the number one priority ...., page-7

My gripe is that commissioning is harder than most people think. It also takes longer than most people expect.

Sometimes, for instance Cresent (Barnicoat), they never get it right.

I have made a career out of commissioning because I thrive on the challenge. I find it mildly amusing that some MD's, especially of the exploration geologist kind, didn't even know they were going to be in a world of pain.

For example, the last commissioning job I did, due to budget constraints no instrument air system was installed. Instead they bought a compressor from Super Cheap and plugged that in. Instrument air needs to be dry and clean. At night condesation would form in the lines from this Super Cheap job. The water got into the orifaces in the control valves and the we lost control of the circuit. This is only one example from that job, there were many others.

Meanwhile, the miners were driving around in new V8 Landcruisers, and we were trying to run a mill on a $99 air compressor from Super Cheap.

Very funny stuff.