Top Ten Instrumentation Headaches

How visual engineering is solving designers and engineers issues across the industry

Product Strategy AVEVA Solutions Limited Published August 2010

Top Ten Instrumentation Headaches an AVEVA White Paper

Introduction
Control systems play a vital role in all aspects of modern living, from helping us drive our cars, to safely running large petrochemical complexes and power stations. According to recent industry research, instrumentation is the biggest spend item in any plant. Capital expenditure on buying new instruments in 2010 was estimated at $5bn, with maintenance and operation costs projected to reach $4.9bn.

AVEVA spoke to instrumentation and control experts across the industry and identified no less than ten key areas where other vendors instrumentation design technologies fail to meet engineers and designers requirements...

But much of this cost is unnecessary. It arises because the technology used to plan and design instrumentation and control systems has often been developed with little regard for engineers and designers natural working methods. Procedures that can be perfectly straightforward if represented graphically rerouting a wire, for example, or segregating cables are all too often dependent on manual, tabular data input, which is time-consuming, expensive, and prone to error. AVEVA spoke to instrumentation and control experts across the industry and identified no less than ten key areas where other vendors instrumentation design technologies fail to meet engineers and designers requirements. These are the top ten headaches that the engineers and designers face on a daily basis. The good news is that companies can avoid these headaches entirely by deploying the visual engineering approach at the heart of AVEVAs field-proven instrumentation solution.

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Top Ten Instrumentation Headaches an AVEVA White Paper

Headache #1 Wasted time and lost productivity

Engineers and designers are highly skilled individuals. Forcing them to enter design changes using tables, forms and spreadsheets is unproductive, uneconomical and increases the likelihood of human error, yet this is the way that most instrumentation software systems currently work. Software vendors have for too long denied engineers and designers the simple practicality of a graphical visual engineering interface with drag and drop capability and inbuilt intelligence, ensuring changes are automatically replicated into all the associated data and databases. All too often, the time taken to learn the currently available systems is prohibitive. Configuring them is a major, specialist undertaking, and their operation constrains engineers to work in ways that are counter-intuitive and labour-intensive. Wasted time and money, and lost productivity, are the results. AVEVA Instrumentation delivers simplicity, to fit closely with the way that engineers and designers naturally work. As an example, the illustration below shows how a simple graphical user interface in the Wiring Manager module enables the user to route and reroute wiring and manage all associated changes in a few clicks of the mouse. Straightforward customisation enables configuration by users without any need for programming skills. In short, this is a complete change to the way in which instrumentation and control data is created and edited and it has led to design savings of 30% and more among current users. Simplicity of use equates to less need for configuration and training, reduced administration and support overheads, and a design and engineering team whose time to productivity is greatly reduced. The graphical views are role-based, so each user sees and interacts with those elements that are of most use to them.

AVEVA Instrumentation delivers simplicity, to fit closely with the way that engineers and designers naturally work...
Above: A straightforward, graphical approach, combined with drag and drop functionality, enables wiring projects to be designed and change-managed in the simplest way possible.

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Top Ten Instrumentation Headaches an AVEVA White Paper

Headache #2 Lack of change management

While the creation of data is absolutely key to the early momentum of a project, the ongoing challenge is in managing changes to the design and ensuring that the changes are properly reflected throughout the dataset. Often, more cables and connections are added to the plan than were originally envisaged, swelling the data considerably and producing a significantly altered design. This complicates the relationships between existing and new information, forcing a time-consuming and costly estimate revision process. AVEVA Instrumentation comprises three integrated modules which share a common, multi-user database for both design and as-built data. This integrated data environment enables extensive validation processes, automatic cross-referencing and linking of associated information, and rigorous change control. Change of all kinds can be easily tracked, highlighted and reported on, and its impact automatically flagged. Above: Information within AVEVA Instrumentation is fully auditable and reportable, enabling change to be effectively and safely managed.

Headache #3 Wiring limitations

AVEVA Instrumentation requires only one click to enable the user to see a current graphical representation... Within a single application, loop diagrams, schedules and terminations can all be created and edited from the same graphical environment...

