How Do Engineers Transfer Data from E3D to CAESAR II?

Introduction:

In large-scale projects where piping design and analysis are required, both disciplines must be performed simultaneously in order to assure safety and reliability of process plants, refineries, power plants, and many other types of industrial facilities. Engineers may use AVEVA E3D for plant design and CAESAR II for pipe stress analysis. Transfer of piping data between E3D and CAESAR II helps engineers utilize their 3D design model as the basis for structural and flexibility analysis.

What Are E3D and CAESAR II?

AVEVA E3D is a plant design 3D software platform allowing engineers to develop and manage plant models including piping, equipment, structures, and other plant components. Engineers can use the model for defining pipe routes, diameters, specifications, components, spatial relationships, etc. CAESAR II is a software solution that is widely used by engineers for performing of pipe stress analysis. The software allows evaluation of the piping system's reactions to operating loads like pressures, temperatures, weight, wind, seismic loads, and others.  The two platforms serve different purposes:

E3D	CAESAR II
3D plant design	Pipe stress analysis
Defines physical pipe routing	Evaluates flexibility and stresses
Models components and equipment	Calculates forces, moments, and stresses
Focuses on plant layout	Focuses on structural behavior
Generates design information	Produces engineering analysis results

Why Is Data Transfer Necessary?

The process of building up an entire piping system in CAESAR II manually can be quite time-consuming, especially when dealing with large projects. Hence, data from the E3D model is used to obtain the geometry and component information necessary for conducting stress analysis. The process used can differ from one project to another based on various factors, including project guidelines, software version, interface availability, among others. The process could be as follows:

E3D Piping Model

↓

Review Piping Data

↓

Obtain or Extract Relevant Data

↓

Translate/Map Data

↓

Develop CAESAR II Model

↓

Validate Geometry & Properties

↓

Imposition of Loads & BCs

↓

Stress Analysis

↓

Evaluate Results

↓

Revise Design as Needed

Step 1: Prepare the E3D Model

Prior to transferring the data, it is necessary to develop the proper E3D piping model. The importance of developing a clean E3D model is that any issue in terms of geometry and/or missing component data can become a problem in stress model development. The information could include:

• Pipe routing.

• Pipe diameter.

• Wall thickness.

• Material data.

• Components.

• Elbows.

• Tees.

• Reducers.

• Valves.

• Flanges.

• Equipment connections.

• Coordinates.

• Supports.

• Insulation data.

• Operating conditions, if known.

Step 2: Identify the Piping System for Analysis

It is not necessary to analyze each pipe of the plant in terms of stress. Stress engineers generally determine which lines must be analysed depending upon project specifications and operational conditions. After determining which line needs analysis, the E3D geometry of that particular line can be used as a basis for CAESAR II modeling. These lines can be selected due to the following factors:

• Operating Temperature.

• Pressure.

• Pipe Diameter.

• Sensitivity to connected equipment.

• Thermal Expansion.

• Dynamic Loading.

• Long Spans.

Step 3: Extract the Required Data

The next step will be to extract the information needed by the stress-analysis software. Data transfer may include data such as geometric coordinates, pipe sizes, component information, material information, and other information as well. But what should be noted is the fact that E3D and CAESAR II do not contain engineering data in the same form. Thus, the E3D software focuses on the plant physical model, whereas the CAESAR II software requires analytical information (nodes, elements, restraints, load cases, material information, etc.).

Step 4: Map E3D Information to CAESAR II

The collected data is then translated into a format suitable for performing stress analysis. This step is critical in the process, as any wrong assumption will influence the stress model. For example:

E3D Data                    CAESAR II Data

Pipe Route           →        Nodes & Elements

Pipe Size            →        Pipe Diameter

Wall Thickness       →        Thickness

Material Definition →        Material Data

Elbows               →        Bend Elements

Equipment Connectors →        Boundary Conditions

Supports             →        Restraints

Elevation/Coordinates→        Node Coordinates

Step 5: Create and Complete the CAESAR II Model

Following the data transfer, the stress engineer checks the CAESAR II model. The geometry imported into CAESAR II does not have to represent the ultimate analysis model. Further engineering input might be required to enter or verify the data. That’s why data transfer should be treated as the beginning of the stress analysis process but not as the full process itself. Engineers might have to specify:

• Operating temperature.

• Design temperature.

• Pressure.

• Pipe material.

• Material density.

• Insulation weight.

• Fluid weight.

• Support conditions.

• Restraints.

• Nozzle loads.

• Wind loads.

• Seismic loads.

• Occasional loads.

• Thermal load cases.

Step 6: Verify the Model Before Analysis

Verification of the model is one of the vital steps. The engineers verify the CAESAR II model with respect to the original E3D model in order to ensure accuracy of the geometry and placement of the components. An E3D Admin Certification Course will go a step further and introduce learners to the idea of administering databases, project configurations, specifications, permissions, and systems management.

This can include:

• Pipe routing.

• Coordinates of nodes.

• Sizes of pipes.

• Thicknesses.

• Material assignment.

• Locations of elbows.

• Location of valves.

• Branch locations.

• Equipment location.

• Support locations.

A simple verification process can be represented as:

E3D Model:

           │

▼

┌────────────────┐

│ Compare Layout │

└───────┬────────┘

▼

┌────────────────┐

│ Check Geometry │

└───────┬────────┘

▼

┌────────────────┐

│ Check Materials│

└───────┬────────┘

▼

┌────────────────┐

│ Check Supports │

└───────┬────────┘

▼

CAESAR II Model

Common Challenges During Data Transfer:

There may be a number of challenges with data integration. Incompatibility in terms of naming schemes, specifications, coordinate systems, components, and standards of the project may lead to discrepancies. Therefore, engineers must always keep in mind that automatically generated models are not fully prepared for analysis. Individuals preparing for interviews will benefit from learning about model making, specifications, piping components, databases, and project administration, which can form Aveva E3D Interview Questions. Some common problems are:

• Lack of data about components.

• Wrong material assignment.

• Differences in pipe specifications.

• Wrong interpretation of supports.

• Different coordinate systems.

• Incomplete operational data.

• Any modifications done on the E3D model after exporting it.

Skills Needed for E3D and CAESAR II Integration:

Individuals involved in the design process as well as piping stress analysis will greatly benefit from learning about the design and analysis process. Individuals will benefit from taking an E3D Training course that involves 3D plant modeling, piping design, equipment modeling, specifications, administration, and workflows.

Conclusion:

Transfer of piping data from E3D to CAESAR II is one of the crucial elements of the current pipeline design and engineering process. While E3D gives the complete 3D modeling of the piping system, CAESAR II uses the appropriate geometric and engineering data to analyze the pipe stresses and flexibility. The transfer process typically includes steps like E3D modeling preparation, identification of the required piping system, extraction of appropriate data, data mapping, creation of a CAESAR II model, input of analysis parameters, and verification of the resulting model. Caesar II Software Training can help engineers learn piping flexibility, stress analysis, load cases, restraints, supports, and equipment loads. For engineers, knowledge of both aspects of the process will give a deeper insight into the interactions between the plant design and engineering analysis.