Piping and Instrumentation Diagram

This drawing is commonly referred to as the "Piping and Instrumentation Diagram" Its
objective is to indicate all process and service lines, instruments and controls, equipment
and data necessary for the design groups. The process flow diagram is the primary source of
information for developing the P&ID.The P&ID should
define piping, equipment and instrumentation well enough to cost estimation and for
subsequent design, construction, operation and modification of the process. Material
balance data, flow rates, temperatures, pressures and piping fitting details are not shown
and purely mechanical piping details such as elbows, joints and unions are inappropriate to
P&ID's.

Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) Layout

The layout of the P&ID should resemble, as far as practicable, that of the process flow
diagram. The process relationship of equipment should correspond exactly. Often it is useful
to draw equipment in proportion vertically, but to reduce horizontal dimensions to save
space and allow room for flow lines between equipment. Crowding information is a common
drafting fault - it is desirable to space generously, as more often than not, revisions add
information. On an elevational P&ID, a base line indicating grade or first-floor level can be
shown. Critical elevations are noted.For revision purposes, a P&ID is best made on a
drawing sheet having a grid system - this is a sheet having letters along one border and
numbers along the adjacent border. Thus, references such as "A6", "B5", etc., can be given to
an area where a change has been made.

Flow Lines On Piping and Instrumentation Diagram's

All flow lines and interconnections should be shown on P&IDs. Every line should show
direction of flow and be labeled to show the area of project, conveyed fluid, line size, piping
material or specification code number (company code) and number of the line.

Interconnecting Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID)

This drawing shows process and service lines between buildings and units, etc. and serves to
link the P&IDs for the individual processes, units or buildings. Like any P&ID, the drawing
is not to scale. It resembles the layout of the site plan, which enables line sizes and
branching points from headers to be established and assists in planning pipe ways.
A P&ID shows all of piping including the physical sequence of branches, reducers, valves,
equipment, instrumentation and control interlocks.

The P&ID are used to operate the process system.

A Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) should include:

Instrumentation and designations

Mechanical equipment with names and numbers

All valves and their identifications

Process piping, sizes and identification

Miscellaneous - vents, drains, special fittings, sampling lines, reducers, increasers

and swagers

Permanent start-up and flush lines

Flow directions

Interconnections references

Control inputs and outputs, interlocks

Interfaces for class changes

Seismic category

Quality level

Annunciation inputs

Computer control system input

Vendor and contractor interfaces

Identification of components and subsystems delivered by others

Intended physical sequence of the equipment

This figure depict a very small and simplified Piping and Instrumentation Diagram:

Piping and Instrumentation Diagram

A Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) should not include:

Instrument root valves

control relays

manual switches

equipment rating or capacity

primary instrument tubing and valves

pressure temperature and flow data

elbow, tees and similar standard fittings

extensive explanatory notes

Fig. 1 shows the basic types of lines, fitting symbols, and valve symbols used in flow
diagrams. Instrumentation Drawing Symbols.

Fig. 1: Basic Piping & Instrumentation Symbols

Figs. 2 and 3 show the symbols used to denote common process equipment. Again, these are
not exhaustive lists, but they contain the majority of symbol types for equipment. Separators
and towers, in particular, can have a wide range of internal devices, and this results in many
variations of equipment symbols. Similarly, there are different, and yet common, ways of
indicating the same types of heat exchangers.

Fig. 2: Process Vessels

Fig. 3: Towers and Heat Exchangers

Fig. 4 shows some of the typical symbols used for pumps, compressors, and the devices
which are used to drive them. Often, the diagram will show the type of driver associated
with a pump or compressor, particularly if the driver is itself part of the overall plant
process, such as a steam turbine. If a pump or compressor is shown without a driver, then
the conventional understanding is that it is driven by a motor.

Fig. 4: Pumps, Compressors and Drivers

Here are some general guidelines:

- check valve on pump discharge line
- block valves on the discharge and suction side of pumps
- drain valve on pump suction
- bypass around flow control valves
- double block and bleed where necessary
- line numbering including line size and mat'l of construction
- show set pressure, in- and outlet diameters on PRVs
- legend sheets
- lines continueing to the next drawing should be at the same height, show drawing nr.
- main process lines should be thicker than utility lines
- Install flowmeters upstream of a flow control valve.
- If your drawing shows elevation, the flowmeter should ideally be installed on the vertical
portion of the pipe where flow is going upward.
- Install temperature gauge at the outlet of a heat exchanger.

Part 1 - Introduction

Engineers love to draw. Not necessarily in an artistic sense of the word, although beauty is, as
they say, in the eye of the beholder. As for me, well, I've never been accused of having a
particular gift in the arts, or photography for that matter (see bio mug shot taken in my natural
habitat), but I have done a few process drawings in my 25? years as a process engineer. I guess
that's earned me my vice, VP of Engineering and Technology Development to be precise. Hi
there. I'm Bob Cook and I'm glad to have you along for my premier entry here
on ChEnected.com where we explore the interpretation ofPiping and
Instrumentation Diagrams, or P&IDs for those in the know. This is a topic that
can benefit process, project and design engineers, business developers, operators, safety,
maintenance and even management. Wow, that a lot of folks! However, consider this - all of the
members listed above will either come across P&IDs intermittently or have to work with them as
a core aspect of their job. And if I still have your attention then, yes, you too should have a solid
understanding of how to read them! Hey you hiding the back...don't be bashful. You say

that you are two, three...five years out of school and still
not sure you really have a good handle on P&IDs? You're
not alone. Having worked for many companies and provided services to a variety of
industries over the years, I find it curious how P&IDs are often poorly understood by those who
should know them better. In some cases, they exude this aura of intimidating, complex
documents that only ChE geeks (and the like) really know how to read. I believe this is simply
due to a dearth of formal training. Folks are just expected to pick it up "on the fly". Given the
variability in career direction our backgrounds in the best engineering field afford us, this works
well for some but leaves others playing catch-up later on. So even experienced engineers and
operators may one day discover their lack of knowledge on the topic puts them at a disadvantage.
So let's just put a stop to all that by taking P&IDs apart in this multi-part series.

Regardless of experience level, you will find many of the symbols are obvious. Others need a bit
more explanation. In much the same way ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics thousands of
years ago, we process folks (in conjunction with our peers in the electrical, controls and other
departments) just come up with our own set of symbols to represent the various equipment,
devices and control concepts that go into our plants. When you look at it that way, one could
argue that not much has changed in a few thousand years. I suppose that's true. Hey, if it isn't

broke, why fix it? Enough of my bantering, let's get started already. I look forward to a healthy
exchange. Part 2 will dig into P&IDs - The Fundamentals. I'll include a few example drawings
that we can use as we venture forth down that path of process knowledge. If you want to get a
head start, download them here. Stay tuned!

