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Machinery Commissioning & Testing: FAT, SAT & Baseline

Know what to witness at works test, run a proper site acceptance and capture the baseline data every future diagnosis de

Created byProjectEngPro Engineering and Project Management

Last updated 10/2026

English

What you'll learn

Build an inspection and test plan with hold, witness and review points that mean something
Decide what to witness at the works and what can safely be accepted on certificate
Interpret a mechanical running test, its vibration acceptance criteria and temperature stabilisation
Judge whether a performance test proves what it claims given the measurement uncertainty involved
Assess when string testing or full load full pressure testing is justified against its cost
Verify foundation acceptance, baseplate setting, grouting and soft foot before the machine runs
Carry out cold alignment with a thermal growth allowance and measure pipe strain at the flanges
Manage lube oil flushing to a cleanliness acceptance that protects the bearings
Run a first start with defined abort criteria and monitor the run-in properly
Capture the baseline vibration signature, orbit and operating data that future diagnosis will depend on

Course content

5 sections • 20 lectures • 3h 18m total length

Why Testing Matters9:04
What testing proves and what it cannot, and the defects found at works against those found on site. Covers the cost differential of finding a problem at each stage and the tests routinely waived.
The Testing Sequence10:16
Shop tests, works acceptance, site installation checks, pre-commissioning, commissioning and performance demonstration. Explains what each stage establishes and the handover points between them.
Test Specification & Planning11:19
Building the inspection and test plan with hold, witness and review points. Covers the test procedure and its approval, instrumentation accuracy, and agreeing acceptance criteria before the test rather than during it.
Witnessing & Documentation10:32
What to witness against what to accept on certificate, and the authority the witness carries. Covers recording deviations, their disposition, and the value of the test record years later.

Mechanical Running Test10:06
The four hour mechanical running test and its purpose, with vibration acceptance criteria. Covers bearing temperature stabilisation, the baseline signature captured, and what a running test cannot demonstrate.
Works Performance Testing9:52
Performance test codes and their application, and test conditions equivalent to design. Covers measurement uncertainty and its effect on acceptance, tolerance bands, and testing on air or nitrogen corrected to process gas.
String Testing & Complete Unit Testing9:09
Testing the train rather than the machine, and verifying torsional behaviour. Covers auxiliary system integration and when the cost and schedule impact of a string test is justified against the risk it removes.
Special Tests & Optional Testing9:39
Full load full pressure testing, sound level testing and auxiliary equipment testing. Covers spare rotor testing and interchangeability, and which optional tests are worth paying for on critical machines.

Receipt, Storage & Preservation9:12
Receipt inspection and damage assessment, and long term storage requirements. Covers rotation and preservation, nitrogen blanketing and desiccant, and the damage that occurs between works test and installation.
Foundation, Grouting & Setting10:36
Foundation acceptance and verification, baseplate setting and levelling. Covers grouting method and cure, soft foot check and correction, and the errors that cause chronic vibration.
Alignment & Pipe Strain9:40
Cold alignment with a thermal growth allowance, and laser alignment method and tolerance. Covers the alignment record, pipe strain measurement at the flanges, and the sequence relative to piping connection.
Auxiliary System Flushing & Preparation9:24
Lube oil flushing and cleanliness acceptance, and seal system preparation. Covers instrument air and utility connection and the consequence of cutting a flush short.

Pre-Start Checks & First Rotation11:10
The pre-start checklist and its verification, manual rotation and turning gear. Covers running auxiliary systems before the machine, what to watch at first rotation, and the abort criteria during first start.
Run-In & Load Ramping9:42
Run-in duration and purpose, and load ramping constraints. Covers bearing temperature and vibration monitoring during ramp, transient data worth capturing, and constraints imposed by the driven machine.
Site Performance Testing9:11
Site test conditions and their variability, and the measurement accuracy achievable on site. Covers correcting site data to guarantee conditions and the contractual disputes that arise over site performance.
Baseline Data Capture10:18
The vibration signature at commissioning as the reference for the machine life. Covers bearing temperatures, performance point, orbit and shaft centreline position — the data every future diagnosis depends on.

Punch Listing & Defect Management9:43
Punch list categories and their significance for handover, and defects that prevent operation. Covers vendor responsibility, warranty and tracking to close-out.
Documentation & the Data Book9:54
The machinery data book and its content, including test records, certificates and as-built drawings. Covers operating manuals, spare parts lists and the documentation gaps found years later.
Warranty & Performance Guarantees10:54
Warranty terms and duration, and performance guarantees and liquidated damages. Covers the evidence required to make a claim and guarantees that expire before the machine is fully loaded.
Handover to Operations & Maintenance9:12
Operator and maintainer training, and procedures available at handover. Covers spares availability on day one and the handover that leaves operations unsupported.