Wiring design is a multi-phase process, involving loop diagrams, schedules and terminations, yet many technologies currently available on the market are unable to integrate these procedures into one application. The wiring designer has to coordinate design data manually between several different applications an open invitation to error, as well as a seriously inefficient use of a technically skilled individuals time. To make things worse, input of data into the wiring design is usually via table and spreadsheet there is no means of visualising the relationships and using those visualisations as the logical starting point for the creation and editing of the wiring design. AVEVA Instrumentation, by contrast, requires only one click to enable the user to see a current graphical representation. There is no need to request an output plot from a designer, which can take many hours of unnecessary work. Within a single application, loop diagrams, schedules and terminations can all be created and edited from the same visual engineering environment.

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Top Ten Instrumentation Headaches an AVEVA White Paper

Headache #4 The catalogue of errors!

Catalogue changes are one of the biggest causes of design data mismatches in the instrumentation and control universe. Yet they are often an essential way of managing and reducing procurement costs, and so can heavily influence the economic viability of a project. For example, the purchasing department might decide on a different supplier for a particular component, causing a change in the nomenclature of that component and the associated vendor details. The problem comes when these changes are not accurately reflected across the whole project which they rarely are. This can necessitate massive rework later in the process. AVEVA Instrumentation provides dynamic catalogue management as standard. Vendor details and component references can be changed any time throughout the project with no need for manual rework. If a pressure gauge supplied by vendor X is changed in the catalogue to a similar product from vendor Y, identified by a different part or tag number, AVEVA Instrumentation will update these changes (or simply show where updates need to be made). This happens automatically across all mentions and instances of the original gauge in cable block diagrams, loop diagrams, instrument index, datasheets, hookup diagrams, termination diagrams, cable schedules, Bill of Materials, etc. Mismatches between catalogue data and project execution data, as well as the many expensive hours needed to rectify them, are a thing of the past.

Mismatches between catalogue data and project execution data are a thing of the past...

Headache #5 Lack of visualisation and reporting clarity

The ability to report on a design at will is fundamental both to progress management and design quality control. Yet with many software packages reports can only be generated by the use of programming scripts, which have to be specially requested and produced an unnecessary time and labour overhead. There is no easy way, in most of the instrumentation software currently available on the market, to quickly build up a picture of the interrelationships in the project dataset. Likewise, no other vendor currently enables instant reporting on the database revisions, to give an understanding of change history. AVEVA Instrumentation is built around user-defined reporting across Schedule, List, Bill of Materials, and others. The simple AVEVA interface puts the reporting process back into the engineers hands and enables all items, data and documents that share the same tag to be instantly listed. This graphically shows how changes to one item might have impacts elsewhere in the design. A full audit log of database changes can also be instantly generated vital for root cause analysis and risk management.

Above: The reporting capability within AVEVA Instrumentation is powerful and flexible, producing instant results on screen, as well as in print-friendly format.

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Top Ten Instrumentation Headaches an AVEVA White Paper

Headache #6 The price of scalability

Database technology is key to effective instrumentation design the applications scalability is directly related to the efficiency of the database. Unfortunately, some vendors have taken excessive advantage of this dependency. While their application upgrades are usually delivered at no further cost, the upgrades to the database that underpins them are often an expensive service. This means that ongoing support and scalability can only be achieved at a very high cost the exact opposite of what flexible scalability should deliver. AVEVA Instrumentation works with industry-standard Microsoft databases such as SQL Server and (for smaller projects) MS Access. Updates to both the application and the databases are received as a normal part of the licensing process. There is no additional cost. The emphasis is on protecting a customers investment in data, rather than exploiting it. AVEVA has never charged for updates and upgrades with customers on an active maintenance contract and it has also made massive investments to ensure that AVEVA technology works in mixed IT environments with customers existing third-party applications and data types.