Part 2 - The Fundamentals

In Part 1 of this series, I talked about why a solid understanding of P&ID interpretation is
important to virtually every discipline involved in a process plant - from process engineering and
detail design through construction, commissioning/start-up, operations and management. I'm
glad to see I sold you on that point and welcome you back to part two of this saga. Things are
starting to heat up and soon we will be weeding out the true process engineers from the causal
posers who would rather go off and waste time browsing reddit or digg (which I never do by
the way). We still have a bit of the academic stuff to cover before we really dig in but it's
important stuff so sit up straight and pay attention! Let's kick things off by defining what P&IDs
are and the types of information they illustrate. Afterwards, we'll cover some of their limitations.
It's important to know the limitations of a tool so that you don't apply it in the wrong way. At the
end of Part 1, I provided a link to some example drawings that I put together to help
illustrate some of the concepts I plan to discuss in this series. If you haven't downloaded it yet,
please do so now. The file contains:

Two typical P&ID "Lead Sheets", and

A few example P&ID drawings

A Word about Lead Sheets

We will talk more about the lead sheets (sometimes referred to as legend sheets) in Part 3 Symbology. If you've never encountered lead sheets before, for now, just know that lead sheets
are used to define the equipment and device symbols, tags and other notations, abbreviations and
sometimes esoteric conventions that companies use to develop P&IDs for any project they
execute. If you compare lead sheets from a few dozen companies, you will find that 90% of them
are pretty much Copy | Paste. For that last 10%?, there can be distinct differences and companyspecific conventions used that are not obvious on P&IDs. Therefore, it is good to

know where the lead sheets are in your company so you

can quickly track down the meaning of that pipe service
label or some other obscure symbol.
The Example P&IDs
The last three drawings in the download link include some fairly typical P&IDs. I plan to
use these in some upcoming videos to illustrate how the symbols from the lead sheets are applied
to a real drawing and then compare that drawing to actual pictures of real-world plants. This will
help forge the cognitive connection from the abstract realm of cubicle dwellers at CAD stations

to the real world of process plants in action! Even if you are completely new to P&IDs, I'm sure
there are some aspects that are obvious to you in these example drawings - things like the
equipment and valve symbols, tags, etc. If not, that's OK too because we will get into the details
later but for now, just look them over and familiarize yourself with what's there.

What are P&IDs?

A P&ID (or engineering flow drawing, EFD) is a type of process engineering drawing that
describes all process design aspects of a plant. In this context, "Process Design" means all the
stuff that makes up a plant, including:

Major and minor equipment - the distinction between what is

"major" vs. what is "minor" equipment is subjective

Valves, including vents, bleeders, safety relief, sample (all of them!)
Instrumentation, including devices that are used to continuously
measure pressure, flowrate, massrate, temperature or some analyzed
parameter such as pH, concentration, viscosity...the list goes on.
Stand-alone controllers that may function independently to
perform a particular function, like a PID controller or relay timer.
Buttons used to control motors and devices, be they pushbutton,
toggle, or some other type.
Motors and drives - many motors are single speed, non-reversing
but there are other kinds that have variable speed drives, and can
operate in both directions.
Limit and point devices - including devices that only reveal a
discrete state, e.g., if a tank is at a certain level (point level), or a valve or
actuator is in a particular position (a limit switch)
That's it...just kidding.

Piping (of course!). All the pipes, tubes and even overflows in the

plant. Not just the main process pipes inherent to the particular process,
but even the utilities (steam, air, fuel, etc.).
Virtual devices on computer control screens (often as graphical
representations real-world objects) that are used to interact with the plant
from the control room/panel. This includes things like "clickable" buttons
used to start/stop equipment, operate valves, adjust controller settings,
setpoint sliders and dials, evaluate alarms, etc. Computer functions and
software "links" are generally limited because it is difficult to convey
complete control meaning using just symbols. However, it doesn't matter
if the process is running on a home-brew Excel VBA project with Dick-and-

Jane graphics or a state-of-the-art Honeywell DCS - the symbology used to

represent the control interface will be shown.
I probably forgot some stuff in the list above but you get the idea. Clearly there can be a lot of
information to show on a P&ID. And for this reason, there are various degrees of detail that a
particular company will generally choose to show. There is no formal standard for the various
amounts of information a P&ID must include. Rather, it is left to the discretion of the engineers
involved. In terms of detail provided, my opinion is that a good P&ID will strike a balance of
"clarity without confusion". If you can't see the process for all the symbols, then it's probably
overdone. On the other hand, if you can't even discern how a pump may be operated or what
interlocks may exist, then you probably need to embellish it a bit.

P&ID Support Documents

For those things that are deliberately left off P&IDs for the sake of clarity, other documents are
used to provide the details. Common documents that serve vital support functions to P&IDs
include:
1.

Process Flow Drawings (PFDs) are simple flow drawings that

illustrate the general plant streams, major equipment and key control
loops. They also provide detailed mass/energy balance data along with
stream composition and physical properties. P&IDs originate from PFDs.

2.

Piping and material specifications. Here, you can dig into all

the gory details about materials of construction, gaskets, bolts, fittings,

etc. for each of the services. (I will talk about this more in a future post.)
3.
Equipment and instrumentation specifications. Modern
CAD software used to produce P&IDs are sometimes called "smart"
because they can incorporate specifications, standards and details that go
into the design. Yea, they are cool but just as you can't fix stupid, you
can't see "smart". Thus, it's good to have tangible documents that folks
can access and digest outside the masters of CAD.
4.
Functional/process control documents that describe in
detail, how the plant operates. A good one will include preferred
standards for use on control screens/displays. Folks involved in
programming the computers used to operate the plant need these.

How Should P&IDs be Organized?

Now you know what a P&ID is and what goes on them but you're not quite ready for the corner
office. At this point it's worth considering how a set of P&IDs can (and should) be organized for
a particular process.

There is no single good answer to this question and most companies will have a defined
precedent or standard that they follow but if you find yourself at File | New with nothing to go
on, because you just started your own company and (whoa...dude I just realized there is no
mechanical group anymore) my advice is to keep in mind that when you set out to develop a set
of P&IDs you are essentially writing a structured document, not unlike a book or report with
chapters/sections and a logical progression. OK, a really boring book with no plot or characters,
but you get the idea! My point is, you should plan the structure and break the task down into
manageable sections based on area in the plant, function and other criteria that might be of

importance to the project/process. Here's a quick example. Consider a process plant with that
receives raw feedstock in a storage area, feeds them into some reactor train(s) to make some
product and then includes a storage and packaging back end. This particular process might be
sitting inside a larger complex and leveraging existing utility infrastructure and tank farms. In
this case, you might elect to break the P&IDs down as such:

Raw material receiving and storage

Process trains for product manufacture

Product storage and packaging

Tie-ins to facility utilities and distribution

Environmental controsl and specialty unit operations/vendor packages

such as thermal fluid, complex unit operations, etc.

