P&ID nomenclature—such as line numbering, equipment numbering, instrumentation, and inline assets—is crucial for maintaining clarity and organisation across process sites. While there’s no universal standard, nomenclature is often tailored to align with a site’s asset management or maintenance systems. This flexibility allows systems to be adapted to a site’s specific operational needs.
Process sites can vary widely, from chemical storage and refining to food production, water treatment, and biofuels, meaning a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. Neonex Digital can collaborate with your team to adopt an existing standard or develop a new one, ensuring it suits your site and engineering practices. Our goal is to create a system that improves efficiency, is easy to understand, and meets your unique requirements.
Keep it Simple
The nomenclatures you implement, must profide a function, but equally must be easy to read, operate and maintain
pipelinenumbers
process or utility
The ability to define if the pipeline operates as part of the process or as a utility/
insulation
Is the line insulated, this can also include the type/
unique identifier
A simple 4 or 5 digit number which makes the line unique/
heat tracing
Is their steam or electrical tracing/
material and pressure class
Carbon, Stainless, Galvanised Steel operating at 150 or 300lb/
product or service
Categorising a lines product, is especially useful/
function
Function codes to define what the line is used for relief, Suction, Discharge, Jetty, Import and Loading to name a few/
The properties within a line number can be used to colour-code Smart P&IDs, visually representing their values for enhanced clarity and quick reference.
p&idnomenclatures
Below is a handful of examples which can be implemeented for your asset codes, along with a unique number. For Instrumentation codes please see our P&ID Instrumentation page.
