Pre-Commissioning
Demonstrated Value When It Matters Most
Table of Contents:
The value B&W provides to its customers is simple—properly planning out and executing pre-commissioning activities and pre-commissioning cleaning means major cost savings and staying on schedule.
As the oil and gas industry continues to grow, the demand for safe, high-quality products being delivered to the market grows with it. To meet this demand, refineries and petrochemical plants are increasing output by expanding existing production facilities or building new ones.
Before startup, it’s essential that all newly constructed systems on these projects are cleaned and tested properly. That’s where pre-commissioning comes into play.
What is Pre-Commissioning?
Pre-commissioning refers to the process of testing, cleaning and verifying the functionality of equipment and systems prior to their operation at your plant.

Why Is Effective Pre-Commissioning Important?
Cost Savings
Failing to effectively plan and execute a project’s pre-commissioning and commissioning cleaning can significantly increase project costs and delays. By conducting effective cleaning prior to startup, you can prevent costly downtime and not repeat activities during commissioning.
Total Investment Value Savings of 1-5%
Consider pre-commissioning cleaning services during the design phase of your project, and you could save an estimated 1-5% of its total investment value. It’s much more cost-effective to design systems with cleaning in mind from the start than to make modifications after construction, perform avoidable rework or risk delays and equipment damage during startup.
Safety
It may be difficult to believe, but the B&W team has encountered a wide range of foreign material left behind in piping systems during construction, including:
- Pebbles
- Ladder sections
- Scaffold legs
- Hard hats
- Grinding wheels
- Welding rods
Foreign material left in piping and other critical systems can create serious risks when a facility is placed into service. Once exposed to operating pressures, temperatures and flow velocities, even relatively small debris can damage turbines, valves and other critical equipment, contribute to startup issues and create potential safety hazards.
Pre-commissioning cleaning services, such as steam blowing and AquaLazing, are specifically designed to remove construction debris and other contaminants before systems are placed into service. Effective pre-commissioning cleaning is an important step in preparing systems for a safe, reliable startup.

By identifying and removing foreign material and contaminants before startup, pre-commissioning cleaning helps protect personnel and equipment, reduce the risk of equipment damage or failure and minimize avoidable startup delays and downtime.
Efficiency and Reliability
Effective pre-commissioning cleaning helps ensure critical systems are prepared to perform as designed from the start. Removing construction debris, contaminants, mill scale and other foreign material before startup helps protect equipment, maintain system performance and reduce the risk of issues during commissioning and early operation.
A properly cleaned system can also reduce unnecessary maintenance and corrective work after startup. By addressing cleanliness requirements before systems are placed into service, projects can achieve a smoother startup and provide operations teams with systems that are better prepared for safe, efficient and reliable operation.
The B&W Pre-Commissioning Difference
What makes B&W different as a pre-commissioning cleaning partner? Don’t take it from us—here’s what a few of our clients have to say.
B&W supports some of the world’s largest and most complex energy and industrial projects, partnering with leading EPCs and owners to safely and effectively prepare critical systems for startup.
When you work with us, you get:
- Facilities designed and built with pre-commissioning cleaning requirements in mind
- Fewer delays and cost overruns that result from late construction modifications needed to facilitate system cleaning
- A team of plant pre-commissioning experts with an average of 25+ years of industry experience
- Customized solutions based on the specific needs of your facility
- One company that can perform multiple pre-commissioning cleaning disciplines
- High-quality, ISO 9001:2015-certified pre-commissioning services
- Proven technology and purpose-built equipment to clean your facility’s systems
- Capability to continue supporting maintenance and turnaround cleaning after the facility enters operation
Want to learn more about how B&W’s pre-commissioning services could benefit your project?