Breaking a set of P&IDs down into logical sections makes the drawing set easier to develop,
digest and, perhaps most importantly - change. Any of you that have tampered with objectoriented programming should be nodding in agreement at this point. Once you have the
categorical areas broken down, the drawing set is then linked together via arrows and notations.
Ultimately, it all fits together to like a puzzle to yield a continuous masterpiece.

Some companies like to develop their P&IDs so that if you had a huge wall, you could tape them
together and all of the various interconnecting arrows would line up as the parts of a jigsaw
puzzle. I have found that such an approach places unreasonable restrictions on the convenient
location of equipment and arrows and generally doesn't afford any greater understanding of the
holistic process. It's not uncommon for even relatively simple processes to have a dozen or more
P&IDs so you would need a really big wall and then you wouldn't be able to read anything
without getting close. My advice is to make efficient use of the space provided, use the
interconnect arrows as required to link them together and not get caught up on how well they
align with the god of geometric continuity (I think that was a Greek god, not sure).

What are P&IDs Used For?

P&IDs really do have vital roles. In fact, if I had to pare it down to the top two, this is my list:

Act as the definition of the process from which all engineering,

fabrication, construction and operation is based.

Serve as reference for Process Safety Information (PSI) in Process

Safety Management (PSM).

To effectively accomplish these objectives, a good set of P&IDs should do the following:
1.

Provide a clear and concise illustration of all equipment, pipes, valves,

instruments, sensors, etc. so that anyone involved has a solid
understanding of the process.

2.

Provide information to assist in analyzing process hazards, safeguards

and potential faults so that all kinds of errors (design, human/operation,
etc.) are minimized, ideally eliminated.

3.

Support development of operating and maintenance procedures.

4.

Serve as an as-built record of the process so that changes can be

planned safely and effectively using Management of Change (MOC).

So it's pretty clear that the P&IDs define the process at a root level. They serve as the foundation
upon which the system is designed, built and operated. Anyone who tells you that they can
design a plant without first generating P&IDs either is a Deity or has endless funds that they
enjoy throwing at poorly executed projects during the construction+ phases.

P&ID Limitations
At this point, you might be wondering what P&IDs can't do. After all, so far we've painted a
picture that they have seeming supernatural powers. Well, there are a few things that P&IDs don't
do well and it's important that you know what these are so that nobody makes any false
assumptions because we all know what happens when one assumes.
Despite their illustrious superhero status in the process engineering world, there are a couple
things P&IDs don't do well. Let's get it out in the open now:

They don't reveal scale or geometry,

They don't serve as a true model for how things are oriented and
placed in the real world.

Like I said in the intro to this series, I've been doing process engineering for 150 years (in the
snow, uphill to work both ways) and I still run into instances where somebody will base a
decision on how to make a change or try to find something in the plant based on where or how it
looks on the P&ID. Here's a ProTip - a better way to get a handle on where things really are at in
the field is to use the P&IDs as a guide and do a walk-down or find other scale drawings.
Good examples of true scale drawings are the ones used by contractors to build the plant. These
include civil and piping plans, sections and/or isometrics, skid/equipment fabrication drawings,

instrument location plans, etc. If you just assume that a pipe is located somewhere because it
looks that way on the P&ID, you might be disappointed! Since we're exposing the superman
P&IDs to a bit of kryptonite, let's review some other weaknesses of P&IDs just to make sure
we've covered all the key points:
1.
Not to Scale - as stated above, P&IDs can't be relied on as a scale
guide for where pipes, equipment or other items are in proximity to
equipment in the real world. Yes, I'm repeating that again because it will
be on the quiz.
2.
Not Geometrically Accurate - P&IDs don't illustrate geometry.
The level of detail that goes into symbols for equipment will vary, but is
almost never geometrically correct!

3.
Color Blind - P&IDs are not good at using color to convey meaning.
While the folks who draw them often use color to help spot things on a
monitor, don't try too hard to glean meaning from color printouts or you
may just end up seeing stars...
4.
Not Definitive - P&IDs do not include complete specs for all of the
equipment in the process. They are, after all drawings, not documents. If
you need details, grab the pertinent data sheets or vendor specs. Or ask
someone for some help.
5.
Not Drawn Consistently - Sadly, P&IDs seldom look consistent
between companies. That's because there is a lot of flexibility in how one
can go about drawing a P&ID (due to various standards, CAD systems,
etc.) and that leaves them open to company and/or personal preferences.
As a result, P&IDs often take on a different "look and feel" from companyto-company or even from job-to-job inside the same company. This can be
a point of confusion when you get used to a certain way of seeing them.
But don't sweat it; just reorient yourself to the ways and means used by
the process tribe in your group. Did you just think about lead sheets!
Bonus point for you!
OK, so now you have a solid feel for what P&IDs are, the purposes they serve and their
limitations. Hopefully, you've taken the time to at least glance at the example drawings provided.
Great, in Part 3 of this series we will dig into the symbology used so we can interpret the geek
speak of process engineers!

Part 3 - Symbology Primer

Welcome back to Part 3 folks! Let me apologize at the outset for the delay in getting this posted
sooner but we had our Labor Day holiday here in the USA last week and oddly enough, we tend

NOT to work on Labor Day. Go figure... I suppose it should be called slacker day because I
really didn't do much the whole weekend. In any event, I'm back in the saddle so let's recap the
last two parts before we hit the trail again. We have a lot of ground to cover before sunset.

Part 1 talked about why the interpretation of P&IDs is important to

everyone involved in the planning, design, and construction through
operation of a process plant.
Part 2 described the various functions P&IDs serve and highlighted
the kinds of information they convey, along with the support documents
that are commonly associated with them. We also talked about some of
their weaknesses.

With the requisite academics out of the way, it's time to focus on the exciting stuff - P&ID
symbology interpretation. That's the goal I had when I started this series and by golly, I'm

sticking to it. However, I'm going to warn you up front - this is a big part in the series,
figuratively and literally speaking. I might even be pushing the limits of Chenected.com's
server capacity but I did my best to balance breadth of content with depth of detail. If you think I
short-changed any areas and would like more detail on any topic, please let me know via the
comment system. I'll do my best to oblige.

