Field notes: commissioning drives when the schedule is not negotiable

Two published DUCHENG project records — a nickel smelter in Indonesia and a crude-oil terminal in West Africa — and what schedule-critical commissioning actually involves.

Commissioning is drive service under a deadline. When a plant is starting up, the drives are one system among hundreds converging on a date — and the date rarely moves. Two of DUCHENG’s published project records show what this work looks like in practice.

Indonesia: first ignition at a nickel project

At the Hanrui nickel project in Indonesia, two DUCHENG engineers supported the run-up to a scheduled first ignition: calibrating drive parameters, running performance tests, and inspecting operating risks across the drive systems before the milestone. The ignition proceeded on schedule — which is the entire job description of commissioning support.

West Africa: four MV drives at a crude-loading terminal

At the Sèmè terminal of the Niger–Benin pipeline, four medium-voltage drives for loading pumps had to enter service ahead of the terminal’s first crude loading in 2024 — in high-salinity coastal conditions, and with components that had been damaged in transit. The problems were resolved on site in coordination with the EPC contractor, and the drives entered service. The project’s operations department later sent a letter of appreciation (February 2025).

What schedule-critical commissioning involves

• —Parameter work: matching drive configuration to the real motor, load and process — not the design assumption.
• —Performance testing before the milestone, so surprises surface while there is still time to fix them.
• —Risk inspection: finding transit damage, environmental exposure and installation issues before energization.
• —Coordination: commissioning happens inside someone else’s critical path, alongside the EPC and plant teams.