An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Reading and Using P&IDs, PFDs and Process Documents
A practical guide to reading key process documents.
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 4,000
Starting From
12 Apr 2027
Reading and Using P&IDs, PFDs and Process Documents
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Reading and Using P&IDs, PFDs and Process Documents - SF-RPID-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF-RPID-PEA27 | 12 - 16 Apr 2027 | 10 AM CST | 5 Days - 4 Hours / Day |
Online |
USD |
4000 |
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Reading and Using P&IDs, PFDs and Process Documents
This training teaches participants to read and use the drawings and documents that define a process facility. It covers block flow diagrams, process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams, equipment and instrument symbology, line numbering and piping class, cause and effect charts, datasheets and specifications. It also covers how these documents are used in daily operations, isolation planning, HAZOP studies and management of change.
Description
Every decision made about a process facility is recorded in a drawing or a document. The piping and instrumentation diagram is the single most important of these. It defines every line, every valve, every instrument, every interlock and every relief path in the plant, and it is the reference document used for operations, maintenance, isolation, hazard studies, modification and incident investigation. An engineer or operator who cannot read a P&ID fluently is working from partial information about the plant they are responsible for.
This training builds that fluency systematically. It starts with the structure of the engineering document set and how the documents relate to one another, then works through drawing conventions, equipment symbols, line numbering and piping class identification, valve and fitting symbology, instrument tag numbers under ISA S5.1, signal line conventions, control loop representation, interlock and shutdown notation, and relief and blowdown system representation. Each convention is taught against real drawing extracts rather than abstract symbol tables. The training then covers the practical application of these documents: tracing a process path, identifying isolation points, preparing for a HAZOP, checking a modification, and verifying that as-built drawings match the plant.
Process drawings are the controlled record of what a facility is. When a plant is designed, the P&ID is where the design is agreed. When it is built, the P&ID is what it is built against. When it is operated, the P&ID defines the normal line-up. When it is isolated for maintenance, the P&ID identifies the isolation points and the trapped inventory. When it is studied for hazards, the P&ID is the node-by-node basis of the HAZOP. When something goes wrong, the P&ID is the first document the investigation opens.
This makes drawing literacy a competence requirement rather than a specialist skill. Isolation errors, missed relief paths, incorrect valve line-ups and unrecognised interlocks are recurring contributors to process safety incidents, and in most cases the information needed to prevent them was on the drawing. The gap is not information availability but the ability to read it correctly and completely.
Drawing conventions are also standardised for a reason. Instrument tagging under ISA S5.1, line numbering that carries fluid service and piping class, and consistent equipment symbology allow an engineer to move between facilities, operators and contractors and still read the documentation. Understanding the logic behind the conventions, rather than memorising symbols, is what makes that transferability possible.
Finally, drawing accuracy degrades. Plants are modified, temporary arrangements become permanent, and as-built updates fall behind. Knowing how to check a drawing against the plant, and how the management of change process is supposed to keep them aligned, is part of using these documents responsibly.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Identify the documents that make up a facility engineering document set and explain the purpose and relationship of each
- Interpret block flow diagrams and process flow diagrams, including stream numbering and heat and material balance data
- Read piping and instrumentation diagrams in full, including equipment, piping, valves, instruments, interlocks and relief systems
- Decode line numbers, piping class designations, fluid service codes and equipment tag numbers
- Interpret instrument symbology and tag numbers in accordance with ISA S5.1 conventions
- Trace a control loop, an interlock and a shutdown action across a drawing set and explain its function
- Locate relief, blowdown, drain and vent paths on a P&ID and explain the protection they provide
- Apply P&IDs to operational tasks including line-up verification, isolation planning and permit preparation
- Use drawings correctly in HAZOP studies, management of change reviews and as-built verification
The training is built around progressive reading of real drawing extracts. Conventions are introduced in the order they appear on a drawing, and each convention is immediately applied to a working example before the next is added, so participants build fluency rather than a symbol vocabulary. Extended drawing walkthroughs cover complete process units, with participants tracing process paths, control loops, interlocks and relief routes across connected sheets. The training also uses documented incidents in which drawing misreading or drawing inaccuracy contributed to the outcome, and participants are encouraged to bring drawings from their own facilities for structured group review.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Reduce isolation and line-up errors by improving the accuracy with which operations and maintenance staff read plant drawings
- Improve the quality of HAZOP, LOPA and design review participation from operations and technical staff
- Strengthen management of change discipline through better verification of drawing impact for proposed modifications
- Shorten troubleshooting and incident investigation time by enabling staff to reconstruct plant configuration from documentation
- Improve the quality of technical review of contractor and vendor drawing deliverables
- Raise the general standard of communication between operations, engineering and project teams by establishing a common documentation language
Participants will:
- Read a P&ID fluently and completely, including instrumentation, interlocks and relief systems
- Decode line numbers, tag numbers and piping class designations without reference to a legend
- Trace process, control and safety paths confidently across multi-sheet drawing sets
- Contribute effectively to hazard studies, design reviews and modification assessments
- Identify discrepancies between drawings and the plant as installed
- Build a documentation competence that applies across facilities, operators and contractors
- Process, facilities and production engineers
- Operations supervisors, panel operators and field operators
- Maintenance, instrument and electrical technicians and engineers
- Inspection, integrity and reliability personnel
- Project, commissioning and start-up engineers
- HSE and process safety practitioners taking part in hazard studies
- Graduate engineers and technical staff new to process facilities
Module 1 - The Facility Engineering Document Set
- Purpose and hierarchy of process engineering documents
