Preface

This book began over a decade ago when, as a department supervisor at Raytheon Engineers and Constructors, I started a regular lunch and learn training program. Over time, my lesson plans evolved into this book, which now encompasses a broad spectrum of design issues. My purpose in conducting that training was to provide perspective; to help broaden my design groupand myselfby exploring different facets of the I&C design profession. It is my belief that to be efficient, a design team must be able to respond to unusual situations instantaneously, without much conscious thought. To, in fact, be able to anticipate troublesome issues before they arise. In our business, conscious thought takes the form of a design meeting or interruption in the flow of the design process. How much better would it be if the situation were handled real-time or even ahead of time at the lowest level possible on the design floor? Dont misunderstand: I realize that such interruptions will never be totally eliminated. The I&C profession is far too dynamic for that. But, they can certainly be reduced. My goal, for example, is to ensure that every member of the department from the clerk to the lead engineer is fully aware of the issues at hand. Having situational awareness is a valuable and difficult to attain trait that gives the individual the confidence and ability to make good decisions. Situational awareness comes only from having perspective beyond ones current level of responsibility. That is the thought behind this book: to provide perspective. No other book on the market really attempts to describe the business of Instrumentation and Controls design from ground level. From the design supervisor's perspective, this book will do just that. The book is divided into three parts: Part I is about the business end of design engineering. What is a project? Who participates? What is their role? What are some of the key issues relating to project management? Part II focuses on the I&C design basis, laying the foundation for Part III by describing some of the requisite standards and practices and some of the basic design concepts that are needed. Part III then takes a specific design problem and applies good design practice to its resolution, generating a full suite of design products along the way. Who should read this book? Frankly, this book has something for virtually anyone in the Instrumentation & Controls business or thinking of getting into it. The book's topical formatas shown in the Table of Contentsmakes it useful as a desk reference. Some of the sections are very detailed, while others merely hit the high points. It does, after all, reflect the authors personal experience. The book is aimed at the maintenance engineer in a plant who has not been exposed to capital project work; to the process or mechanical engineer who finds it difficult to communicate with the I&C staff; to the junior designer who needs something extra to put him or her on the path to a successful career; and to the design supervisor, who would like to get some additional tools and ideas about how to manage a project and train people. Along those lines, a CD-ROM, which is available separately or with the book (see page 355), is a great resource for training courses and presentations as most of the figures embedded in the book are presented in their raw Microsoft Excel format, ready to be used as-is or tweaked to fit a particular need. Called Software Tools for Successful Instrumentation and Control Systems Design, the CD-ROM also includes a Microsoft Excel-based estimating/scheduling tool. Design is frequently more of an art than a science. There will be some who take issue with some of the solutions presented here, having developed other methods of their own that are, perhaps, better. But, the design solutions presented here are proven and provide the keys to a successful project. And, if you believe, as I do, that the best-learned lessons are those learned in the trenches, then this book is for you! Best Regards, Michael D. Whitt