Documentation and operation are different jobs
A P&ID records process equipment, piping, instrumentation, and functional relationships. An HMI shows current state and supports action. Reusing a familiar silhouette can help, but copying an entire drawing into an operating display usually creates noise.
Treat the project legend as authoritative. Line types, abbreviations, numbering, and symbol variants can differ across owners, industries, and drawing sets.
Four visual layers
| Layer | Purpose | HMI treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Identifies process assets and basic form. | Retain recognition; add live state separately. |
| Piping | Shows process connectivity and direction. | Simplify to the flow needed for operation. |
| Instrumentation | Identifies measurement and control functions. | Expose values, quality, mode, and access. |
| Signals | Shows functional connections. | Use selectively; avoid turning the display into a wiring diagram. |
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Sources and boundaries
KonnectSymbols is independently developed and is not endorsed by ISA, IEC, or ISO. These educational notes do not reproduce or replace current standards, project specifications, regulations, or an approved project legend.
- ANSI/ISA-5.1-2024 Instrumentation Symbols and IdentificationInternational Society of Automation. Official publisher page for the current ISA-5.1 edition and related technical reports.
- ISO 10628-1:2014International Organization for Standardization. Official publisher page for diagrams for the chemical and petrochemical industry.