Shell
The Oil & Gas business is a heavy user of CAD models to define their surface concepts that extract and produce hydrocarbons. These surface concepts range from fixed platforms, floating platforms and equipment that is placed on the sea floor.
The multi-million dollar CAD models are generated throughout the design phase and are then used to build the facilities. Each pipe, nut, structure, sub-structure, electrical and instrumentation pipe rack is designed by various drawing offices and then brought together into one model and visualized. In the last few years many of these models are produced in 3D, so that interference or 'clash' checks of the designs can be made. "Intelligence" is applied to the model to check if components hit each other or if ergonomic concerns are addressed.
The models are invariably produced and manipulated by the drafting department on the inputs provided by the engineer. Very rarely does the engineer himself get to handle or alter the model in real time to see what the effects of his design have on the final product.
Choose the right software.
The Belgian company, VRcontext S.A., with their flagship software Walkinside could change all this. The Walkinside product takes multiple CAD formats and converts and produces a 3D visualization of the model. The product uses proprietary technology of 'collision detection' and 'gravity' to enhance the visualization so the user may interact with model as one may do in real life. Opening valves, moving objects, climbing stairs are now all possible within the 3D model.
A recent example of the use of Walkinside has been the Visualization of the Nigerian Bonga Field Development for Shell Deepwater Services, based in Houston, using its CAD produced drawings to connect various parts of the development together into an exciting, interactive 3D Visualization of the whole development.
The Visualization was constructed by taking the CAD files from the Contractors responsible for building the facilities. Each Contractor had its own preferred in-house CAD package, ranging from PDMS®, MicroStation®, AutoCAD® to Pro/ENGINEER®. All files were used with no manipulation or editing to its content, imported in MicroStation and passed through the Walkinside Converter. As can be appreciated, files sizes were considerable (2.5 GB). The 'engine' of Walkinside then outputted a 3D VR model, with which one could navigate through using the standard keyboard and mouse.
The resulting VR model is one of the largest ever made in the world, covering more than 100 square kilometers and containing more than 100 million triangles. It is also possible to load dynamically additional VR models.
David Adejumo
Bonga Venture Field Development Engineer
Shell Deepwater Services - Woodcreek, Houston
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