Headache #7 Vendor data breakdown

Like all engineering processes, instrumentation and control are dependent on components provided by a range of suppliers. Approaching vendors for datasheets on the components they provide is often a hit and miss process the information returned can be incomplete and is typically supplied in a number of disparate formats / file types. Designing a prescribed template for the datasheets is not nearly as effective as it might be, as it usually has to be carried out in an unintegrated, third-party application. This, in turn, means that the responses have to be manually received and administrated, manually followed up when necessary, and manually linked to the data in the main design system. Any two or more individuals, equally skilled and experienced, will inevitably perform this task very differently, leading to mismatches and inconsistencies. Needless to say, these manual processes are also time-consuming and expensive not what a project manager wants to hear. AVEVA Instrumentation does not force users to work with multiple applications that are not integrated. Instead, it enables the creation of datasheet templates within the application itself, in a way that is totally integrated with the rest of the project workflow. These templates can be partially populated by the engineer or designer with information that is already known. This gives vendors a much clearer indication of what information is needed, making their task easier and increasing the likelihood that the datasheet will be completed to the required standard. The content of the datasheet is easily searchable and reportable. It can be extracted and viewed in seconds, rather than valuable minutes and hours being wasted in attempts to search for it.

The content of the datasheet is easily searchable...

Headache #8 Inability to view instrumentation data in 3D context

In many instrumentation and control technologies, there is no integration of the data with the 3D model of the plant. This makes it difficult for engineers and designers to make judgements on spacing, tolerances, buffer zones, clashes, and so forth, but also on quantities and dimensions. For example, cables come in many different types and need to be routed in a way that effectively segregates them by voltage, function, flux, heat dissipation, etc., while economising on the cable length. This combined requirement is virtually impossible to meet if the user cannot visually model the deployment. AVEVA Instrumentation integrates fully with 3D models from AVEVA or other providers to enable instrumentation data to be viewed in full 3D context. This means that cable data can be integrated into the 3D model straight from AVEVA Instrumentation, and automated cable measurement, routing and segregation can then be generated instantaneously. Greater control, less rework, enhanced safety and compliance, without risky and time-consuming guesswork, can save millions of dollars in design time and material procurement.

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Top Ten Instrumentation Headaches an AVEVA White Paper

Headache #9 Incomplete associations

Instruments and wiring activities generate a huge amount of related information including data sheets, documents, etc. Many isolated systems completely fail to link this information together, as it typically comes from both internal and external sources. Engineers and designers therefore have to second guess both the nature of the information and its location. Apart from being terrifically timeconsuming, this also perpetuates the problem of unknown unknowns and this is clearly an unsatisfactory basis for making informed design and engineering decisions. The problem is often at its most acute with external documents such as vendor datasheets. With internal documents, the designer or engineer can bring pressure to bear on the situation; he is organisationally connected to the document producers and is regarded internally as a key customer. With external documents, this dynamic is less relational and so the designer or engineer needs a different way of bringing authority to his request for information. AVEVA Instrumentation provides object-based navigation through hyperlinks. Related items of data are linked together automatically, no matter what format they are in or where they are physically located. In a single click, an engineer or designer can view the object and see exactly where all the information that relates to a specific component or design element resides. This reduces not only the direct costs of manually searching for information (estimated in recent studies to take up as much as 60% of an engineers time), but also the less obvious expense, such as when the designer or engineer approaches a colleague to help him find information, thus wasting two peoples time instead of one! The majority of safetyrelated incidents have also ultimately been related to poor information accessibility, so the ability to diminish this risk substantially is a big part of the benefit that AVEVA Instrumentation brings.

Headache #10 Fragmented bulk data upload

The ability to bulk-upload data at the beginning of a project is key to achieving initial traction. However, the data typically comes from many different sources and in many different formats, and this fragmentation often necessitates the use of several different applications. P&IDs, for example, are an absolutely integral part of the instrumentation and control design process, but they are often not an integral part of the data upload, having to be sourced and integrated independently. This reliance on a multi-application approach consumes time, effort, and money and increases the likelihood that critical data will be missed or incompletely captured. AVEVA Instrumentation enables complete integration of all data types, including P&IDs. An initial bulk upload creates links and associations between these different types of information. The project benefits from much more rapid traction and the engineers and designers have all the information at their fingertips in a way that is dynamically managed and updated across the life of the project.