Requirements

No prior commissioning experience is required — the testing sequence is built from first principles
Any engineering or technical background is enough to follow the course
No specialist calculation is required
No software or licence needed
Helpful but not essential: familiarity with rotating machinery or project execution

Description

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.

A machine is tested at the works, installed, commissioned and handed over. Eight years later it starts vibrating and nobody can say whether it was ever any better, because the baseline was never captured.

Commissioning is treated as a schedule milestone rather than the last chance to establish what good looks like. It is both.

In this course you will learn how to test, witness, commission and record properly.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TO DO

By the end of this course you will be able to:

● Build an inspection and test plan with meaningful hold and witness points

● Decide what to witness at the works and what to accept on certificate

● Interpret a mechanical running test and its acceptance criteria

● Judge whether a performance test proves what it claims, given measurement uncertainty

● Verify foundation, grouting, soft foot and alignment before the machine ever runs

● Manage lube oil flushing to a cleanliness acceptance that actually protects the bearings

● Run a first start with clear abort criteria

● Capture the baseline data that every future diagnosis will depend on

HOW THE COURSE IS TAUGHT

● Testing explained by what each stage proves and what it cannot

● Built around the defects that get found late and the cost differential of finding them early

● Honest about which tests are routinely waived and what that actually costs

● Five section quizzes and a final exam

● Every presentation is included as a downloadable PDF, so you keep the slides as a desk reference after the course

● Includes the handover gaps that leave operations unsupported on day one

WHAT IS COVERED

● Why testing matters, and the cost differential of finding a defect at each stage

● The testing sequence from shop test through to performance demonstration

● The inspection and test plan, hold and witness points, and agreeing acceptance criteria in advance

● Mechanical running test — duration, vibration acceptance and bearing temperature stabilisation

● Performance testing, test codes, measurement uncertainty and tolerance bands

● String testing and complete unit testing, and when the cost is justified

● Optional tests worth paying for on critical machines

● Receipt inspection, storage, preservation and the damage that occurs before installation

● Foundation acceptance, baseplate setting, grouting and soft foot

● Cold alignment, thermal growth allowance and pipe strain measurement

● Lube oil flushing and cleanliness acceptance

● Pre-start checks, first rotation, run-in and load ramping

● Site performance testing, its variability and the contractual disputes it causes

● Baseline data capture, punch listing, documentation and warranty

WHO THIS IS FOR

● Project and commissioning engineers responsible for machinery packages

● Rotating equipment engineers witnessing works and site tests

● Site and installation engineers setting, grouting and aligning machinery

● Reliability engineers who inherit the machine and its baseline data

● Operations engineers taking handover of a new machine

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

I am a Chartered Engineer (CEng MIMechE) with over fifteen years in oil and gas, energy and industrial infrastructure, across a range of projects and disciplines.

For more than five years I have also been teaching. Close to twenty thousand engineers have taken my courses, which hold an average rating of 4.26 across the catalogue.

I build these courses because I am genuinely interested in how engineering works and why it fails, and because most technical subjects are taught far worse than they need to be. My aim every time is to produce the course I would have wanted when I first met the subject — practical, honest about what actually matters, and free of the padding that wastes your time.

REQUIREMENTS

No prior commissioning experience is required — the testing sequence is built from first principles. Any engineering or technical background is enough to follow it.

START NOW

Enrol today and work through it at your own pace, with every presentation available as a downloadable PDF, lifetime access and every future update included.

Who this course is for:

Project and commissioning engineers responsible for machinery packages on capital projects
Rotating equipment engineers witnessing works tests and site acceptance
Site and installation engineers setting, grouting, aligning and connecting machinery
Reliability engineers who inherit the machine and depend on its commissioning records
Operations engineers taking handover of new machinery and its documentation
Graduate engineers entering project execution or machinery commissioning

Machinery Commissioning & Testing: FAT, SAT & Baseline

What you'll learn

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Course content

Machinery Commissioning: The Testing Framework4 lectures • 41min

Machinery Commissioning: Shop Tests4 lectures • 39min

Machinery Commissioning: Site Installation & Pre-Commissioning4 lectures • 39min

Machinery Commissioning: Commissioning & Performance4 lectures • 40min

Machinery Commissioning: Handover, Defects & Close-Out4 lectures • 40min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: