Instrumentation 路 Free
P&ID Reading and Instrumentation Design Documents
Read any P&ID like an EPC engineer, then produce the instrument design documents design offices hire for: ISA 5.1 symbols and tags, loops, interlocks and trips, line numbers and spec breaks, the instrument index and I/O list, datasheets, loop diagrams, hook-ups, junction box and cable schedules, layouts, vendor review and an overview of Intergraph Smart Instrumentation (SPI).
Inside the course
From the lessons
BFD, PFD and P&ID: who makes each and when
LearnChemE
Reading control loops, interlocks, SIS and alarms on a P&ID
InstruNexus
Instrument index and I/O list, with the DCS, SIS and fire and gas split
InstruNexus
Loop diagrams (ISA 5.4)
InstruNexus
Junction box, marshalling and cable schedules
WOIN - World of Instrumentation
Vendor document review and the EPC deliverable flow (IFR, IFC)
eFunda Engineers
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Tell a BFD, a PFD and a P&ID apart and know who issues each; decode any ISA 5.1 tag and symbol; trace control loops, interlocks, SIS trips and alarms on a P&ID; decode line numbers and place spec breaks; build an instrument index and an I/O list with the DCS, SIS and fire and gas split; fill an instrument datasheet and select ranges; draw a loop diagram to ISA 5.4 and check its voltage budget; draw a hook-up and its bill of materials; group junction boxes and fill cable and JB schedules; estimate cable lengths from a layout; review vendor documents through IFR to IFC; and explain what Intergraph Smart Instrumentation (SPI) does with the same data.
- Tell a BFD, a PFD and a P&ID apart and read a P&ID sheet in the right order
- Decode any ISA 5.1 tag and symbol, including location and signal lines
- Trace control loops, interlocks, SIS trips and alarm settings on a P&ID
- Decode line numbers, read piping classes and place spec breaks
- Build an instrument index and an I/O list with the DCS, SIS and fire and gas split
- Fill an instrument datasheet, choose ranges and check DP flow figures
- Draw a loop diagram to ISA 5.4, a hook-up with its BOM, and JB and cable schedules
- Review vendor documents through IFR to IFC and explain what SPI does with the data
For you
Taking P&ID Reading and Instrumentation Design Documents from the United States
- Free in the United States, as everywhere, and self-paced: lessons, notes and the final assessment are open at any hour, so your time zone and shift pattern do not matter.
- The optional certificate for learners in the United States is a one-off US$23.99. What you get for it
- Plants across the Americas most often run Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Inductive Automation; each has its own free course to take next.
- See automation and engineering jobs in the United States, and what the industry looks like in Houston, Detroit and Chicago.
- EDWartens also has a regional site for the United States, for classroom training and local support: edwartens.com/us.
The course project 路 about 16 hours
Instrument design pack for a production separator: index, I/O list, datasheets, loop diagram, hook-up and JB schedule
Draw one P&ID sheet for a two-phase production separator, then produce the instrument design documents a detailed design office would issue for it: the instrument index, the I/O list split between DCS and SIS, two datasheets, a loop diagram, a hook-up with its bill of materials and a junction box schedule. The sample pack shows every document for a gathering station in Gujarat.
Sample document pack, 8 documents, filled in for the scenario
- P&IDP&ID: production separator V-101, tag and line schedule
- Instrument indexInstrument index: V-101 separator
- I/O listI/O list: V-101 separator, DCS and SIS
- DatasheetDatasheet: PT-1001 pressure transmitter
- DatasheetDatasheet: LT-1002 guided wave radar level transmitter
- Loop drawingLoop diagram: PT-1001
- BOMHook-up HU-01: pressure transmitter, gas service, bill of materials
- JB scheduleJunction box schedule: JB-101 (DCS)
Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Course content
13 modules 路 37 lessons 路 11h 28m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01BFD, PFD and P&ID: who makes each and when5 lessons32m
- 02ISA 5.1 symbols and tag numbers3 lessons33m
- 03Reading control loops, interlocks, SIS and alarms on a P&ID2 lessons1h 28m
- 04Valves, line numbers, piping specifications and spec breaks3 lessons25m
- 05Instrument index and I/O list, with the DCS, SIS and fire and gas split3 lessons1h 4m
- 06Instrument datasheets: ISA 20 and IEC 60534 style forms3 lessons43m
- 07Loop diagrams (ISA 5.4)3 lessons1h 13m
- 08Hook-up drawings and the bill of materials2 lessons1h 13m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner to intermediate. For instrumentation, electrical and chemical engineering graduates, EPC design freshers and plant engineers. You should know what a transmitter and a control valve are; the 4 to 20 mA signal is explained where it is needed.
- Software
- A spreadsheet and a drawing tool. draw.io (diagrams.net) and LibreOffice are free; QElectroTech or LibreCAD suit loop diagrams. AutoCAD or Intergraph Smart Instrumentation (SPI) are useful but not required. What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None.
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Nothing to install
A spreadsheet and a free drawing tool are enough for every deliverable; draw.io also runs in a web browser.
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 01Free
draw.io (diagrams.net)
JGraph
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser at app.diagrams.net; the desktop app is published for Windows, macOS and Linux on the drawio-desktop GitHub releases page
- Account
- None needed
draw.io is free to use, and its source code is published under the Apache 2.0 licence. The desktop app works offline and saves files locally.
Steps
- 1.Open app.diagrams.net in a browser, or download the desktop app from the drawio-desktop releases page on GitHub.
- 2.Choose where to save (your device is fine) and create a blank diagram.
- 3.Search the shape library for P&ID and electrical shapes, or draw ISA 5.1 bubbles from circles and squares.
- 4.Save as .drawio, and export to PDF or PNG for submission.
- Draw one bubble with its tag, group it, and copy it: every instrument then matches.
- Keep each loop diagram on its own page of one file so the set stays together.
Official download pagedrawio.com - 02Free
LibreOffice
The Document Foundation
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11, macOS 11 or newer (Intel or Apple silicon), Linux
- Account
- None needed
- Size
- up to 1.5 GB of disk space on Windows
LibreOffice is free, open-source software under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, for any use including business. Calc is its spreadsheet.
Steps
- 1.Open the LibreOffice download page.
- 2.Check the page has picked your operating system, then select Download.
- 3.Run the installer (administrator rights are needed on Windows).
- 4.Start LibreOffice Calc for spreadsheet work.
- 5.Save as .xlsx if you need to share files with Excel users.
- Choose the latest main version unless your organisation asks for the older, more conservative release.
Official download pagelibreoffice.org
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
P&ID Reading and Instrumentation Design Documents at a glance
P&ID Reading and Instrumentation Design Documents is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for EPC instrument design freshers, plant engineers and E&I designers worldwide, including the Gulf. It has 13 modules and 11h 28m of video lessons by InstruNexus, ProLytX, RealPars and others, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- Free, for good. No trial, no card. The only paid item is the optional certificate, a small one-off fee.
- Who it is for
- EPC instrument design freshers, plant engineers and E&I designers worldwide, including the Gulf
- Format
- 13 self-paced modules, 11h 28m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. For instrumentation, electrical and chemical engineering graduates, EPC design freshers and plant engineers. You should know what a transmitter and a control valve are; the 4 to 20 mA signal is explained where it is needed.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- A spreadsheet and a drawing tool. draw.io (diagrams.net) and LibreOffice are free; QElectroTech or LibreCAD suit loop diagrams. AutoCAD or Intergraph Smart Instrumentation (SPI) are useful but not required.
- Hardware
- None.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- InstruNexus, ProLytX, RealPars, Piping Technology, LearnChemE, Kimray Inc, HardHat Engineer, eFunda Engineers (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
Pairs well with
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA PortalFrom zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three HoursThe first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.
PLC programming 路 FreeTIA Portal: Build a MachineOne machine, start to finish. Take a bottle filling line from a written specification and an I/O list to a structured S7-1200 program with a fill station, a capper, a reject sorter and an operator screen with alarms, then test it against a written record and archive it for hand-over. The lessons are the reference; the machine is yours, and it is what you submit.