- Block flow diagrams, process flow diagrams and piping and instrumentation diagrams
- Utility flow diagrams and utility distribution documents
- Equipment lists, line lists, valve lists and instrument index
- Datasheets and specifications for equipment, instruments and piping
- Cause and effect charts, shutdown keys and safeguarding memoranda
- Plot plans, layout drawings, isometrics and hazardous area classification drawings
- Document numbering, revision control, hold notation and approval status
Module 2 - Block Flow and Process Flow Diagrams
- Block flow diagrams and process configuration at concept level
- Purpose and scope of the process flow diagram
- Major equipment representation and equipment numbering
- Stream identification, stream numbering and stream tables
- Heat and material balance data and its interpretation
- Operating cases: design, turndown, start-up and upset conditions
- Reading process conditions of pressure, temperature, flow and composition
- Relationship between the PFD and the P&ID
Module 3 - P&ID Structure and Drawing Conventions
- Purpose and scope of the piping and instrumentation diagram
- Sheet layout, title block, legend sheets and general notes
- Drawing continuation, off-page connectors and cross-referencing between sheets
- Battery limits, unit boundaries and interface points
- Revision clouds, hold markings and issue status
- Company and project drawing standards and their variation
- As-built status and drawing accuracy in operating plants
Module 4 - Equipment Symbols and Tagging
- Vessel, separator, tank and column representation
- Heat exchangers, air coolers and fired equipment symbols
- Pumps, compressors and drivers
- Package units and vendor scope representation
- Equipment tag number structure and service codes
- Equipment data shown on the drawing: capacity, duty, design conditions
- Spare and standby equipment representation
Module 5 - Piping, Line Numbering and Piping Class
- Line number structure: size, service, sequence, piping class, insulation
- Fluid service codes and their meaning
- Piping class designation and the piping specification it references
- Line size changes, reducers and specification breaks
- Insulation and heat tracing notation
- Slope, no-pocket, free-draining and other piping requirements on drawings
- Tie-in points, spades, spectacle blinds and removable spools
- Sample points, drains, vents and utility connections
Module 6 - Valves, Fittings and In-line Items
- Valve symbols by type: gate, globe, ball, butterfly, plug, check, needle
- Manual, actuated and control valve representation
- Fail-safe position notation: fail open, fail closed, fail last
- Relief valves, rupture discs and combined arrangements
- Strainers, filters, flame arrestors, silencers and restriction orifices
- Steam traps, sight glasses, flexible connections and expansion joints
- Car-sealed and locked valve notation and its safety significance
Module 7 - Instrumentation Symbology
- ISA S5.1 instrument identification structure
- First letter, succeeding letters and loop number conventions
- Instrument bubbles: field mounted, panel mounted, shared display, computer function
- Measured variable identification: pressure, temperature, level, flow, analysis
- Signal line conventions: pneumatic, electrical, hydraulic, software, data link
- Primary elements, transmitters, indicators, recorders and switches
- Local instrumentation, local panels and remote systems
- Instrument tag numbers and their link to the instrument index and datasheets
Module 8 - Control Loops, Interlocks and Shutdown Systems
- Reading a simple control loop on a P&ID: element, transmitter, controller, final element
- Cascade, ratio, override, split range and feedforward loop representation
- Typical facility loops: separator level, separator pressure, compressor anti-surge, flow control
- Interlock notation and logic references
- Safety instrumented functions and their drawing representation
- Cause and effect charts and how they link to the P&ID
- Emergency shutdown levels and their identification on drawings
- Trip settings, alarm settings and set point information
Module 9 - Safety, Relief and Utility Systems on Drawings
- Relief valve routing, discharge headers and flare system representation
- Blowdown and depressurisation systems
- Closed and open drain systems
- Vent systems, atmospheric discharges and dispersion considerations
- Fire and gas detection and fire protection system drawings
- Utility systems: instrument air, plant air, nitrogen, cooling and heating medium, fuel gas
- Chemical injection systems and their tie-ins
- Hazardous area classification drawings and their relationship to the P&ID
Module 10 - Applying Drawings in Operations and Engineering
- Tracing a process path from feed to product across multiple sheets
- Verifying plant line-up against the drawing
- Identifying isolation points, trapped inventory and blind locations for maintenance
- Preparing permits and isolation certificates from drawings
- Using P&IDs as HAZOP nodes and preparing drawings for a hazard study
- Assessing a proposed modification against the drawing set under management of change
- As-built verification, field walkdowns and drawing correction
- Document control responsibilities and consequences of uncontrolled drawings
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
This course is led by a process engineering documentation specialist with more than 20 years in the oil and gas industry, built on reading the drawings that define how a facility is built, operated and protected.
He currently holds process engineering leadership responsibility with a major operator managing engineering documentation across facility design and operations, covering P&ID development, PFD interpretation and line list management — the disciplines that keep facility documentation accurate and usable throughout a plant's life. Earlier in his career he served as a process engineer on major facility developments, leading document control and symbology standardisation work across large engineering document sets. Across two decades he has trained numerous engineers, operators and technical staff on reading and applying process documentation in operations, safety studies and modification work.
That operating background shapes how he teaches. Delegates learn not only how P&IDs and PFDs are meant to be drawn, but how they are actually used in the field — where symbology and tag numbering conventions cause confusion, why line lists and cause and effect charts matter for safety studies, what makes documents reliable for modification work, how these documents are applied during operations and troubleshooting, and how engineering and operations teams keep documentation aligned with the as-built facility. Every module is anchored in real engineering documents, practical scenarios and lessons from using these documents in the field.
His subject coverage spans the full documentation set: block flow and process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams, symbology, tag numbering, line lists, cause and effect charts and the practical use of these documents in operations, safety studies and modification work.
He has delivered engineering documentation training for many years across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, working with mixed groups of engineers, operators and technical staff at every level of experience. He is an active contributor to industry forums on process engineering documentation and standards.
His approach is practical, discussion-led and grounded in real engineering documentation — not the textbook.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