Lead Sheets Define Symbology

As I mentioned in Part 2, the meanings of the various symbols used on P&IDs (aka, symbology)
are defined on separate drawings called "Lead Sheets" (or Legend Sheets). These are your "secret
decoder rings" to P&ID symbology interpretation. Every company that builds process plants
should have a set of lead sheets customized to their particular ways and means. Having seen a
number of lead sheets over the years, I can tell you that most of them are just variations on a core
set of generally accepted symbols and notations that engineers and industry organizations have
settled on as defacto standards over the years. The lead sheets I provide in the supporting file
download to this series include the following;

D001 - Instrumentation and Valves

D002 - Codes, Tags, and Labels

Here's the good news - these lead sheets include 90.00?0.05% of what you need to know.
Seriously, the significant digits are right here, I checked them. Yeah, I realize some companies

have more than two lead sheets, four or five even. Probably even a few with six or seven just to
prove a point I suppose, but the number of lead sheets isn't important. What is important is that
they are logically organized so that the symbols and tags can be located easily. Poorly organized
and/or incomplete lead sheets will just frustrate folks who turn to them for help so it's important
to keep them neat, concise and logical. And the two I present here should be up-front-and-center
in your set. Related to the content I include on the example lead sheets, you might have noticed a
conspicuous absence of lead sheets for major equipment, i.e., tanks, pumps, and sundry items
typically included in process plants, etc. It's good to have lead sheets for that kind of stuff; I'm
not going to say otherwise. However, I have generally stopped using them in my group because;
1.

It is almost always self-evident what a symbol represents for major

equipment, and

Even if it's not apparent, the major equipment is always tagged and
named with some general specifications provided along one edge of the
drawing. I underline always because that's the way it should be. I don't
want to debate it. Just make it so!
Aside from these reasons, it's tough to keep an equipment lead sheet updated when new or
custom equipment that doesn't really have an industry standard symbol is added to a drawing for
a particular job. I could go on regarding the topic of symbols for major equipment but this is a
topic I decided not to expand on in the interest of focusing more on the instrumentation and
controls side of symbology. Shoot me a note if you want to discuss this more.
2.

Caveat Emptor

Before we move on, I want to address the operations folks here in attendance: Keep in mind that
reading and understanding P&IDs is a core topic of operator training. And that training happens
long before you step on-site. In fact, you should know this stuff before you enter the room as a
team member on a Process Hazards Analysis. As a process engineer at heart, I view operations as
my #1 client and work hard to make sure that they fully understand the plant and its procedures
so that it can safely and efficiently meet its objectives. If you are in an operations group, you are
not expected to have it all figured out just from reading this series alone. However, the following
sections should serve as a solid primer. And I will make you a simple promise - so long as you
don't get bored and start daydreaming about whether Brock Lesner will remain the UFC
heavyweight champion for the next five years (I don't even...), you will definitely walk away
from this series with a solid, functional understanding of P&IDs! If you don't, call me and I will
refund your money, no questions asked.

Instrumentation and Controls Symbology

We'll kick things off with what has traditionally been viewed as the "hardest part" of P&ID
interpretation, that of course being instrumentation and controls. In my experience, this is the
area that gives newcomers the most grief. Trust me, it's not that hard and once you have this area
conquered, everything after that is stupid simple and the learning curve will skyrocket.

The main symbols used for Instrumentation and Control (I&C) are shown in the table above.
When you spot one of these on a P&ID, you will be able to glean three things from it, including:

1.
2.
3.

What is that device?

Where is it located?
Why is it there?

The 'what' and 'where' aspects can be determined from the symbol shape. The 'why' part comes
from text placed inside the symbol that is made up of two parts that form the "tag number". This
includes:

An abbreviation for what the device is (based on ISA

S5.1), combined with a
2.
Loop number based on your company's preferred
numbering system
1.

Before I dig into this topic more heavily, it's worth providing a couple simple tag number
examples as a lead-in. Pressure indicators have the abbreviation PI and temperature indicators
use the abbreviation TI. It follows logically that flow and level indicators use the abbreviations
FI and LI, respectively. Since most plants can have many instruments of the same type, a unique
number is applied so that each one can be individually identified. This number is often referred
to as the "loop number". Thus, the device abbreviation + loop number become the unique "tag
number". While the device abbreviations are largely based on accepted standards (ISA S5.1), the
loop numbering system is company specific. My group happens to use a four digit numbering
system. In this case, typical tag numbers for pressure and temperature indicators in our plants
will be PI0134 and TI4348, respectively. You could even reuse the loop number "0134" to define
other types of devices, such as a level indicator, LI0134 or flow indicator, FI0134. The same
holds true for loop number "4348"; it may be used for PI4348, LI4348 and HS4348 (where HS
stands for Hand Switch). The key point is that the abbreviation + loop number must be unique
for each device otherwise, it cannot be uniquely identified. You can get creative and apply
special prefixes (or suffix) numbers to the tag number when you want to reuse the same tag (like
in cases where you have redundant devices but you don't want them to have different loop
numbers). I will get into those when we look at the example P&IDs. But that is detail stuff.

What is that control symbol?

Refer to the first row in the table above. A circle symbol is quite simply any physical instrument
or device in the field or on a panel. It doesn't matter if it is a level transmitter, a flow meter, a
pressure gauge or some other type of indicator. If it is a physical device that measures or displays
something, it will be illustrated by the use of a circle on a P&ID. Notice also how I placed the tag
number PI0134 inside the symbol. The common practice is to place the device function

abbreviation on the top line, with the loop number at the bottom. When the device is ordered and
a stamped tag is requested, it should match the tag number placed inside the symbol on the
P&ID. Aside: Sometimes, you will hear folks refer to the symbols as instrument "bubbles". This
is just jargon that is commonly used. When you hear it, they are simply referring categorically to
the symbol shapes I am talking about in this part. Just act like you've been calling them bubbles
for years and show now sign of confusion!

Move down to the symbols on the second row of the table - the ones that show a circle inside of
a square. These are used to represent a graphic on a computer screen or control panel that you
can see and possibly interface with via touch panel or a computer mouse. It might be used to
show the level in a tank (as the tab number in the bubble shown here suggests) or represent a
hand switch that you can click on with the mouse to start a pump (or a million other things!). The
point is if you can see it on a control screen, it will be represented as a circle inside a square on
P&IDs. Don't ask me who decided this, it wasn't me! The last two rows are for symbols that let
the reader know a computer is used to do some sort of complex processing. In the case of the
hexagon, it means a "computer" is used. That's a pretty vague description don't you think? I
mean, is your plant a "PC or a Mac"? I don't want to get into that debate (my wife uses a Mac,
otherwise I would) but my point is that some of these symbols begin to show their quaint age.

In the case of a square with a diamond in it, that means a programmable logic controller (PLC) is
used. Ah yes, the venerable PLC - still hanging tough after all these years. Even if you are not
familiar with control computers or PLCs, don't sweat it. Just know that these symbols really
represent softwareinstructions that engineers write to define the automated behavior of the
plant. For example, code that tells a pump to automatically stop when the tank it is pumping
from runs low. That would be a so-called low level interlock type function that would exist as
instructions inside a PLC. In this instance, a level element provides the input and the computer
runs a set of instructions that say 'stop the pump' if tank level is low. These symbols are often left

off of P&IDs because they really don't provide any usable information that you could get out of
just looking at the symbol. For example, in the simple example that I just provided, how could
you describe the low level interlock using a symbol that looks like a square with a diamond in it?
You couldn't! You would need to supplement the P&ID with a written description of what the
plant is supposed to do with all of the input it receives. So the symbols would just take up space
and clutter the drawing for no good reason other than perhaps provide some pointer via a tag
number to coded instructions. But the P&IDs serve the process, not the programmer so we can't
have that!

