Petrofac Brownfield — CNS Subsea Tieback and Gas Compression Module

The U.K. project consists of a new 1200-metricton module, Brownfield modifications, and a subsea tie-back to the host platform. Petrofac Brownfield used Bentley AutoPLANT's 3D software and laser-scanning techniques to capture asbuilt plant information. With this solution the project, which had been potentially two-three months late in October 2005, was on-plan in December of 2005. In addition, the solution provided a 10 percent savings in onshore piping man-hours.

Not only are there fewer steps in the process of designing the piping, but crucially, the amount of offshore survey time has reduced dramatically, as only the most complex of issues need be taken offshore. The firm now plans on taking several designs offshore for a quick check, whereas previously this would have required at least two surveys and the use of a conventional laser survey company for final dimensional verification.

This reduction in offshore survey time has been estimated at trading off eight days of scanning against 1000 piping survey hours. This equates to a direct project saving of some £20,000, with the more subtle benefit of much-reduced offshore contact hours (helicopter flights and living on an operating installation), enhancing safety for the workforce.

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