Piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) are sometimes called the roadmap of the plant. Traditionally created as drafted documents, and a byproduct of design, P&IDs are relied upon and modified throughout the life cycle of the process or power plant. Because they are created by drafting, P&IDs suffer the same problems as other types of drawings, in that as soon as something changes in the physical world, the drafted representation is out of date.
Several vendors of plant design are starting to incorporate various “smart” strategies into the creation of P&IDs, to keep the diagram current. Intergraph is now shipping a new version of its SmartPlant P&ID software, part of its growing suite of SmartPlant products. SmartPlant P&ID version 4.2 offers system editing for updates of properties on pipe systems, controlled P&ID updates for accuracy after reference data changes, and “display sets” for combining display filters into a centrally-managed environment. Intergraph says the new features are aimed at increasing work process efficiency to control engineering cost and promote greater P&ID accuracy.
To explain the value proposition of SmartPlant P&ID, Intergraph uses the common task of plant turnaround planning. Using a traditional, drafting-based approach, a plant turnaround involves creating a document set for the shutdown and another set for the changes to be made. Additionally, there is the fact and consistency checking, and various edits to the document sets, for an estimated total of 2,000 hours to plan one turnaround. Using the intelligent data, SmartPlant P&ID approach, Intergraph estimates the same project could be completed in only 1,000 hours, with an increase in data quality.
The new system editing feature in version 4.2 is designed to assist users with maintaining data consistency along a piping network and to eliminate repetitive editing. When an engineer edits data at one point along a pipe run, for example, the change is automatically propagated to the related objects, both upstream and downstream, such as piping, valves and other associated equipment. The SmartPlant P&ID rule base controls boundaries of the change, including intelligent attribute breaks.
The controlled update function changes all related P&IDs accordingly after a reference data change has occurred. The software notifies users which P&IDs are out of sync with the reference data. If the SmartPlant P&ID administrator changes a symbol, a scheduled update of P&IDs automatically reflects the change. P&IDs are updated when changes are made to any of 12 types of attributes such as symbology, rules, filters, labels, symbols, and other properties. The software also detects whether a P&ID is in a recreate state and allows users to regenerate P&IDs immediately or at a later, scheduled time.
To explain the value of regenerating updates, Intergraph sites as an example a situation when a key property or symbol correction is required for a project involving multiple P&IDs. Normally users would have to open all diagrams, find and then correct the items. By comparison, using automatic regeneration batch updates, scheduled at night or other off-peak periods, means such efforts require virtually no engineering hours.
The new SmartPlant P&ID display set feature takes filter tabs from the previous version and moves them to a centrally-managed environment, combining many filters into one set for display and printing. A designated user can create a display set for all users in the plant and on all drawings. Display sets are queries for specific information made to the P&ID database. For example, a user can create a display set to present a client review P&IDs with fewer notes or annotations than those for design purposes. Other examples of display sets include those for displaying or printing a particular system for construction or commissioning use. The desired result can be tailored for the specific task at hand by all parties involved in plant design, construction, maintenance and operation.
More information: http://ppm.intergraph.com/smartplant/pid/