Symbology Star Power!

This brings me to the arbitrary star rating I gave all of the symbols in the table (see "Bob's
Review" key at bottom of table). Folks, this isn't published by the ISA (as if I had to qualify
this...) but we've been together long enough for you to know that this is how I roll. It's my way of
explaining the frequency and importance of these symbols in most cases. Here goes. For each
symbol, I rate it based on how often it typically shows up on drawings that I have worked on
over the years. Every plant is different but there is a general theme here. I view symbols with
only one star as pretty much useless because the abstract concept they are trying to illustrate
simply can't be done effectively with just symbology. Two star symbols have value but may not
show up very often or at all in many cases, depending on the type of plant and its design.
Anything at or above three stars is a celebrity in our P&ID feature presentations. We're talking
Arnold Schwarzenegger, whereas the one star symbol is akin to the nondescript ensign killed off
in the first five minutes of a Star Trek episode. So what about those quizzical computer symbols
that I poke fun of? Well, you can still use them if you want but they need heavy support from a
document that describes all of the functional requirements of a plant and that is typically called a
Functional [Control] Description. Maybe in a future series (if you're good), we will cover
functional control aspects. Oh Goody! I can almost sense your joy at the thought! Hey, pay
attention and no smart remarks. We still have work to do here!

Where is the device located?

If you glance back at the table, you will see that there are four columns that provide the 'Where'
part of a symbol. Now, as we discussed in Part 2 of this series, P&IDs generally aren't good at
showing you where something is located in the field. We aren't talking about that kind of 'where'.
In this case, we are using where as a relative reference. Relative location is indicated via the
presence of a centered, horizontal line (or lack thereof), a dual centered horizontal line, or a
dashed centered horizontal line placed inside the symbol;

1.

Single horizontal line - located on a main control panel near the

control room or some computer screen in the main control room,

2.
No horizontal line - located somewhere in the field, probably
close to the general area shown on the P&ID,
3.
Double horizontal line - on some secondary (satellite) local
panel in the field.
4.
Single dashed horizontal line - inaccessible or not generally
located where it can be easily accessed or viewed. May also be used for
hidden or password protected areas of a control system.
Notice in the above items, no specific location information is provided, only that the device or
graphic is associated with a relative, general location. In many cases, it's not hard to figure out
where something is just from where the symbol is at on the drawing. But there are limits to what
the symbol can convey.

More on the Dashes

I have found that the dashed line symbols can cause confusion so I want to speak on those a bit
more. When you see a symbol such as the one shown at left, that simply means that you can't
normally see it or work with that device it in the field. It might be installed behind or inside of a
panel so that it is normally not in view (inaccessible to the operator). So in the symbols shown
here, a circle with a dashed line in the middle means it is an instrument or device that you can't
normally see or get to. If you are an operator, it is probably something you do not need to get to
but it might still be vitally important to the plant control system, so we show it this way on a
P&ID. In a similar fashion, a graphic display symbol with a dashed line in the middle simply
means that this portion of the control system is password protected or hidden from normal view
on a screen or operating panel so you can't get to it unless you know the secret access code. It's
not that people are keeping secrets from you (or maybe they are...hmmmm); it's just that it might
contain important settings that nobody should ever need to mess with.

Why is that device here?

You've come a long way towards understanding control symbology. You can now identify what a
control symbol represents and its relative location in the plant. But you still don't know why it's
there. It's not helpful to know how to identify a control symbol type if you cannot explain what
purpose it serves in the plant. That is the point of the textual abbreviations placed inside the
symbols. We touched on this a bit above so now lets cover the essence of what you need to know
- and keep in mind, come of this is the way I like to do things, which doesn't necessarily mean it
is the best or only way. Refer to the figure below entitled "Instrument Symbol Tag
Identification". A control symbol will typically contain two lines inside it, as follows:

1.

Upper Line - an abbreviation for the functionality it provides (based

on the ISA 5.1 standard), and

2.
Lower Line - a loop number that corresponds to the equipment or
area it is associated with (or based on your company's preferred
standard).
The upper line text abbreviation, along with the lower line tag number makes up the unique
symbol identification tag. It is important that each symbol have a unique tag so that it can be
individually identified. In this example, the symbol would be referred to as PDIT1703 in a
process document or operating procedure. There may be a bunch of other symbols with 1703 in
them, but they must have a different text abbreviation before the 1703 or you won't be able to
uniquely identify it. Part 4 of this series will talk more about typical device tagging protocols but
for now; consider this your "Introduction to Tagging 101".

The letters on the first line are in accordance with ISA standard 5.1, as described in the
upper left corner of lead sheet D001. Each letter provides unique information. We can use the
table in D001 to determine that this symbol represents:

1.
2.

"P" - First Letter stands for "Pressure"

"D" - Second letter is a modifier for the first and
stands for "Differential"

3.
4.
5.

"I" - Third letter stands for "Indicating"

"T" - Fourth letter stands for "Transmitter"
1703 is the loop number (the Electrical Engineering
eggheads need loop numbers too)

I like to base loop numbers off the associated major equipment. That's just me, and I think it
makes good sense. But if your company uses a different technique, roll with it. Now is not the
time to be a renegade creator of new tagging systems. Fight your battles but win your wars! So in
this case, we have a pressure differential indicating transmitter installed on equipment 1703. You
might see such a device across a strainer inlet and outlet to let you know what the pressure drop
is across it so that you can clean it when it gets high.

Common Instrument Abbreviations

There are a number of instrument letter combinations that you are likely to come across a lot. A
few of these are listed in the figure titled "Common Primary Device Symbols". These examples
will help you get some practice understanding the abbreviations used for control symbols. You
can compare the examples to the table on D001 to get the hang of it. These examples all
represent field-mounted devices. We know that because they are all simple circle symbols with
no horizontal lines. I told you this was pretty straight forward!

The hardest part in deciphering the abbreviations inside control symbols is figuring out what the
letters designate when there are three or more letters used. Here are a couple rules of thumb:

In the case of abbreviations with four letters, the second letter is a

modifier to the first.

When only three letters are used, the second letter probably is not a
modifier.

As with any "rule of thumb", you mileage may vary, so if in doubt, look it up using the table on
D001 (or your own company lead sheets).

Symbol Attributes
Depending on the symbol purpose, various other attributes may be placed near control symbols
in "supporting role". The section called "Instrument Abbreviations" on lead sheet D001 defines
some of the more common ones you might run into. These are simply helpful bits that provide
further clarification for the situation at hand. In many cases, it is helpful to know "at a glance"
that a valve is FC (Fail Closed) or that DI is a (Digital Input). Refer to this table when you
encounter abbreviations used around control symbols.

