engineer or any other specialties of Engineering
3- Attendance all commissioning Engineering meetings as a listener
4- Following up the erection work at the project site till the commissioning process start
5- Studying all drawings and Schematic diagrams with oldest engineer to pursue all steps required in the commissioning stage
6- Reading ans studies all research in the Commissioning and Testing stage for the Electrical & Mechanical equipment to know updating information about this specialty
7- Participation in the seminars and meetings On-Shore and Off-Shore to be in touch with different levels and experiences in the field
8- Trying to get several Training courses during the company programs or On-line to build up and grow your capabilities in the field
Dear,
Commissioning is not about reading only, you need t do it by your self than only you can understand.
Start doing some trail and error on site....
I will suggest you a practical approach:
Take any chance to be joined to a commissioning team. As a mechanical, you will be first involved in preliminary checking/ functional testing/ operational testing … startup of rotating equipment and even packages (emergency generators, nitrogen and instrument air generators, chemical injection …)
Keep closer with all the commissioning team and learn from them. In parallel, it is necessary to improve your knowledge concerning Process which is running hand in hand with dedicated Automatic System. You need in this step to better understand the chemical and physical properties of different fluids involved, and how these properties are changing during their passage through different phases of the process. Learn and keep in mind the parameters of the fluids (pressure, temperature, phase of the fluids, composition, …) This will help you understanding better the logic of the automatic system and how each automatic loop is working). Much later, after gaining experience you will be involve in Loop Checking activity, pre-start activities, test runs …
Improve your knowledge also in ESD/F&G systems and Electrical discipline.
Follow and keep in mind the ‘’division’’ of the project in systems and subsystems. You will also get used with Pre-start activities. Examples: Piping (Cleaning, Blowing, Chemical cleaning (procedures and report), Dry-out, Leak test (procedures and report); Vessels (preliminary inspection, loading); Inert gas purging; Functional tests (Fire and gas system, Instrument & automation, telecommunication) …
Here you are a very brief and generic System activities with three main milestones: Mechanical Completion Certificate, Construction Completion Certificate and Turnover Certificate:
SYSTEM ► COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION & ERECTION ► SUBMISSION OF MECHANICAL COMPLETION DOSSIER (marked-up P&IDs, applicable project list(equipment, instruments, I/OS, etc), list of applicable QCP, punch list) ► SYSTEM JOB WALK ► PUNCH LIST CLEARANCE ► MECHANICAL COMPLETION CERTIFICATE ► PRE-COMMISSIONING ACTIVITIES (During pre-commissioning phase, commissioning and operations of the following systems are required to proceed with pre-commissioning of other systems: HVAC, DCS/ESD/F&G, TLC(CCTV, PAGA, intercommunication)) ► ICSS SAT + LOOP CHEKS + FUNCTIONAL CHECKS ► SUBMISSION OF CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION DOSSIER (Marked-up P&IDs and applicable drawings, pre-comm. Procedures and record sheets (ITR), punch list, O&M manuals, commissioning spares …) ► PUNCH LIST CLEARANCE ► CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION CERTIFICATE ► COMMISSIONNG ACTIVITIES ► STABLE AN SATISFACTORY OPERATION ► HANDOVER of special tools, software, software backup …► TURNOVER CERTIFICATE.
Good question, I do recommend to start reading while you have a chance for a job on site. Firstly, you need to understand what the main phases of a project are: Conceptual study, Design, execution /control (construction), commissioning and finally startup. Then, you will need to go in deep with the following three phases: Construction, pre-commissioning and commissioning and understand what are the main tasks being implemented in each phase for each disciplines (Civil, mechanical, electrical, instrument, process, piping, ...).