Instrumentation 路 FreeInstrumentation for PLC EngineersThe half of the loop that is not code. Follow one measurement from the transmitter in the field, down the 4-20 mA loop, into the analog card, through NORM_X and SCALE_X into engineering units, out again to a valve, and back to the control room when the reading is wrong.More free courses: Free instrumentation and process control courses
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Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of P&ID Reading and Instrumentation Design Documents, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Who is this P&ID and instrument design course for?
It is for instrumentation, electrical and chemical engineering graduates, EPC design freshers, plant engineers and E&I designers who need to read P&IDs and produce instrument design documents, wherever EPC work is done.
What do I need to know before starting?
You need to know what a transmitter and a control valve are. The course explains the 4 to 20 mA signal where it is needed; if instruments are new to you, the Industrial Instrumentation and Process Control course is a good first step.
Which standards does the course follow?
It follows ANSI/ISA-5.1 for symbols and tags, ANSI/ISA-5.4 for loop diagrams, ISA-TR20.00.01 and IEC 60534-7 for datasheets, and refers to ISA-18.2, IEC 61511 and ASME B16.5 where they matter. Standard text is paraphrased; use the editions your project names.
Do I need SmartPlant Instrumentation (SPI) or AutoCAD?
No. Every exercise works in a spreadsheet and a free drawing tool such as draw.io. One module gives an overview of Intergraph Smart Instrumentation, formerly SmartPlant Instrumentation, which is licensed Hexagon software; the course is not SPI training.
How long does the P&ID Reading and Instrumentation Design Documents course take?
About 11.6 hours of video lessons and about 15 hours with the notes, worked problems and practice tasks, taken at your own pace. The optional project takes about 16 hours more.
Is the course free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the practice tasks, the project and the final assessment are free to learn. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate does the P&ID Reading and Instrumentation Design Documents course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final assessment at 60 percent, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not an ISA certification or a Hexagon SPI qualification.
What job does this lead to?
It prepares you for junior instrumentation design engineer and E&I designer roles in EPC companies and design offices, where the instrument index, I/O list, datasheets, loop diagrams, hook-ups and JB schedules are daily work. Go on to Instrument Calibration, Loop Checks and Commissioning for the site side.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for P&ID Reading and Instrumentation Design Documents
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
Learning is free. The certificate is optional.
Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$23.99, with a receipt.
Issued by EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.
Credits
Who made the video lessons
The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
- InstruNexusthe lessons on ISA 5.1 symbols, the instrument index, I/O lists, loop diagrams and hook-up drawings, and the Module 2 training sessions on reading P&IDs, cause and effect matrices, I/O lists, control valve datasheets, loop diagrams, hook-ups, termination drawings, cable routing layouts and material requisitions
- ProLytXthe SPI Boot Camp episodes on spec sheets, process data sheets, loop and tag creation, I/O loading, cables, wire connections and index reporting in Smart Instrumentation
- RealParsthe lessons on how to read a P&ID and how to interpret DCS and PLC symbols on it
- Piping Technologythe three-part series How to Read P&ID Diagrams: what a P&ID is, equipment and valve symbols, and a worked example
- LearnChemEthe short lesson on the basics of BFDs, PFDs and P&IDs
- Kimray Incthe lesson on reading an oil and gas P&ID with control valve symbols to ANSI/ISA 5.1
- HardHat Engineerthe guide to pipe classes and piping specifications
- Asad (I&C Engineer)the lesson on decoding a line number on a P&ID
- Amr Balbaa | Instrumentation & Controlthe lesson on ISA-5.1 symbols, tag numbers and instrument identification
- Deanna Eldredthe detailed walkthrough of instrumentation loop diagrams
- WOIN - World of Instrumentationthe practical design guidelines for junction box grouping
- Offshore Engineering Academythe lesson on vendor data and the inspection release certificate in EPCI procurement
- eFunda Engineersthe lessons on engineering discipline deliverables from basic design and FEED to detailed design, and the overview of SmartPlant Instrumentation
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.