Intergraph and Det Norske Veritas joined forces to create a software package to track the lifecycle of FPSO hulls and equipment. The software combination integrates Intergraph's SmartPlant with DNV's Sesam and Nauticus packages.
At the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Intergraph and DNV discussed the rational behind their joint effort. According to John Eichstadt, Intergraph's director of business development for marine industries, the joint venture has created a software tool that melds the strengths of Intergraph's structural design skills with DNV's certification capabilities.
"Safety factors and vessel strength need to be tracked over time," said Jorgen Piene, DNV manager global sales and marketing. This software allows designers to create separate elements of a vessel to DNV's certification standards with embedded routines for standard design calculations. This captures significant timesavings in the design process of the vessel.
The software tools are also used for topsides equipment and integrating that equipment into the larger structural model of the vessel. Because the vessel is "built" in the computer space, full vessel analysis and modeling are possible before any steel is cut.
Once the vessel is built and on-station, its lifecycle is optimized with regular DNV Life Cycle Manager maintenance. Each component and subassembly of the vessel is tracked individually using the software to maintain historic inspection logs and images. This permits preventive work to be scheduled well ahead of failure.
The software will allow marine architects to build a computer model of the vessel as a basis for future tracking of older vessels or for vessels being converted to other uses.
05/08/03