WHITE PAPER
Embracing digital twin technology for
engineering assets
Authored by:
Steve Parvin
VP Engineering Information Management, Portfolio Strategy, AVEVA
Executive summary:
With all the talk of digital transformation and digital twin technology, it can be easy to assume
that industrial organizations are fully versed in both the benefits and the steps needed to
successfully implement a sustainable solution.
Yet, an AVEVA survey found that 85% of industrial businesses plan to increase their digital
investment.1 More than 850 industrial digitalization experts across industries, such as
manufacturing, large-scale agribusiness, food and beverage, infrastructure, energy, power
and chemical processing are about to embrace digital transformation. In doing so, industrial
leaders intend to use a combination of AI, industrial software, and human insight to deliver
unprecedented performance.
Trusted engineering data is at the core of every successful digital twin. Engineering data
provides the structure from which the twin can be created and allows 3D visualization. In this
white paper, you will learn the benefits of digital twins for industrial teams and how digital
transformation will help your industry adapt to global changes.
Complex challenges in a changing market
Industrial organizations require a new way of Total investments across energy sectors are projected to
operating if they are to address the multiple challenges grow by more than 4% per year and to be increasingly
affecting global markets head on. Geopolitical focused on fossil fuel alternatives and decarbonization
volatility, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) technologies. While returns remain uncertain, annual
commitments and disrupted supply chains heighten the investment in energy supply and production is expected
pressure for engineers to quickly adapt. Having instant to double by 2035 to reach between $1.5 to $1.6
access to a single hub of trusted data enables the right trillion – with almost all growth expected to come from
people to make the right decisions when they need to. decarbonization technologies and power.3
The increased focus on net-zero goals is one of the Digitalization technologies are both helping engineering
most significant changes to industry in recent years. teams to identify ways of reducing carbon emissions and
Sustainable investment funds surpassed one trillion providing the insights they need to identify sustainable
dollars for the first time in 2020, with some $130 solutions that also deliver business benefits.
Bn also flooding into the COP26 Glasgow Financial
Alliance for Net Zero earlier this year.
42% 41%
of respondents put of respondents predicted
efficiencies and wastage that they will make a
as the top priority significant technology
investment
85% 19%
of respondents across say they are prepared
industries plan to for digital transition
increase investment in spending–the highest of
digital transformation in the sectors surveyed
the next three years
02 Embracing digital twin technology for engineering assets
How digital twin solutions provide certainty in an uncertain world
Digital Twin technology is providing engineering, A single hub of real-time trusted asset information
maintenance, and operations teams with stability that connects disparate data feeds is at the heart of
and predictability during uncertain times. By aligning delivering transformational performance improvement.
multiple engineering disciplines around a single source Connecting this to additional digital twin solutions is
of verified data, risks are minimized and identified early, giving engineers the control and actionable insights
time wasted sourcing and checking data is eliminated, they need to transform performance.
and a culture of collaboration between teams and wide
While every industry has differing requirements, there
stakeholders is fostered through greater transparency
are broad benefits of digital twin solutions that apply
and bi-directional data flows.
at each stage of the project lifecycle from optimizing
For engineering teams, having end-to-end oversight of performance to increasing asset sale value and
engineering data is the key to achieving asset excellence, supporting decommissioning activity.
driving down emissions, and optimizing output.
Capital project
1
Continuous handover
2
Universal search and 3D model
knowledge sharing
3
Spreadsheet Transactional data
Maintenance work
planning
4
Laser scan
Real time data
Maintenance work
execution
5
Drawings Documents
Remote operations
support 6
Images Native files
Situational awareness 7
Workforce training 8
9
Brownfield
engineering
Various assets in different project stages
03 Embracing digital twin technology for engineering assets
1. Driving asset excellence: While most industries 2. Increasing sale value: As owner-operators seek
have taken steps to digitalize, many of the platforms to maximize returns from their portfolio of assets,
remain siloed and fail to address some of the greatest selling plants may be an option, particularly in
barriers to improving performance. A unified approach these uncertain times. Supplying potential buyers
to engineering information management connects with a 3D laser scan of the asset linked to complete
people, processes, and performance. engineering data, especially full maintenance
information, provides critical reassurance and can
Practical digital twin solutions connect all engineering increase the value. Likewise, where engineering and
data, enabling engineering teams to access all asset information is incomplete or uncertain the sale
relevant asset data in the context and format that value can be negatively impacted.
