This method of statement is to provide guidance in carrying out the testing and commissioning of central battery system which has been installed at the project, in accordance with the approved Project Quality Plan, contract specifications and Commissioning plan.
Purpose of this method of statement is to control the testing and commissioning activities for the central battery system in line with the Project Quality Plan and Project Commissioning Specification requirements to achieve the optimum results.
The emergency lights system shall include Static Inverter Central Battery (SICB) systems feeding emergency Lighting luminaries to achieve a backup period of at least 3 hours. This system shall also be backed up by the standby generators for additional redundancy in case of long power failures.
Abbreviations
CBS: Central Battery System
BMS: Building Management System
BCS: Building Control System
CB: Circuit Breaker
CT: Current Transformer
CxM: Commissioning Manager
CxA: Commissioning Authority
DC: Direct Current
ELCB: Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker
EMS: Energy Management System
MSB: Main Switch Board
ITP: Inspection and Test Plan
HSE: Heath Safety and Environment
DB: Final Distribution Board
LV: Low Voltage
MAR: Material Approval Request
MIR: Material Inspection Request
LCM: Lighting Control Module
MCB: Miniature Circuit Breaker
LCS: Lighting Control System
ELS: Emergency Lighting System
MCCB: Moulded Case Circuit Breaker
PPE: Personal Protective Equipment
GUI: Graphic User Interface
PD: Presence Detector
W: Watts
Reference & Related Standards
Project Quality Plan / Commissioning Plan
Project Technical Specifications
Project Approved Material Submittals
Safe Energy and Isolation Method of Statement
Manufacturer Recommendations for Installation & Commissioning
Project Shop Drawing References
Roles and Responsibilities
Commissioning Manager / CxM
CxM shall be responsible for entire Pre-commissioning and Commissioning of the emergency lighting system. All necessary manpower, apparatus and instruments which are required for Pre-commissioning and commissioning activities shall be supplied by commissioning team.
Commissioning manager leads, plans, schedules and coordinates the Commissioning team to implement the procedure for Central Battery System.
Notification of any witnessing of Pre-commissioning & Commissioning activities shall be forwarded to the client/consultant two working days prior to commencement of activity.
Commissioning Team/CxT.
All Pre-Commissioning and Commissioning activities of Central Battery System are the responsibility of Testing & Commissioning Team.
CxT shall check the Commissioning works prior to submission for inspection and approval.
In case of failure in any test, the Commissioning team will rectify, and CxT to re-offer the test for re- inspection and approval.
All Original Test reports witnessed and approved will be retained by the CxT. A copy of the final testing & Commissioning Report for Central Battery System will be forwarded to the CxA.
Notification of any witnessing of Pre-commissioning & Commissioning activities shall be forwarded two working days prior to commencement of commissioning activity.
QA/QC Engineers
Quality engineer shall inspect the installation activities to ensure system completeness/readiness is achieved before commencement of any Commissioning activity.
QA/QC Engineers shall be monitoring the Commissioning activities to ensure quality standards are maintained throughout testing and commissioning of Central Battery System.
QA/QC Engineers shall witness all the Pre-Commissioning and commissioning activities.
Notification of any witnessing of Pre-commissioning & Commissioning activities shall be forwarded to the QA/QC Engineer two working days prior to commencement of activity.
Specialist Sub-Contractors
Subcontractor who shall supply Central Battery System for the project, shall be responsible for conducting the entire testing and commissioning process under the supervision of Commissioning Team.
Health & Safety Team
All the safety requirements as per HSE rules shall be strictly followed by every individuals in order to have a safe working environment and avoid hazards.
Prepare safety permits in advance and obtain approval as per the site safety requirements.
Isolation of the area, and warning signs display if necessary, to be carried out for any testing and energizing. Ensure all concerned personnel shall use PPE and all other safety items as required.
Notification of any witnessing of Pre-commissioning & Commissioning activities shall be forwarded to Safety Team two working days prior to commencement of activity.
Necessary Instruments & Tools
- Portable hand Tools
- Multimeter
- Clamp Meter
All the instruments for the commissioning shall have a valid Calibration Test Certificates at the place of work.
Pre Commissioning of Emergency Lights System
Visual Inspections
Carry out a visual inspection of outside and inside of installed central battery panels, Substation Panels, emergency/exit light fittings.
Visually check Control Panels as well as Central PC with printer to ensure that all equipment is installed in line with approved construction drawings, approved material submittal, Project Specification and in line with manufacturer’s recommendations and Civil Defense Regulations.
Record results on precommissioning report.
Pre-Commissioning Checks and Cold Testing
This activity is the responsibility of and shall be completed by subcontractor QA/QC under direct supervision of main contractor. This is to ensure all equipment and/or systems are completely ready for Pre- Commissioning activities.
The following checks will be made prior to powering up the system by the supplier engineers who are the specialist manufacturers.
The emergency lighting system power cabling has to be mandatory Meggered and Continuity checked and rectified of all Open/Short/Earth Faults prior to commencement of connection and powering up of the circuits.
Disconnect Lamps, Address modules, Central Battery and Substation Panels and PC from power circuit and connect 500VDC Megger taster between Phases to Neutral, Neutral to Ground as well as Phase to Ground.
The values of resistance measured must be in excess of 1000 Mega Ohms. This has to be done by the mep contractor and the necessary megger and continuity reports have to be filled in by the Testing and Commissioning document controller.
Address each individual emergency light and exit fitting as in lay out drawings.
