Identifying goals
SSTenergomontazh, a Russian engineering company focusing on electrical heating, insulation and engineering, was hired to do electrical engineering for an LNG production and shipment terminal in the port of Vysotsk.
The key goals of the project were to prepare clash-free and correct documentation for the electric heating system, pipelines and the equipment for the client. This had to be error-free and delivered on schedule. Additionally, SSTenergomontazh wanted to reduce labor costs, have more flexibility with documentation and exclude any additional costs related to verifying documentation with the source data from the client.
Overcoming the challenge
One of the key challenges of the project was that SSTenergomontazh had to work with multiple separate drawing files that were issued from different 3D design systems. At the start of the project, they were lacking a suitable software suite that would enable them to use files from different systems to be incorporated into a centralized approach for the design and engineering data management.
Using OnSite Spool Design enabled SSTenergomontazh to combine .idf, and .pcf files into groups within the technical systems as .pod files. This enabled the company to better understand the details of piping layout and enhance design efficiency as they had the capability to compare both, with spools and respective heat tracing layout allowing them to quickly visualize and understand the whole pipeline context.
The company chose Octave’s solutions for the project to help manage different file formats in a more efficient manner. SSTenergomontazh had already used Octave software in the past and was aware of its abilities; for this project the company chose OnSite Spool Design and Forte Isometrics because of the excellent 3D capabilities, the ease of use supported by good training documentation, and the good technical support team Octave had available to support implementation. SSTenergomontazh was also able to report more efficiently as Octave tools enable a variety of reports based on the status of the project.
Realizing results
The files SSTenergomontazh received from their client were in .idf and .pcf formats, and first had to be converted into .dwg. The first step was to combine the files and compare them to understand the details of piping tracing. The Octave tools were also used to identify differences between various drawing files and groups of several drawings to ensure a clash-free design. After this, SSTenergomontazh could place the heat tracing systems and generate the reports with all the necessary specifications.
The ability to convert the files received from the client and work on them directly provided SSTenergomontazh with significant time savings. As the software also allows automated grouping and combining of source data files based on their characteristics or features, manual work can be avoided, and efficiency improved.
Other benefits experienced by SSTenergomontazh include:
Significantly reducing labor costs for electrical heating system design by automating the process
Lowering labor costs as changes are automatically tracked and detected
Automated reporting allows SSTenergomontazh to report back to their client in any preferred frequency without a need for additional manhours
Removal of additional costs for the client during source data providing as all the necessary information can be obtained from LineList and idf files
Cost and time savings when verifying data as all information is automatically taken from the source data (from the “idf” and LineList files)
Moving forward
After executing its first projects with OnSite Spool Design and Forte Isometrics, SSTenergomontazh will continue to use Octave solutions in its upcoming projects to ensure efficiency and quality with clash-free designs.
