Maximising the value of technology

Giprogazoochistka (GGO) has long been a leader in designing industrial gas purification systems. However, the market has changed a lot over its 80 year history, bringing new opportunities and ambitious new goals. Building on its industry leadership in this specialised sector, GGO decided to diversify into the petrochemical and oil and gas industries and now serves a wide range of industry leading customers, including LUKoil, Gazprom Neft, Surgutneftegas, TATNEFT, TNK-BP, Rosneft, Gazprom, Severstal, Novolipetsk, Magnitogorsk and AVTOVAZ, as well as many other domestic and foreign manufacturers. Success here requires increased project capacity and productivity. The company turned to AVEVA for help in automating and streamlining every possible business process.

Implementation

A key part of GGO’s strategy to boost project capacity was to increase its use of AVEVA products and solutions. The company adopted AVEVA PDMS™, AVEVA Diagrams™, AVEVA Instrumentation™, AVEVA Review™, AVEVA Engineering™, AVEVA Cable Design™ and AVEVA Schematic 3D Integrator™. This expansion not only added powerful new engineering and design tools, it also ensured that project information can exist on a common platform. Each discipline can work independently, optimising data and documents for its particular needs while sharing data with others as the design develops. It was this out of the box integration and functional interoperability that made AVEVA the obvious choice for GGO’s strategy.

Engineering

One of the most important implementations was AVEVA Engineering, to provide better control of piping data than was possible with GGO’s in house software. The two solutions are currently being used alongside each other as the transition progresses.

“Piping data is traditionally the most significant, both in quantity and in its importance to the project,” explained Sergey Terentyiev, Deputy Managing Director, GGO. “The gap between the initial design concept and the final pipe isometrics and their related documentation must be progressively tracked and closed in a controlled manner. That’s why, several years ago, we developed our own solution for tighter integration between line lists, the 3D model and pipe isometrics. But we had no success in expanding this solution to other types of objects and models. That’s why we selected AVEVA Engineering; it will not only eventually replace our own solution, it will also be able to integrate all engineering data with the 3D model.

“This is an obvious time saving and reduces the risk of clashes arising when engineering data and 3D models are developed in parallel rather than in an integrated, intelligent manner.”

In April 2014, GGO reviewed the performance of AVEVA Engineering on a completed pilot project. “One of our objectives was to develop a single standard for datasheets, because it is impossible to automate our work processes without it,” Sergey commented. “We had very challenging time frames but, despite this, the project was very successful. We generated equipment datasheets for 25 pieces of equipment, and all the standards have been developed and implemented. Today these tasks can be completed much more quickly and efficiently. We are now moving into the next phase of AVEVA Engineering implementation, where we will centralise data from our process lines.”

The new system means that GGO’s engineering data infrastructure can support the various needs of its users throughout the project life cycle. “For example,” explained Sergey, “the engineers are not concerned with the layouts of paper datasheets; they work with process and equipment data. In contrast, team leads want to be able to review and check all critical process data in one place. Everyone involved in the project has their own particular needs, but they can now all see and analyse any changes in the project. The AVEVA products have enabled us to reduce the time and costs of finding accurate information and eliminating inconsistencies in documentation.”

Outstanding results

GGO has been very impressed, not only with AVEVA Engineering’s architecture and capabilities, but with its faster implementation than the original in house solution. Starting with the 12.1 version, GGO had to devise workarounds for some problems that staff in its Moscow office were having. However, the introduction of version 14.1 eliminated most of these teething problems and GGO today enjoys the benefits of its increased speed and enhanced usability.With six years’ experience of using AVEVA products, GGO’s aim has more than been achieved. “Success has enabled us to grow our headcount by three times, but we can carry out more than six times as much work,” Sergey said. “And this is in spite of the greatly increased scale and complexity of our projects. Today GGO works alongside major oil producers on the biggest projects in the Russian oil industry. AVEVA’s solutions have played an important role in this growth.”

Next steps

The next stage will be at the end of 2015, when GGO begins to establish a piping data management system that will have direct links to schematics data and design models for fully integrated working. GGO plans to make such tightly integrated Engineering & Design processes the heart of its business, with the help of AVEVA Instrumentation and AVEVA Engineering working in sync to optimise 2D deliverables in line with the 3D model. “In one or two years, I am sure we will have more successes to tell you about,” concluded Sergey.

Written by Elena Kolesnikova, AVEVA.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/special-reports/11052015/maximising-the-value-of-technology-742/