BIM in oil & gas plants

The BIM (building information modelling) process is gaining more and more ground in civil and infrastructure design, but for contractors it is still a real taboo. And the new Public Contracts Code issued this year has begun to introduce, gradually, the mandatory use of the BIM process in public procurement.

So if BIM is so important for the construction industry, how is it developing in the Oil&Gas world?

Building information modelling, which started out with software for purely three-dimensional modelling, is now established as a process that, if properly developed, can cut costs and improve coordination between clients, designers and contractors, and even suppliers. A single three-dimensional database thus holds all the design, construction, commissioning and maintenance data of the built asset, interoperable and directly queryable.

But is construction on land really so different from, for example, platforms out at sea? The obvious answer is yes, but if you think of ambitious and complex projects where the correct use of BIM was essential, such as the Shard skyscraper in London, Napoli Afragola station or the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, you realise that the objectives are the same, on land as at sea.

With oil prices failing to stabilise, it is precisely in BIM that we can find security, with its interoperable, coordinated models that eliminate clashes between objects, reduce rework and minimise waste thanks to more accurate models and data that can be developed right through to the final maintenance phase, delivering plants that are cheaper, safer and better controlled.

The software most used at the moment by companies in the Oil&Gas industry is PDMS and SmartPlant 3D, both effective and with established workflows. However, they have not developed in one important area: the multidisciplinary coordination and interoperability that software such as Trimble Tekla and Autodesk Revit can provide.

Modelling an industrial HVAC system down to fabrication parts, as we recently did for the integrated chemical plant in North America, coordinating with a structural model in which every brace could be traced and a piping model in which each pipe and piece of equipment was defined, dynamically and in three dimensions, must be the rule, not the exception.

For now B1P Group is one of the few companies able to provide professional BIM services in the Oil&Gas industry, and there are even fewer designers able to work with BIM-oriented software. Yet in terms of specific benefits for the industry, BIM also saves on the use of materials. Interdisciplinary three-dimensional modelling lets designers identify alternative solutions that two-dimensional CAD tools never allowed.

Beyond support to design and construction, we also offer services aimed at improving safety in the construction and maintenance of industrial equipment. With virtual reality we can navigate every part of the BIM model, allowing suppliers and designers to analyse the plant and maintenance staff to experience virtually the areas where they will work, to climb a crane or to see the vehicle manoeuvring areas. With a 3D model, an engineer and/or the installers can work out how to carry out detailed procedures for any maintenance task before they reach the plant, sharply reducing intervention times and costs.

The Oil&Gas industry is constantly developing and growing, and is always looking for new ways to cut costs and increase revenue. Our BIM services, born of our experience in the sector, provide the tools needed to achieve these ambitious goals.