Wuxi Huaguang Environment & Energy Group Co., Ltd. (WHEE), a manufacturer of stand and industrial boilers, boiler machinery and pressure containers, was chosen by the Putian Liquidized Natural Gas (PLNG) Power Plant in the Fujian Province to complete its Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) boiler project.
Established in 1958 as Wuxu Boiler Works in Wuxi City in southern China, an area known today as “Little Shanghai,” WHEE has grown from an unknown middle-sized company to a nationally recognized company in the manufacturing industry, enjoying an excellent provincial and national reputation in the market. In addition to boilers and related products, WHEE also engineers and designs process systems.
Identifying goals
The PLNG Power Plant, intended to be a major provider of clean electricity to support the economic development of Fujian province, is fueled by re-gasified LNG from Indonesia, imported through the Fujian LNG Receiving Terminal. The HRSG boiler project would be an integral part of the PLNG plant’s ability to provide the region with this needed energy.
Overcoming challenges
WHEE had used 2D designs for most of its projects for more than 50 years. After a company-wide decision to move to 3D plant design and having seriously considered all available products on the market, WHEE chose Forte 3DWorx (formerly CADWorx) with pipe stress analysis via Aspect Pipe Stress (formerly CAESAR II) for the design of the HRSG boiler project at the PLNG plant.
When the company started using Forte 3DWorx for 3D plant design, it could see that the design quality and visualization had improved significantly. “We were able to build accurate designs and assemble and model all equipment details including support equipment, steelworks, accessory device and piping,” said Gu Quanbin, project engineer at WHEE.
Realizing results
By using Forte 3DWorx in developing a 3D model, WHEE was able to use Isogen to automatically produce isometric drawings and bills of materials for fabrication. This significantly reduced fabrication and erection times as well as material costs, taking WHEE just three days to train its people, two days to prepare data and specification files and a short two months to complete the entire project.
Moving forward
Bidirectional links between Forte 3DWorx and Aspect Pipe Stress for pipe stress analysis allowed for better collaboration. Stress analysis engineers could output Forte 3DWorx pipe models to Aspect Pipe Stress, perform necessary modifications and import these modifications back into the Forte 3DWorx model. The data consistency was maintained through the whole process. “We enhanced stress analysis efficiency and accuracy by more than 50%,” explained Quanbin. “And, if we compare our investment in the Forte 3DWorx design suite with other industrial software, we found that the cost was only 20% of other applications, so our investment in Forte 3DWorx gave us substantial rewards and no risk whatsoever,” he said.
