Maintworld 4/2016

RELIABILITY
performance monitoring (see Figure 3).
As the operating baseline for infrastructure
assets, digital engineering models
bring together schematics; engineering
analyses; network models; 3D models;
functional components, catalogues, and
specifications, as shown in Figure 3.
It is helpful to think of digital engineering
information as the digital DNA
for infrastructure assets – down to every
nut, bolt and screw. Just as doctors can
analyse human DNA to anticipate health
issues and personalize healthcare for
better health outcomes, companies can
harness the digital DNA of their assets to
personalize asset maintenance for better
TOTEX, maximized uptime and more.
For example, companies can manage
the performance of their assets far more
effectively when they have digital engineering
models that intelligently bring
together all infrastructure data. When IT
and OT systems connect with this ET data,
teams can view the asset performance
history, see all failure alerts, geo-coordinate
to the exact positioning within
the infrastructure asset, and drill down
into the 3D digital engineering model to
determine the cause of the alarm. Then
they can refer to the manufacturer’s degradation
data, access maintenance and
repair data information, and take corrective
action – all in seconds.
Harnessing the Power of
Continuous Surveying
Having an accurate frame of reference –
for example, capturing precisely located
photographs and videos and comparing
these over time – allows companies to
bring together OT, IT, and ET to support
asset performance modelling. New, photogrammetric
surveying methods allow
systems to keep these frames of reference
up to date. For example, Bentley’s ContextCapture
software is being used to turn
digital photography from UAVs and closeup
ground shots into accurate as-operated
3D models of infrastructure assets.
Rather than producing a point cloud,
the software generates a highly accurate
3D reality mesh that can be brought
directly into a 3D engineering environment,
and geo-coordinated for precise
real-world location, to design in context
or compare the digital engineering model
with the reality mesh – highlighting
differences between the digital design
and the actual conditions.
The 3D reality mesh can provide the
digital frame of reference aligning all IT,
Figure 3: Asset performance modelling
integrates 3D models with IT and OT
systems used to model asset performance.
OT, and ET data with the real world. Specific
components of the reality mesh can
be hyperlinked to relevant documents
and schematics, historical performance
data, and real-time asset monitoring
dashboards. When events occur or alerts
are triggered, users can navigate their assets
through the 3D mesh and then drill
down to related maintenance and repair
manuals and more (see Figure 4). The
entire experience is immersive, highly
accurate, and based on the latest data.
Engineering in Context
These same technologies also allow designers
to engineer – and reengineer – in
context. For example, when making the
decision to repair, replace or remove,
rather than starting from scratch or
using an existing design model, the engineer
or designer can use the continuously
surveyed model of the plant or
asset as the accurate, 3D representation
for the decision. They can walk through
the model virtually and explore the options
for adding or replacing with new
equipment right in the context of the 3D
reality mesh.
Once the engineering is approved and
construction or replacement begins, the
same continuous surveying technique
can continuously generate a new 3D
reality mesh to track progress and finally
create the new point of reference for
IT, OT, and ET. Everyone involved can
instantly see conditions change as construction
progresses – and once work is
complete, owner-operators can continuously
monitor and model assets to assess
conditions, drill down into alerts and issues,
take informed action, and optimize
asset performance.
Seamless Integration of
Processes and Information
We are at an incredibly exciting convergence
in the world of asset management.
The ability to work in a comprehensive
modelling environment, leveraging
ContextCapture and 3D reality mesh
technologies, and connecting with the
Industrial Internet of Things through asset
management and predictive analytics
software, companies can converge their
information technology, operational
technology and engineering technology
– and seamlessly integrate processes and
information flows between them.
The next generation of engineers –
digital natives – will no doubt find ways
to exploit this convergence in unprecedented
ways. We can realize immediate
benefits today, by using these technologies
to make more informed decisions
regarding when to repair, retire, or replace
assets so that they are safer, more
reliable, and maximally efficient over
their operating life.
Figure 4: Users can utilize 3D meshes as an immersive environment for visual operations.
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