Instrument Input-Output (I/O)

Despite major advances in computer technology and communications protocols, many

instruments still transmit their signals using a trusty analog signal (via a 4-20ma, 24V). For
switched devices, the input is typically a switch that simply provides a voltage input. While it is
not a common practice to show the type of signal a particular device sends to and/or receives
from the control system (collectively referred to as the I/O), in my company I like to employ
simple triangular symbols along the interconnecting lines to help illustrate the I/O flow (if you
will) on a P&ID. This is illustrated using the symbols shown in the figure below. The important
point to remember when you see these symbols is that the I/O flow is always from the control
computer's perspective. Thus, all outputs (DO, AO) come out of a output module and go to some

field device. Conversely, all inputs (DI, AI) are signals from field devices that flow into some
input module. Other types of I/O that may require specialized transducer cards or network
protocols are sometimes used. For example, the KT signal is a common type of signal that a
thermocouple employs. You may have also heard of RTD temperature sensors. There are a
myriad of transmission protocols used today and as process engineers, we don't need to get
caught up in that. But it is helpful to understand the flow of I/O in a plant and using these
symbols is a cheap, easy way of showing that with no penalty on the complexity of the drawing!
All of the I/O symbols invariably link to the software line type (described below), as this is used
to illustrate software processing within a computer or PLC. You don't know what is taking place
just by looking at a line, but you can be sure that whatever it is, the Functional Control
Description is the place to look to find out.

Line Symbols

The key line types are highlighted in the figure at right. By far, the most common line type is the
solid line, which is used to represent a pipe. Although not shown, a process line with long dashes
means the pipe is existing or is outside the battery limits (OSBL) of the plant. Other common
line types that you should be able to identify are electrical signal (anywhere wires are employed),
instrument air to control valves/devices (labeled as pneumatic signal) and software or data link
which includes "virtual" communication such as what occurs inside a computer program or PLC
ladder logic. The software can include anything that happens inside a computer, but you need a
functional description to actually know what that is, as we discussed earlier in this brief. Just
know that when you see a software line, it means computers are at work linking the devices in
some meaningful way that relates to the system controls.

Computing Functions
These symbols describe the types of functions that run inside a computer program. A problem
with applying these symbols is that they do not really provide solid insights into how the plant is
controlled in complex instances. For this reason, most P&IDs will make limited use of
computing function symbols. You can safely ignore these and not miss out on much because the

functional control description is really intended to describe control details that these symbols try
to illustrate.

Valve Symbols
The figures below show the key symbols for the various types of manually-operated valves and
actuator details for automated valves. Note the attributed stems on the actuators to indicate fail
state. This is a good example of using attributes to provide key information that is valuable to
operations.

Connection Types
Regarding connections, the symbology shown in the figure below is standard. One point I will
make is that in plastic piping systems (PVC, CPVC and ABS), everything is generally glued
using a connection type called "socket weld". However, socket weld can also be applied to
metallic piping systems where a welded connection is employed using socketed (versus butt
weld) fittings. There is no specific designation between glued or welded socket connections. Nor
is there a symbol for threaded connections.

When you start getting into what type of connection should be used in a particular pipe, this is
not really something that is based on personal preference or simply what you might have on hand
in the maintenance trailer. This is something that is based on things like the line service (what's
in the line), conditions (temperature, pressure), and other factors (like supporting requirements).
This kind of stuff is defined in a Material and Line Specification Standard. We won't cover that
in detail here but you know what? I just got an idea! This is great topic for a future series. The
fun never ends does it?

What about pipe fittings?

In case you are wondering (and I know you were), P&IDs generally do not show pipe fittings
(elbows, tees, unions, o-lets, etc.). Nor will they include all the various flanged connections

that might actually exist in the plant. These are details that show up on piping plans/sections,
isometrics and fabrication drawings. So, unless it is important to the process design for some
reason, fittings and extraneous flanged connection are generally not shown. If you need to get a
fitting take-off, look elsewhere!

Transducer Functions
This is an area that defines signal conversion. Only electrical engineers get excited about this
stuff, and you really don't need to focus too much on this. In fact, I almost skipped it but I just
know that if I did someone would ask, so let's get this out of the way because this electrical stuff
is starting to get a tad boring... A transducer is something that takes a signal in one form and
converts in into another form so that it can be used by a downstream device. For example, a
control valve may need air to actuate but receive an electrical signal to tell it to do that.
Somehow, you have to get the electric signal converted into an equivalent air signal so the valve
can move. Hello signal transducer.

In this particular example, an I/P (current to pneumatic) transducer is necessary so that the valve
can be positioned to any desired opening point with just an electrical signal. This is the most
common transducer function used in many plants; the others listed are comparatively rare. So,
understand what I/P means when you see it and don't worry too much about the rest of them for
now. When you graduate to Master Ninja P&ID interpreter, then we will focus on these details.

Primary Flow Elements

These symbols are nothing more than graphic illustrations that complement the control bubbles
to help readers of the drawing more easily identify the type of flow element being employed. The
most common types are shown in this table on D001. These symbols are not really critical
towards an understanding of the instrumentation or controls. Level elements don't have an
equivalent. Nor do other common instrument types.

Breaktime!
OK, so now you have a solid feel for what P&IDs are, the purposes they serve, their limitations
and supporting document requirements and now - a pretty solid handle on the symbology used.
Despite all the ground we covered in this part, we haven't really had a chance to go through a few
examples. Everyone knows that when it comes to learning new information, application it is key.
The old adage "use it or lose it" applies. I still aim to get to some examples but for now, just take

a well deserved break and let this stuff sink it. Besides, I'm sure they need to go buy a couple
more hard drives for Parts 4 and 5.

Part 4 - Codes, Tags and Labels

So you are back for more in Part 4? After all we went through in Part 3, those still standing
probably deserve a medal or something. That said, unlike Part 3 where we really covered a lot of
detailed "nuts-and-bolts", this part will be a comparative piece of cake. Kind of like the last day
of school where you know you still need to go and it might even be kind of fun, but you don't
have to do any real work and the stuff you do take home will be memories not homework. That's
the frame of mind you need to have for Part 4, ok? But before you take this as a cue to start
shooting spitballs at your host, sit up straight because this part is vital to your understanding and
development of clean, clear, odor-free P&IDs. Since this series is kind of long (hey, who
snorted!?), let's get the requisite recap out of the way for those who missed the previous parts
and need to circle back:

Part 1 talked about why the interpretation of P&IDs is important to everyone

involved in the planning, design, and construction through operation of a process
plant.

Part 2 described the various functions P&IDs serve and highlighted the kinds
of information they convey, along with the support documents that are
commonly associated with them. We also talked about some of their

weaknesses.
Part 3 covered the nitty-gritty aspects of instrumentation and control
symbology. Along with that, we dissected tag abbreviations and how loop
numbers uniquely identify devices. Since we were on a roll, we closed out this
part with all the ancillary I/O symbols, line types, piping connections and other
various sundry items peripheral to the main theme.