Record results on electrical test sheets and Commissioning report.
Testing and Commissioning of Central Battery System
Emergency Lights Power up Test and Commissioning
- Check Mains (PE,N,L) cables
- Check battery (+,-) along with polarity.
- Check mains voltage.
- Check battery voltage.
- Energize the incoming main supply to the panel.
- Insert the battery side fuses.
- Check for charger operation / battery circuit operation.
- Start function test of panel.
Functional Test:
Record outgoing circuit failures.( Lamp & Circuit)
Record battery circuit failure / charging current failure.
Ensure all components connected to the control report back full status and are fault free.
Set up AUTO Function Test from monitoring computer PC.
Timing of Test (Through Software)
Test will be done on every 7 or 14 days
Duration test will be done on every 6 or 12 months
Adaptive test or Manual test can be done any time
Battery Duration Test
- Connect the power supply for the panel to charge the batteries.
- Confirm batteries are fully charged.
- Connect the existing load.
- Record the Battery data before starting the discharge test.
- Discharge the Battery for 1hour at the suitable current as per the cell end voltage.
- Record the Battery data during the discharge.
Mechanical Check
Check whether the screw connections are screwed down on the terminal blocks.
Remove the NH-fuses prior to connecting the batteries
Check the tightness of the cable entry
Check the batteries in respect of any exterior damages.
Check the Plant Configuration
Insulation Measurement
Disconnect and bridge the mains connecting lead
Disconnect and bridge the cable to the emergency lights.
Carry out insulation measurement to PE.
Remove bridges after the insulation measurement.
Reconnect the mains connecting lead and the lead to the emergency lights.
Switching on the unit
Remove mains fuses.
Replace mains fuse.
Check polarity on the fuse load switch.
Commissioning Check sheet elements
Panel Detail
System Voltage Input
Battery Output
Battery Capacity
Number of Blocks
Battery Discharge Duration
On Load – Output Voltage (Mains Present)
On Load – Output Voltage (Mains absent)
Inspection Test Plan / Commissioning Plan
The Commissioning Engineer should verify that the CxT who is responsible for Testing & Commissioning responsibilities for Commissioning is familiar with this Method Statement and is issued with copies of the inspection checklists and test plans.
CxT Engineer should satisfy the procedures provided by Commissioning Engineer inspections to ensure the Commissioning of the emergency lights system testing meets the specified Engineering requirements and approved drawings.
As part of the assessment, the CxT Inspection Procedures must ensure a quantitative or qualitative acceptance criteria for determining the prescribed activities have been accomplished satisfactorily.
The CxT should verify any as-built record of testing and confirm that the information meets the project requirements.
Request for Work Inspection Request (WIR) shall be submitted by Commissioning Engineer to contractor’s QA/QC department for verification and inspections.
Commissioning Engineer will forward WIR to consultant for inspection and approval in accordance with ITP.
Readable stamped approved Method of Statement to be available during the T&C works.
All the instruments engaged for testing shall have valid calibration and certificate should be furnished at site.
Attachments
- Risk Assessment Sheet
- Pre-Commissioning & Start Up Check List
- Testing & Commissioning Test Sheets
Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment – Control Measures
Only the competent Testing and Commissioning team Employees are allowed to carry out the testing and commissioning of the Lighting Control System.
Preliminary Checks will be made to ensure a safe working environment: Visual inspections to confirm that there are no other apparent hazards within the testing areas and the area is free from dust and construction debris.
Only the competent Operatives from the specialist subcontractor will be allowed for connecting the testing devices to the Central Battery Units and it will be supervised by the in charge of the testing and commissioning team.
All Supporting documents for the testing that includes calibration certificates, third party inspection certificates for the monitoring devices, etc. must be provided to the safety department prior to start the work.
Arrange lighting on the work area and provide task light and ventilation in the work area.
Keep all the leads and cables off the ground, use cable hangers as applicable.
Areas where ladders will be used the ladders should be inspected by the competent inspector and it should be color coded, use both locks on the styles, keeps the ladder on a firm surface and while working don’t climb on to the top most three steps.
Do not use a ladder where there is risk of falling.
No one is allowed to climb up or down the ladder with tools or materials.
For energizing the Central Battery System Panel; the testing commissioning team must follow the approved Lockout/ Tag out Procedures without fail.
Conduct a special training and explain to all the employees regarding the hazards and emergency procedure.
Before starting the testing evacuate all other workers from that area that are not related with the testing.
Isolate all the electrical devices which are not necessary.
Ensure adequate power supply through isolating devices RCD’s, ELCB/GFCI.
All the power tools and leads that will be used must be inspected by the competent electricians.
Provide adequate information to others working nearby and display warning tapes and signage’s (Danger Testing Going on; keep away, No Unauthorized entry, etc. within that particular area of testing.
Maintain housekeeping throughout the work activity.
Responsible testing engineer must be present at all time at the testing area to ensure the work is being carried out safely.
Use cotton hand gloves while working as mandatory.
Do not work on live system; isolate the supply from the main and physically remove the connections prior to start doing any maintenance.
Adequate supervision is mandatory throughout the work activity.
In case of an electrical emergency; follow the project emergency procedures.
Display suitable numbers of Emergency Contact Numbers on the work area.
Safety team will monitor the entire activities and they shall be informed prior to start of every activity by the responsible testing commissioning engineer.
All accidents, incidents and near misses must be reported to safety team immediately.
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