Navigate the challenges, tech changes in process piping systems

Process piping insights

• Process piping designers are using digital twins and data-driven maintenance, which are reshaping the industry.
• This article highlights the challenges and innovations that are making a difference when navigating challenges and embracing innovations for future-ready systems.

Process piping for manufacturing is a complex challenge — especially within aseptic or high-care industries. Plant managers know it is the backbone of a facility, dictating the flow and integrity of operations, but they just need it to work.

With the industry in the middle of a digital revolution, the stakes have never been higher. The shift from traditional methodologies to innovative technologies like digital twins and data-driven maintenance is not just a trend. This transition demands attention, even in busy plants where focus is often stretched thin.

The introduction of digital tools into process piping design has opened a new world of possibilities, from preemptive problem-solving to enhanced operational insights. However, this digital leap brings its own challenges and it doesn’t make the basic challenges — like multidisciplinary coordination or clash detection go away.

Delving into the specifics, let’s first address the foundational challenges that persist in process piping design, understanding how they coexist with and are influenced by the surge of digital innovations shaping our industry.

Multidisciplinary coordination for process piping design

Foundational challenges intertwine with the rapid pace of digital innovation. A prime example is project coordination and the hurdles of decision-making delays.

Piping projects usually revolve around enhancing efficiency or expanding capacity. However, the reality is a constant balancing act because production doesn’t stop. Plant managers find themselves in a whirlwind of daily operations, making it nearly impossible to halt their routine responsibilities to concentrate solely on a project. This ongoing hustle transforms coordination into a formidable challenge.

Critical decisions at various project milestones are essential to safeguarding the project schedule and averting the loss of time and efficiency. Having a clear procedure to process information is key, knowing precisely what is needed, when it’s needed and who is responsible for delivering it. Although not traditionally seen as cutting-edge, getting those decisions at the right time is vital and its absence can lead to significant setbacks.

Because process piping coordinates with every other discipline within a project, information flow can be complex. Consider this: each pipeline not only requires structural support but often integrates with various control systems. While the concept may appear straightforward, the reality of routing pipes is anything but. Achieving a layout that avoids dead legs, facilitates gravity drainage, doesn’t obstruct door or duct functionality and maintains the integrity of temperature-controlled areas is a complex, almost artistic endeavor.

To navigate this complexity, implementing a structured approach — such as a coordination matrix — is invaluable. This tool clearly delineates the roles and responsibilities within the project, specifying who needs information, who provides it and crucially, when it is required.

While digital 3D modeling tools like Autodesk Navisworks play a pivotal role in identifying spatial conflicts, the resolution of these clashes doesn’t always happen in the digital world. It lies in the meticulous coordination between different disciplines to figure it out.

What happens when a 3-D model of process piping doesn’t exist?

While old-fashioned coordination and communication are baseline, there are places where digital advances are solving problems fast. Take this scenario for example:

A project manager at a food manufacturing plant is tasked with a master planning project. This involves putting some production lines into temporary shutdown, decommissioning others and relocating several to a different facility to boost productivity.

The project manager shares a common concern: “Dave, we don’t have a single reliable drawing of our plant.”

This is where reality capture steps in as a game-changer. Reality capture is a technique for creating digital models of physical spaces and objects by collecting real-world data. This is often done using laser scanning (LiDAR), which accurately captures the current state of a space or object, offering a precise and measurable digital version.

Figure 1: Nutraceutical batch processing and heat treatment system, part of a retrofit into the existing manufacturing facility of a global client. Courtesy: Salas O’Brien

With this digital data in hand, it can be imported into design software. This allows for virtual manipulation to strategize the best ways to move and reorganize production lines. It provides a solid foundation for planning and making decisions with confidence, transforming a challenging scenario into a manageable project.

Enhancing process piping design with VR and digital twins

Reality-captured data can be used to create or update digital twins. These digital replicas can provide detailed 3D visualizations inclusive of dimensions, materials, components and layout configurations.

For many years, the only option was for engineers to walk a plant floor to observe the conditions. Now, engineers can explore a digital twin using a virtual reality (VR) headset, making it feel like they’re walking through the space themselves. This advancement is particularly beneficial for collaboration across different locations, enabling teams from multiple plants within the same company to work together seamlessly. It also allows teams to model and visualize new process piping designs in place to see how things will come together.

“Descriptive twins,” the first level of digital twins, provide a static digital model highlighting the physical details of piping systems. They can facilitate the early stages of design, offering a visual understanding of the system’s architecture and allowing for simple simulations. However, without the ability to incorporate real-time data or feedback, their use is mainly for initial visualization and planning purposes.

This integration of VR with digital twins simplifies and enhances how engineers and stakeholders engage with process piping designs. It supports more effective planning and collaboration, making it easier for teams across different locations to work together and understand the system’s layout and potential challenges.

Process piping design’s future: a unified model with data insights

The future is headed toward a unified approach creating a “single source of truth” — a central model (higher level digital twin) where all project data is stored, updated and made accessible to everyone involved, from engineers to project managers. This model ensures that all stakeholders have access to the same accurate information, dramatically improving coordination and achieving a level of consistency that was once out of reach.

Figure 2: Solids removal/dewatering and wastewater recovery/recirculation system at a power plant greenfield project for a major U.S. energy producer. Courtesy: Salas O’Brien

Data analytics and machine learning (ML) add a sophisticated layer to this approach, as they turn vast amounts of raw data from sensors into useful insights, enabling smarter decision-making. This intelligence, integrated into the centralized model, paves the way for predicting outcomes, automating solutions, mapping scenarios and streamlining project flows. The adaptability of artificial intelligence means not just faster phases of design and execution but also a proactive stance on identifying and resolving potential issues, minimizing risks and improving results.

As we integrate data analytics and ML into process piping design, we’re setting new standards for how projects are approached and carried out. The shift toward a single, intelligent source of information marks a significant move away from disjointed data and toward a more cohesive, efficient method of managing and sharing data. This change is already underway, signaling a future where seamless integration and communication become the norm in process piping design.

This new data-driven future has implications for the people who design and work with it.

Advice for the next generation of process piping engineers

Traditionally, our industry has placed a premium on “the expert.” However, the current speed of change in our sector requires us to be adaptable learners who can make swift adjustments. Autopilot has no place in our dynamic environment. Instead, we need engineers with a growth mindset who can continually improve and consistently bring added value to clients.

True innovation leads the way, demanding not only a solid foundation of knowledge but also a persistent drive to broaden that base. While having expertise is valuable, combining that expertise with a proactive approach to learning and adapting is what really aligns with the direction our industry is heading.

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