Up till now, we have spent a great deal of our time focusing on the first lead sheet, D001 Instrumentation and Valves, provided along with other drawings in the supporting file
download to this series. In this Part 4, we will turn our attention to the remaining lead
sheet, D002 - Codes, Tags, and Labels. As I have mentioned previously, D002 is an example lead
sheet typical of the ones I have

used in the past. It may look different from the ones your company uses and that's OK. It's not as
important how a company prefers to do labeling on a P&ID, only that they do it clearly,

consistently and based on a robust system that is amenable to future change and additions. An
extensible tagging system if you will. That's a concept that may be a bit unfamiliar to some so I
will discuss that as a sort of prerequisite. Hang in there, I see the finish line...just around the
corner!

P&IDs Are Really Databases, Wait..what?

While P&IDs are representations of the process to the casual observer, their underlying structure
more closely resembles a relational database. In fact, for those of you familiar with
today's common computer aided drafting packages, you may realize that a CAD
drawing is really a database of objects assembled in a structured manner. Even if you reuse the
same object over and over in a drawing, the CAD system keeps track of it with a unique
identifier. This is very similar to a process plant in that, well for starters, we apply tags to keep
track of equipment, piping, valves, devices, etc.--things that we reuse over and over again in any
given process design. So I am here to tell you folks, when you design a process and develop the
P&IDs in CAD, you are really assembling a database along the way. This isn't lunacy with half a
bowtie. I'm serious and I would urge you to get familiar with relational database design, if only
from an academic standpoint. Like object-oriented programming, these abstract concepts are
extremely valuable towards implementation in our line of work. Some examples?

Ok, behold my exhibits--like a database, a process plant

illustrated using CAD on a set of P&IDs:

Contains collections of similar objects with unique tags so that even identical
objects (valves, pumps, instruments, etc.) can be uniquely identified.

Is assembled in a structured manner that lends itself to additions, deletions,

changes, etc. with a granularity as coarse as whole unit areas, down to a single
valve on a pipe anywhere in the plant.

Contains lots of

metadata in the tagging systems that can inherently

provide (or link to) much more detail such as specifications, materials of
construction, data sheets, etc.

There's more than just the above but I will rest my case. I hope you agree that while the tags and
labels themselves are self-evident, the real power is in the underlying tagging system used. And
so you're still thinking, "why must a tagging system be so robust and extensible? I mean, come
on Bob, aren't you making a mountain out of mole hill?" Well, glad you asked;

the answer is quite simply because most plants change

over their useful life. Change comes from a lot of different
angles:

Operational Tweaks--improvements often come from the operations

folks. In my experience, some of the best improvements to a plant don't come
from the egghead engineers sitting in their cubicles, but from the folks in the
plant dealing with the machine each and every day. It is in their interest to make
it work better, safer and cheaper.

Capacity/Production Changes--often, a particular unit operation

needs to be expanded to meet new production requirements or changes in
feedstock or product requirements that shift the process design needs. I've seen

instances where complete new trains have to be added to a system.

PSM Audit Review--Process Safety Management requires that process
documentation be kept up to date and routine plant audits and Process Hazard
Review may reveal changes that should be implemented to a plant that is
already in operation. The P&IDs are the reference upon which such reviews are
based and must always be in a current "As-Built" state.

The key take-away from the list above is that the P&IDs serve initially as the process definition
upon which the plant is designed. But then they serve operations long after the plant is built. This
is why earlier in this series I espoused the need for engineers to be routinely, actively engaged in
ongoing operations. Not only will you learn a lot about the plant that you yourself may have
helped build, the feedback you receive will be invaluable to maintaining a safe operation. Plus,
you can implement the lessons learned on future projects. Now that I've driven home the
importance of a structured tagging system, let's turn attention to the meat of this Part 4--the
actual tagging of equipment and devices.

Equipment Tags
Lots of companies use what appears initially to be an intuitive, simple system to tag equipment.
It later reveals itself not to be very intuitive or robust. Let's pause for fictitious example (that
bears no resemblance to my past, really). GitRDun Process, Inc. has decided to build a new plant
to produce Trimethylkabif, a precursor to a drug that yields quick weight loss, improved memory
and muscle tone while eliminating irritable bowl, gastric reflux and attention deficit. The process
folks start out tagging equipment as follows:

Pumps are simply tagged P-1, P-2, P-3 (makes sense right?)

Agitators are tagged AG-1, AG-2, AG-3, etc. Dude - this is so simple!

And of course tanks and vessels are tagged TK-1, TK-2, TK-3 (or V-1, V-2, V-3).
Could do this in my sleep...

And so on...Life is good. Later on, though less common equipment starts getting added, and this
starts to stress the "intuitive" nature of the system. For example, a centrifuge is initially tagged
C-1 but now they need to add a conveyor but C is taken so they decide to call the conveyor CO1. Now they think, well, we will just revise the centrifuge tag to CE-1. Crisis avoided...But wait,
later they need to add a chemical feed package and want to tag that CF-1. OK, that's cool but
then a bunch of cross flow filter modules is added they decide to "steal" the CF label for those
and change the chemical feed to CE, no wait...can't do that, CE is taken by the centrifuge. So
they bite the proverbial bullet and call the chemical feed skid CS-1 where S is "intuitive" for
supply. Right? Try again quiz kid. Nobody is going to see that as intuitive. And then one day, it
hits GitRDun's process engineers that their initially conceived so-called intuitive tagging system
is a heap of broken confusion and nobody knows their CE's from their CO's. Cue the Jackson 5
song A B C, simple as 1 2 3!

A Better Tag Numbering System

To avert the problems inherent in the above example, many process industries utilize a numericonly system for tagging equipment. This helps simplify the logical categorization of equipment
during the process design phase. Moreover, a structured tag system is more intuitive for the
development of design documentation, operating procedures and training, and general
documentation upkeep/maintenance. With that in mind (and considering the points presented
earlier in this Part), the following method is but one example of how to tag process equipment
using an extensible system.

Area Number, AN Most sizable process plants are comprised of multiple areas. An area is a
physical, geographical, or logical grouping determined by the site. It may contain process cells,
units, equipment modules, and control modules (more details can be found at isa.org). To
facilitate a hierarchical organization of equipment, equipment tags should then incorporate area
designation.

A small or simple project may have only one area. Conversely, larger more complex projects
may have multiple areas. The assignment of areas is at the discretion of the process engineer and
can be subjective. The only general rule that I like to employ is that common equipment that
serves multiple areas, e.g., utility and infrastructure system be placed into a "Common
Resources" area rather than be made a part of any other process area. Once areas have been
designated for a particular project type, engineers should strive to maintain common area
designations on future, similar projects. For example, the areas shown in the figure above may be
defined on the lead sheet for a fictitious project.

