At the beginning of March two colleagues from the Konutherm Service team traveled to Sweden for the commissioning of a Konutherm KOH 0.4 / 25 500 kW fired thermal oil installation on board the 44-meter bunker vessel Northern Skagerrak.
How does commissioning actually work?
Purpose of the commissioning is to ensure safe operation of the thermal fluid system, meeting the applicable standards and safety requirements. To this end, the Service team carries out an inspection based on two important documents: the ‘Site Acceptance Test’ and the ‘Piping and Instrumentation Diagram’ (PID). The Site Acceptance Test lists all safety requirements that the system must meet before it can be put into operation. The PID is a technical scheme that shows all pipes and other parts of the thermal fluid installation.
Commissioning procedure
As already mentioned, the work of the Service team is based on two principal documents. Our service engineers check whether all points in these documents have been met, whether all parts are connected correctly, in the right place and in the right direction. After that they check all temperature sensors and adjust the thermostats, nozzles and the burner. Then they fill the system with thermal oil, after which they bleed it and do a fine adjustment on the basis of a flue gas measurement. Last but not least they check the direction of rotation of the pump.
Reporting commissioning
When all boxes have been checked and the installation has been approved, the Service team cooks the system to 140 degrees Celsius to make it ready for use. Our service engineers make a written report of all their findings to the yard. If everything is okay, the certificate for commissioning can be issued. In case of shortcomings, the yard must first ensure that these problems are solved.
User instruction and safety
In addition to the aforementioned inspection, the training of the users is also a compulsory part of the commissioning procedure. After all, the safety of the system can only be guaranteed when it is operated in the right way. On board, therefore, the Service team provides a comprehensive user instruction to the people who will operate the system. They also hand them a short instruction in which all important steps and points of interest are mentioned, so users can pay attention easily. And know what actions they have to take in case of unexpected system failures. Safety first!