Understanding the Smart P&ID to Piping Data Transfer process during PDS project execution helps you make the most of the benefits offered by this feature. Careful use of the procedures in this document, combined with delta training for piping designers and other personnel, produces considerable time savings as opposed to manually checking P&ID against PDS piping data. If you would like to use this feature but need help, Intergraph Process, Power & Marine offers consulting services to guide you. For more information, see the Customer Support links on the About Smart P&ID dialog.
The key factor in these benefits is creating and maintaining links between the Smart P&ID and the PDS segments. The following flowchart shows the workflow for resolving data transfer discrepancies during the plant design.
PDS Design Considerations
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Use the Data from P&ID command often while routing new piping in PDS.
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When creating a pipeline by copying existing piping, use the Revise Attribute > Update from P&ID command to load the data from Smart P&ID.
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When creating a branch using an existing segment or pipe, check whether the branch is shown in Smart P&ID. If it is shown, then use the Revise Attribute > Update from P&ID command to load the data from Smart P&ID.
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Verify that the Partial P&ID Data Transfer option at the end of the Segment Attribute list is selected. You can change this value by using the Revise Attribute command. Default transfer modes are set such that during a partial transfer all diameter- independent properties are transferred. This option allows the drain to share the line sequence number, pressure, temperature, and so forth, with the header and still have a different diameter and line number label. This action is controlled in the SPMap.mdb file.
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Instrument connections or drains on equipment with no equivalent segment in Smart P&ID, can be excluded from future comparison reports. Simply select the Inhibit Future Transfer option when you review a comparison report error related to these segments.
Synchronizing P&ID and Piping Data
Synchronizing Smart P&ID and PDS piping data should be done only a few times during plant design. The best times to synchronize are when the majority of the P&IDs are completed, revised, or issued. This synchronization involves running a P&ID Segment Data Comparison Report and then resolving any discrepancies and helps to build the association between Smart P&ID and PDS that is then maintained throughout the plant lifetime.
This synchronization involves running a P&ID Segment Data Comparison Report and then resolving any discrepancies, and is outlined in the flowchart above.
Running a Segment Data Comparison Report
Running a Segment Data Comparison Report is the starting point on the flowchart. The results of this report depend on two key factors:
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The matching criteria defined in the SPTransferOpt file in the plant directory. For more information, see Map an Ignored Attribute or Map an Unmapped Attribute.
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The Compare Segment with Node Numbers/Compare All Segments setting.
While running this report, the Compare All Segments setting should be used, and matching criteria should be node numbers.
Based on the availability of P&IDs during the initial piping design stage, the number of discrepancies can be very high on the first run. Our experience shows that a piping designer, who has good knowledge of the piping involved and the related P&ID, takes approximately two to four minutes to resolve a discrepancy. Successive uses of this procedure should reduce the numbers of discrepancies. If plant design resources or time do not allow resolving all discrepancies, then you should consider alternative methods to running the Segment Data Comparison Report.
One alternative is to change the matching criteria. Matching criteria directs the software to establish associations between Smart P&ID and PDS piping segments based on the value of the attributes specified. For example, the default criteria of node numbers means that node numbers for a PDS piping segment must match with a P&ID segment. If the Smart P&ID to PDS Piping Data Transfer has not been done for a piping segment, then no node number is defined for that segment. This situation generates a Node Numbers Undefined only discrepancy. If the majority of the piping falls under this category, then the number of discrepancies can be very high. To reduce this number, change the matching criteria to something other than node numbers. Typically, any of the individual properties of a line number label such as NPD, line sequence number, insulation purpose, and so forth, can be used. It is better to use as many properties as possible so that they form a unique combination. All properties specified as matching criteria should have some value assigned to them on both sides.
Another alternative to running the comparison report is to specify segment search criteria. This method can be used if all instrument connections on equipment or drain lines not shown on the P&ID contain common attributes such as different fluid codes or prefixes to line sequence numbers, and so forth.
Another possibility is to use a range of diameters so that small diameter segments can be eliminated.