Equipment Types, ET
Equipment can be identified based on its type using a numeric system such as the simple one
shown below. In cases where equipment has multiple functions, user discretion is advised in
selecting the most suitable type code.

Sequence Number, SQ
This is the consecutive numbering of like equipment in a particular area. The sequence begins
with 01. All equipment is to a have its own sequence number. The use of alphabetic or other tag
suffixes is to be avoided.

Example Equipment Tags

Using the system outlined above, a four-digit system emerges that may not be instantly
recognizable in terms of what the specific equipment is (or where), but it will eventually become
very familiar to those who are intimate with the plant. A few examples using the area numbers
defined above are provided below:

1101 - The first pump in the tank farm area.

1701 - The first tank in the tank farm area.

1405 - The fifth mixer in the tank farm area.

2901 - A vendor package in the Train 1 area.

The equipment tag number should be prominently displayed near the symbol used for the
equipment. For example, the tag number for a centrifuge might appear as follows on a P&ID.

Lastly, all major equipment should be named and provided general specifications in a label
placed along the drawing border. A couple examples for a pump and tank follow.

It is up to your company to decide on the final formatting, location (some companies like to put
certain equipment labels near the top of the border), and which particular specifications should
be included along with each major equipment label. The system presented here is fairly simple
and broadly applicable. Irrespective of these details, I highly recommend that every piece of
major equipment receive a label with a similar level of detail.

Instrument Loop Numbers

A benefit of using four digit equipment numbering system such as the one presented above is that
the tags lend themselves toward application in defining associated instrument loops. This makes
grouping equipment and associated instrumentation devices more logical. Think back to our

friends at GitRDun Process, Inc. Their tagging system consisted of tags like P-1, AG-1, CE-2,
etc. These tags are not amenable for use in defining instrument loops. However, a four digit
system does neatly tuck into instrument bubbles and when you think about it, most instruments
and devices serve or are primarily associated with a piece of equipment. And even when that is
not the case, they can readily borrow from the equipment type code "9" in cases where, for
instance, a pressure gauge on an air header serving the entire area must be defined. Considering
the above points, the following instrument and device tagging system is but one effective way to
tag instruments and devices:

Where;

PX - device type prefix (as per ISA 5.1)

EQ - the associated equipment tag (as defined above)
SX - duplicate or redundant device suffix (see details below)

Duplicate Suffix, SX Rules

A suffix is provided to accommodate instances were many devices of the same type are
associated with a given piece of equipment. For example, a vessel may have many lines
connected to it, each having its own actuated valve. To resolve these instances so that each
device has its own unique loop number, there are two suffix tag methods that can be employed,
1.

If a piece of equipment has redundant devices associated with it, an

alphabetic suffix may be appended to the loop number, e.g., FV1101A, FV1101B,
FV1101C, etc. (Note: Redundant means serving the same purpose as another
device in a backup fashion.)

2.

If a piece of equipment has multiple items of the same type, each of which
with different functions (not redundant) then a numeric system should be
employed, e.g., FV1101-1, FV1101-2, etc.

Example Loop Tags

Based on the above discussion, some example loop tags are provided below. If needed, the reader
can visit a more though discussion in Part 3 regarding instrument abbreviations. (Note: In the
examples provided, I use the example Area Numbers presented as examples above.)
PI1101 - A pressure indicator on the discharge of the first pump in the tank

farm area.

LT1701 - A level transmitter on the first tank in the tank farm area.

IT1405 - A current transmitter (for the motor) on the fifth agitator in the tank
farm area.
AE1701A - One of at least two redundant analyzers on the first tank in the

tank farm. Hence, one would expect to see AE1701B, AE1701C... as indicated.
XV1701-1 - An actuated valve on the first tank in the tank farm area. The

suffix -1 implies there are other valves associated with tank 1701 but in an
alternate service (i.e., not redundant). For example, XV1701-1 may be on the
inlet to the tank, while XV1701-2 may be on the outlet.

Line Numbers
Similar to equipment and instrumentation, every pipe on a P&ID requires a unique tag number so
that it can be uniquely identified during design, or referenced in operating procedures. Since
most lines are also affiliated with a major piece of equipment to which they connect, I like to
employ a numbering system similar to that used for instrument loops whereby the equipment tag
is integrated into the line tag in the following manner (Note: D002 provides an alternate method
that employs drawing number instead of equipment number but I generally prefer the method
given below.)
X"--SVC--ET:SQ--LS
Where;

X" - the nominal size of the pipe

SVC - the service code for the material that normally flows in the line (see
examples below for list)
ET:SVC - a unique line tag that includes two parts, the equipment tag from
which the line originates followed by a unique sequential number

LS -line specification for the pipe, including class and material type, valves
etc.

Service Codes, SVC

Service codes are abbreviations for the fluid the line primarily handles.

Since some lines can serve many different process fluids, the fluid used to specify the materials
for the line should go here. The list should be available on a lead sheet in a manner similar to that
provided in the example above.

Line Specifications, LS
Line specifications cover all the details related to the piping system used to handle the fluid for
the line. This should include all details regarding material of construction, valves and trim,
gaskets, fittings, T/P limits, and much more. This is beyond the scope of this series but is such a
critical component of plant design that I might expand on this in a future post.

Hand Valves
Hand valves require a consistent and clear tagging system for reference in operating procedures.
There are a number of techniques that can be used, but one that I generally prefer is as follows.

In the example provided at left, one can discern valve size, spec and tag number. This might be
more information than you want to include on some P&IDs. In cases where you just want to
show the valve tag and allow the spec and size to be derived implicitly from the line tag, the
following method is one option:
"V" - D# - SQ
Where;

HV or V - A literal and required part of all hand valve tags

D# - last two digits of P&ID drawing number

SQ - Sequence Number (01 to 99)

V0001 - The first hand valve on P&ID D100

V1205 - The fifth hand valve on P&ID D102

Example Hand Valve Tags

V0001 - The first hand valve on P&ID D100

V1205 - The fifth hand valve on P&ID D102

Wrap-Up
Further to the content in this part, D002 includes a few more examples of common tags and
codes applied in P&IDs, such as insulation, interconnecting arrows, etc. These are important
parts but are pretty self-evident. Aside from that, most companies have very specific ways and
means on these items so I won't cover them in depth here. Well, I started this out by saying it was
going to be fun and simple and I hope you leave this series feeling like I made some solid points
that will be of value to you going forward. In a follow-up to this series, I will put together a
complementary video where I take a few typical P&IDs (like the ones I've attached here) and
discuss all of these aspects in what I hope to be a much more engaging manner. You will then be
able to get a much better feel for seeing and hearing this information. Now venture forth with
your new knowledge and apply it for good. Stay safe and have fun.