How Aker BP is using 3D to make maintenance work more efficient

Aker BP, a Norwegian oil exploration and development company, used Cognite Data Fusion® to connect data from sensors and other sources to equipment tags, and the equipment tags to 3D models of three different installations.

The 3D models are viewable on any computer and handheld device, enabling field workers to quickly locate equipment, reducing the time needed to perform scheduled maintenance on multiple valves.

Reduce time spent searching for equipment in hazardous conditions

Oil and gas installations are immensely complicated structures of interconnected components. Seasoned field workers may know the installation like the back of their hand, but knowing the exact location of every single piece of equipment on an installation is impossible.

When field workers conduct scheduled maintenance, they normally print out a list containing only equipment tags and the general area of the installation in which the equipment is located.

The lack of detailed information about each component's specific location means that workers spend more time searching for the equipment than they do inspecting it.

As a result, maintenance sessions stretch for much longer than needed, increasing workers' time in potentially hazardous conditions.

Connect data to 3D models of installations

Aker BP fed information about its installations Ivar Aasen, Skarv, and Valhall into Cognite Data Fusion®. The Industrial DataOps platform contextualized the information, connecting data from sensors and other sources to equipment tags, and the equipment tags to 3D models of the installations.

The 3D models are viewable in InField, Cognite's flagship application for digital workers. In InField, field workers can look up an equipment tag and press “See 3D Model” to see an 8-by-8 meter visualization of the area surrounding the equipment.

This enables field workers to quickly situate the equipment in its surroundings, reducing the time it takes to locate it in the real world.

InField uses Cognite’s REVEAL 3D viewer to display 3D models. REVEAL leverages Cognite's own optimized 3D model format and is capable of displaying complex CAD models with high performance.

By making 3D models of installations available to field workers, industrial companies can significantly reduce the time needed to conduct maintenance. In one example, an electrician on the Skarv installation spent less than two hours to complete a maintenance session that was estimated to take eight hours.

Applications such as InField also increase access to 3D models generally. Since the applications are available on smart devices, operators can more easily incorporate 3D models into their routines.

Finally, companies can use Cognite’s REVEAL 3D viewer in their own applications, meaning they can save money that would otherwise be spent on licensing software from other developers.