The increased demand for gas services worldwide also increases demand for design expertise and know how. When gas is brought to market via cross-country high pressure pipelines it is important to ensure that electrical, instrumentation and software systems associated with pipeline offtakes, pressure reducing stations and storage installations are designed to the highest National and International Standards.Lloyd Almann acts as Competent Design Authority for theIR’s major gas transporter, providing detailed design assessment and appraisal of engineers engaged both internally and externally by the company.

Design Consultancy Service
How: Lloyd Alman produce design studies to support commercial and technical pipeline and storage project delivery.
Input: User project scope requirements.
Output: Optimum design solution for gas pipeline and storage projects.

Engineering Design Studies
The Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study will result in detailed engineering designs and the determination of a fixed price for project investment and will form the basis of for the award of a turnkey contract for Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC).

The full range of design services is supplied by LA. We currently employ Engineers in Electrical, Instrumentation and software disciplines and provide expertise in pipeline offtake and low pressure gas storage, design of associated above ground installations such as pig-traps, pressure reduction stations and LP gas holder associated electrical and instrumentation systems.

The full range of electrical services are provided including the design of low voltage electrical distribution and earthing systems for pipelines and installations, over-voltage protection of equipment from AC faults.

The design of the Electrical and Instrumentation (E&I) systems are based on the gas industry standards/codes of practice

Lloyd Alman’s E&I engineers define develop and document the processes in designing safety-related instrument systems to reduce the risk of a hazardous event and eliminate the risks by defining the safety functions to be provided.

Equipment design and selection of items that include electrical distribution, hazardous area electrical systems, instrumentation in hazardous areas, control and telemetry are undertaken byLloyd Alman’s experts in Electrical, Instrumentation and Software. This includes the knowledge of pipeline offtake and LP gas holder storage equipment.

Competent Design Authority (CDA)
How: By the use of a formal Modification Control Procedure to control every phase of work from design, to commissioning and record retention. This will ensure compliance with industry standards and legislation, in particular, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the Construction and Design (Management) Regulations 1994.
Input: Customer design submissions
Output: New works and modifications carried out to existing plant / equipment located on operational gas sitesare conducted in an appropriate manner to meet
industry standards and legislation requirements.

Process
Lloyd Alman uses a formal design appraisal process. The design appraisal process applies to all Instrument, Electrical and Software systems and works on pipeline offtake and storage installations. The role of the Competent Design Authority (CDA) is undertaken by Lloyd Alman Engineers when applied to National Grid (NG) designs and modifications.

Lloyd Alman have undertaken significant number of design reviews, design audits, design appraisals and assessments over the full range of Electrical, Instrumentation and Software disciplines. Lloyd Alman experts are the appointed Competent Design Authority in all these disciplines. We believe no other organisation has the depth and breadth of expertise in this field as we have written, applied and amended the process and have briefed the process out to NG and 12 design associations.

The benefits of having Lloyd Alman perform this role as a single organisation, are:-

1. Customer Service. Our design appraisers have ready access to all of LA’s highly qualified and experienced engineers.
2. Compliance. It is a fundamental element of the design appraisal process that compliance to National and
International codes and specs are implemented. A major benefit from using Lloyd Alman experts as the CDA is that our engineers and staff write and update many specifications in their daily work as well as undertaking assessments and appraisals.
3. Control of the Business. The design process, if badly managed, can cost a company both financially and by harming their reputation. Lloyd Alman have long experience of gas industry design.

The way Lloyd Alman controls the management of the CDA role is as follows:

• By the implementation of the Management Procedure for Control of Modifications T/PR/G17.
• By the establishment of the Competent Design Authority for all disciplines.
• By the assessment and interview process for the appointment of Approvers and Appraisers.