This presentation summarizes the startup testing methodology that the author has used on 6 microfiltration membrane municipal water plant startups performed in the last 4 years. I will discuss a different approach to testing that provides great benefits to the owner. This presentation explains a testing and checkout process that contrasts to the typical I/O checkout and auto/hand functionality. The philosophy used is that the question is not what will happen if a piece of equipment fails, but what will happen when it fails. Plant startups involved running the plant and failing devices or instruments to verify the consequence of the failed device. The plant results are then compared to the owner?s expectations for desired results. We have found small faults that shut down the entire plant and have also found critical faults that went completely undetected. This presentation explains a testing and checkout process that contrasts to the typical I/O checkout and auto/hand functionality. The philosophy used is that the question is not what will happen if a piece of equipment fails, but what will happen when it fails. Plant startups involved running the plant and failing devices or instruments to verify the consequence of the failed device. The plant results are then compared to the owner?s expectations for desired results. We have found small faults that shut down the entire plant and have also found critical faults that went completely undetected. An example from the last project I started up is when the communications between PLC and remote bases malfunctioned; the membrane feed pumps kept running against closed rack valves. This is an example of a PLC and network problem that was undetected in prior system testing but found during failure testing. One item we always perform during testing is to have the power company open the utility power to the plant while it is running and monitor the orderly restart of all the equipment when power returns. Every plant we have started has had a glitch with some piece of equipment that does not want to restart. Often times the contractors are reluctant to perform this test, but it will still happen after construction during the next thunderstorm. It?s best to perform the test while the responsible firms are still on site. Conventional equipment testing during startup often misses critical flaws in the system?s programming, but failure testing during startup reveals underlying problems that might otherwise have taken years to flush out.
This presentation is available to AMTA Members only.
Speaker
- John Koch, PE, BCEE
Company
- HDR Engineering, Inc.
Event
- AMTA/NWMOA/WEF Technology Transfer Workshop, Vancouver, WA
Session
- AMTA/NWMOA/WEF Technology Transfer Workshop
Date
- 07/12/16
Media
Keywords
- membrane testing, plant startup, failure testing
Reference
- 9682-DP1657