The majority of safety-related incidents have also ultimately been related to poor information accessibility, so the ability to diminish this risk substantially is a big part of the benefit that AVEVA Instrumentation brings...
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Top Ten Instrumentation Headaches an AVEVA White Paper

More about AVEVA Instrumentation

AVEVA Instrumentation is a proven, feature-rich software suite for Instrumentation and Control engineering. Stand-alone or fully integrated, AVEVA Instrumentation is the preferred choice for projects of all sizes for Owner Operator and EPC organisations around the world. No other solution on the market provides such a complete and fully integrated solution. The level of value it delivers to users is completely unique: T T T T T Simplicity of use Reduced time to productivity Openness to other systems Integration with the 3D model Greater overall project control

Customers using AVEVA Instrumentation

There are scores of customers who have recognised these benefits and are now using AVEVA Instrumentation all over the world. Just some of these include: T A leading global provider of engineering and construction services, in industries including oil & gas, refining & chemicals, mining & metals and power generation T A supplier of high-value consultancy, engineering, and project management services to the world's natural resources, nuclear, clean energy, water and environmental sectors T A refinery business based across 60 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region, Africa and the Middle East T A US polymer specialist supplying synthetic rubber, thermoplastic elastomers and impact modifiers to rubber, plastics, adhesive and asphalt markets around the world T A US and international provider of advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the oil & gas industry, including pipeline integrity solutions T One of the world's leading manufacturers of tissue, pulp, paper, packaging, building products and related chemicals TECHNOEDIF Engenharia SA, a leading European engineering solutions provider, was one of the first customers to adopt AVEVA Instrumentation. According to a testimonial published on AVEVAs website, the solution has enabled the business to save time, reduce cost, integrate with other critical operational information and develop effective change management (see www.aveva.com/ instrumentation - follow the Customer Testimonial link). Many other prominent industry players worldwide are also using AVEVA Instrumentation, and although one of the solutions strong points is its ability to integrate with customers existing IT environments, businesses have also fully migrated their instrumentation systems to AVEVA. This is a clear demonstration of the value that they believe AVEVA Instrumentation can add to their business.

AVEVA Instrumentation has been designed to respond to engineers and designers needs and to resolve the many issues that these skilled individuals typically have to deal with when using other instrumentation technologies currently on the market. AVEVA Instrumentation is an effective antidote to the headaches that frustrate engineers and designers efforts, delivering: T Efficiency and enhanced output, rather than wasted time and degraded productivity T Rigorous, automated change management, rather than costly remedial rework T Simple, graphical, powerful wiring design and management, rather than unfriendly tables and forms T Coordinated, catalogue-driven procurement across the whole dataset, rather than disconnected attempts at vendor optimisation T Clarity of visualisation, clarity of reporting, clarity of the big picture, all in the engineers and designers hands rather than those of a busy colleague T Systems that evolve to meet users needs at no additional cost, rather than wiping out the benefits of scalability by making it prohibitively expensive T A closer and more fruitful relationship with vendors, rather than systematic disregard for their needs T Productive convergence of all different types of data, including the 3D model, rather than the perpetuation of damaging information silos T A comprehensive universe of information presented around every single item, component and object, rather than manual and expensive search processes T A head start in data upload and management right at the beginning of a project, rather than an unpredictable wait for traction

For more information about AVEVA Instrumentation

Email us on marketing.contact@aveva.com or contact us through our website at: www.aveva.com/contact_us.php AVEVA Instrumentation brochures are available to download from our website at: www.aveva.com/products_services_brochures.php You can also read the piece on AVEVA Instrumentation on pages 46 of our customer magazine, PIPELINE, (2010, Issue 2) at: www.aveva.com/media_centre_pipelines.php

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