Identification (TAG) of Instruments and Electrical Instalations

By: Bardo Arce

Today, in industry, there is no a strong standard or best practice within the industry to regulate the identification (tag) of: multi-conductor control cables, junction boxes, cabinets, panels, cables trench, stub-up, electrical manhole and instruments manhole. 

This causes inconveniences at the time of the design and construction of facilities, because if there is no identification (tag) is difficult to control and inspect what this being constructed, the problem persists when the facilities are built, when you want to upgrade or add modifications to the existing, you do not find information about the tag of these items to match with engineering drawings. 

For this reason, I present a proposal for identifying simple and easy to remember for these items, this proposal was years of installation experience and can take a little from international standards.

List of the items for identifying:

1. Junction boxes
2. Cabinets and Control Panels
3. Conduit for control an Power Cables (underground or above)
4. Multiconductor Control Cables
5. Terminal blocks
6. Cables Trench
7. Electrical and control Manhole
8. Stub-ups

1. Junction Boxes

Identification for junction boxes should be made of acrylic sheet and the colors are white background with black letters, must be installed riveted or bolted on the front of the box, and must contain the information as shown below:

Identification of Junction Boxes 

2. Cabinets and Control Panels

Identification for cabinets and control panels should be made of acrylic sheet and the colors are white background with black letters, must be installed riveted or bolted on the front of the box, and must contain the information as shown below:

Identification of Cabinets and Control Panels

3. Conduit for control an Power Cables (underground or above):

Conduits must be identified with a stainless steel plate that should be attached to them with a stainless steel wire, and must contain the information as shown below:

Identification of Conduits

4. Multiconductor Control Cable:

4.1) For the identification of pairs of simple or multiple conductor cable from the instrument to the junction box, we must use the identification of the instrument belongs to this cable.

Example 1: 
A pair-wire from the valve SDV-4E0210 to a junction box shall be identified as following: 

SDV-4E0210

Example 2: 
A pair-wire from the pressure transmitter PIT-4E0110 to a flow computer shall be identified as following: 

PIT-4E0110

4.2) For the identification of multiconductor with more than a pair-wire from junction boxes, marshalling, electrical panels to control rooms or rooms power shall be contain the information as shown below:

Identification of Multi-conductors Control Cables

5. Terminal Blocks:

Terminal Block must be identified as shown below:

Identification of Terminal Blocks

6. Cables Trench:

Cables Trench must be identified as shown below:

Identification of Cables Trench

7. Electrical and control Manhole:

Electrical and control Manhole or handhole must be identified as shown below:

Identification of Manhole or handhole

8. Stub-ups:

Electrical and control stub-ups must be identified as shown below:

Identification of Stub-ups

o     o     o