38
LNG
INDUSTRY
OCTOBER
2016
client buys and manages most of the materials for a project
(known as free issue materials), while the remainder is purchased
and managed by the contractor (known as contractor-supplied
materials). Leighton had never managed materials on behalf of a
third party before – let alone on a project of this size and
complexity.
Realising results
The Leighton project team evaluated four materials management
software packages before selecting SmartPlant Materials, which
is tailored to the unique processes of the oil and gas industry.
The solution was chosen for the task of receiving, issuing,
transferring, and forecasting all free issue materials and
contractor-supplied materials. Its centralised, real-time reporting
allowed complete and consistent data sharing across all
sub-contractors and sites. Material usage forecasting also helped
to avoid delays in the schedule by pinpointing exactly where
materials were required.
The sophisticated reporting features also helped to minimise
wastage due to over-issuing.
The solution helped to drive efficiency during the construction
phase of the contract, and enabled Leighton to win newwork.
Following this success, Leighton deployed four licences for
this solution to the Northern Territory, where the company is
delivering the main civil works on the Ichthys Project onshore
LNG facilities.
Leighton hopes to further streamline its processes by
interfacing this solution with the company’s financial system.
Further down the track, a move to Intergraph’s plant information
management system is also under consideration.
Case study 3: Woodside
Woodside is the largest operator of oil and gas production in
Australia, and also the country’s largest independent dedicated
oil and gas company. It produces approximately 900 000 bpd
of oil from an extensive portfolio of facilities. The company’s
operated facilities include six LNG trains, five offshore platforms
(one under construction), and four oil floating production storage
and offloading (FPSO) vessels.
In 2014, the
Ngujima-Yin
FPSO was moored 50 km off the
Western Australian coast. The vessel is 333 m long, operates at
a depth of 350 m, and has a production capacity of 120 000 bpd
of oil.
Intergraph was engaged byWoodside to help prepare the
engineering scope for execution. The engineering information for
Ngujima-Yin
was found inmultiple data sources, including several
international locations. Data and documents were inconsistent
and in different formats as they weremanaged differently at each
location. There were alsomultiple versions of drawings and
documents, and, without a single set of masters, it was difficult to
determine the latest andmost accurate versions. To bridge this
gap andmove forward with the safe and effective operation of
Ngujima-Yin
, an accurate ‘as-is’ status of the FPSOwas required.
Overcoming challenges
It is important to identify andmanage critical engineering
information frommultiple sources, as well as determine a single
set of masters for accurate ‘as-is’ status of the
Ngujima-Yin
FPSO.
Realising results
Woodside selected SmartPlant Fusion, a solution that specifically
tackles the challenges of managing unstructured information.
It is designed to rapidly capture and organise large volumes
of previously unstructured information, making it available for
decision support. The types of unstructured information include
documents, drawings, lists and sheets, 3Dmodels, laser scan
images and high resolution photography.
The solution automatically reads the loaded information as it
incorporates many industry standards (such as databases) and
new technologies. Over 360 000 documents (at approximately
1000 documents per hour) were loaded into the solution as a
single source of information, with cross-referenced links to the
original files. Associations are created using unique alias pattern
matching, such as tag-to-document relationships, even when the
tag name may not be perfect. Woodside could then navigate and
view the documents via a web portal interface, as well as analyse
the information to determine the set of master versions.
The solution helps to improve analysis time as it enables the
engineer to quickly search a document and view every version
before making an assessment. It also allows multiple users to
work within the single master data source, eliminating errors from
duplication or working on outdated versions. The solution
contains an integral web-based portal, providing project
personnel with remote access to live data during the project
phase, an important requirement for major projects. It is set up
withWoodside’s workflow processes to enable documentation
approval and acceptance.
Woodside was also able to execute field-based data capture.
The collection of accurate, as-built data is important for an
existing brownfield asset. This would normally be a tedious and
potentially dangerous process as the engineer would have to
physically inspect the facility and collect such data. However,
Woodside could use Leica Geosystems’ laser scanners to provide
an accurate ‘as-exists’ view of the
Ngujima-Yin
FPSO. Woodside
can then compare the ‘as-exists’ viewwith the ‘as-is’ engineering
information to record the FPSO’s ‘as-built’ status accurately. The
solution reduced the amount of time required on-site for
Woodside, which helps to reduce costs and improve personnel
safety.
Conclusion
Innovative technology solutions offer the LNG industry a real
opportunity to find newways to lower the cost of production
and increase margins. Next generation engineering software
can help LNG operators to manage cost, lengthen asset lifespan
and improve maintenance, whilst ensuring safe operations and
enhanced engineering information management.
Figure 2.
Leighton’s Ken Bishop has high praise for
SmartPlant Materials.
