cpp - Process technology for the chemical industry 02.2018

Unity copes with diversity
As Bigvand emphasises, “Our customers’
challenges clearly show that only unity can
cope with diversity”. This is ensured by EB’s
unified plant data model. All core disciplines,
from basic engineering with FEED up to
the pre-commissioning cause & effect
check, use it jointly, in parallel and even
simultaneously. They can base their specifications
directly on the information that colleagues
from other departments have just
created, because they see it immediately
with no need for data transfers and interfaces
or for synchronisation.
It is also much easier to integrate simulation,
ERP or 3D systems, for instance, if
unity exists. A web connection for cloud
and app engineering additionally facilitates
worldwide collaboration and makes it more
flexible.
The universal model in EB represents the basis for all core disciplines of plant
engineering and communication with complementary systems
From FEED to operation
Seamlessness starts with the FEED phase. It
initially benefits from EB’s openness and
automatically imports the results from the
simulation, for example with Aspen or Etap.
PFDs and worksheets immediately take over
the calculations: EB 2018 shows all consequences
of a particular scenario from the
rough flow diagram to the material balance
– automatically and in separate documents.
The process design then “simply” has to add
its specifications to the FEED scenario that is
ultimately commissioned. The P&ID represents
the collaborative core of all relevant
disciplines and its definitions are the starting
point for all further elaborations. “That’s
one more reason to allow all areas to access
this data directly”, Bigvand comments. EB
speeds up the creation of the flow diagram,
amongst other things, with a pipe class-specific
workflow and rule-based engineering.
This ensures, for example, that the entire
equipment assigned to a particular pipe is
automatically adapted to the specifications
for the pipe class concerned, for which TÜV
certification is also available on request.
Central means consistent
A plant is thoroughly tested with the help
of cause and effect documents prior to
commissioning. According to Bigvand, this
phase once again benefits especially from
EB’s versatile data model. C&E tables which
are absolutely reliable are key here. Up to
now, they have been created by compiling
information from different sources and different
disciplines, for example from P&IDs,
logic diagrams or other documents. Several
highly qualified experts spend weeks on this
task every time. EB, on the other hand,
extracts all necessary information from its
central data source and automatically creates
the report matrix. This ensures unprecedented
consistency and frees up important
engineering capacity.
The platform’s seamlessness continues with
support for plant operation, firstly with
web-based maintenance functions in the
form of apps and secondly with special
execution management for major conversion
and expansion projects. This also works
with subcontractors or on multiple contract
levels. EB 2018 additionally ensures that the
new data is restored to the updated “as is”
status in an orderly and consistent way.
All relevant objects are united in a single
model
Advanced change management
At the same time, a uniform data model of
the plant means significantly more efficiency
in the event of changes. With EB, if desired,
every change in every discipline directly
affects all representations of the
changed object in graphics, tables or Explorer
and is visible to all areas. “However,
parallel editing of the model by different
experts and departments calls for advanced
change management”, Bigvand stresses. According
to him, the platform meets this
requirement with a whole host of functions
including a detailed, individually configurable
history log for each individual object
as well as particularly transparent revision
and version management. Furthermore, EB
provides recommendations for attributes,
thus enabling change requests to be checked
before they are implemented.
“The seamlessness and consistency of this
solution result in a completely new level of
efficiency, while also ensuring that it is future-proof
in the sense of smart factories
and Industry 4.0. The combination of parallelised
tasks, central data and openness to
complementary tools sets a new benchmark”,
board member Vogt concludes.
www.cpp-net.com
Online search: cpp0218aucotec
Hall 9.2, Booth B12
AUTHOR:
JOHANNA KIESEL
Press and Public Relations,
Aucotec
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