best allows them to do their job – from searching
for a document or schematic or a 3D laser scan and Providing complete data at the point of sale is as
comparing them against a laser-scanned asset model. equally important as it was when the plant was first
Ensuring engineers can quickly go from a high-level completed and handed over to the original engineer.
overview of an asset down to granular detail. The ability to seamlessly transfer engineering data to
y Minimizing risks: Unplanned maintenance downtime the new owner increases the asset’s attractiveness.
is one of the biggest project risks. Access to real-time 3. Supporting decommission: Decommission cost
data from across activities combined with a unified accounts for 3 to 4% of the total due to unforeseen
asset integrity management system minimizes those issues with either the asset or the well. Digital
risks, enhances planning activity, and reduces both twin technology reduces the unknown by ensuring
wasted maintenance time and materials. engineering teams have a complete picture
y Manage engineering information: Traditionally, of the asset – from the flowlines to downhole
engineers could spend up to 50% of their working time tools, and a model of the existing facility. Armed
sourcing and verifying data. Digital twin solutions with this information, engineers, their in-house
enable them to easily access the information they decommissioning teams and external consultants
need and have confidence that it is accurate, up-to- can better plan and budget the decommissioning
date, and complete. With time freed from checking the program. What’s more, they are better positioned
information, engineers can focus on strategic, value- to improve communication with regulators and
adding activities. engineers smoothing the process.
y Drive work efficiency: Successful digital twin projects
require an evolution of project processes – trying to fit
old ways of working to new uses of technology will fail Digital twin solutions are transforming
to deliver full transformative potential. With the right engineering projects:
approach and organizational mindset, a digital twin y 3 minutes or less to find actionable asset
program will improve internal processes and promote information
collaboration across engineering teams, fostering
y 2 months to deploy across the full
data-driven decision making, standardization, and
business unit with a cloud solution
transparency across the organization and fleet.
y 10% increased staff productivity
y Fast response to change: Managing change and
having the agility to respond to market dynamics y 30% or more reduction in unplanned
become frictionless with real-time access to downtime
complete plant engineering data. While optimizing
asset excellence is an immediate benefit of
digital twin technology, there are longer-term
gains for implementing solutions to brownfield
assets. Most significantly, a digital twin can help
increase the potential sale value and comply with
decommissioning requirements.
04 Embracing digital twin technology for engineering assets
Key components of a digital twin for engineering assets
The key differentiator among the various approaches is Connecting people, processes, and data ensures
how easily the different technology components can be effective maintenance scheduling, eliminates redundant
unified to synchronize as-is 1D, 2D, and 3D data into a work and confusion over version compliance, and
single, secure hub. streamlines approval status and task assignment.
Proactive data management in the cloud: Align all With a cloud-hosted tool, engineers can collect, store,
teams around a robust, user-friendly Asset Information and access engineering data from remote assets in
Management (AIM) system. Affordable cloud-enabled harsh environments. Or from legacy assets with limited
solutions are enabling engineering teams to proactively diagnostic capabilities. Out-of-the-box connectivity
manage their data to deliver complect project on time provides engineers and managers with end-to-end
and on budget. engineering visibility.
Effective AIM systems turn data from multiple Discover how AVEVA worked with one of its largest
information sources and systems into trusted energy clients to create an Engineering Data Warehouse
actionable insights, identifying and cross-referencing (EDW) to hold the Master Asset Register for its sites
all the relationships between equipment, documents, around the world.
drawings, and various data formats. They accelerate
information discovery and link distributed teams to a
common data asset. Click here to read the blog
Web dashboard
Data registration
Data source 1 Intelligent
Capture Interpret Consolidate Data quality document
and maturity
reporting
3D model
streaming
Data source 2 Point cloud
visualization
Completeness
conformance In-context web
consistency integration
Data source n
Data Data Data
capture rules interpretation rules consolidation rules
• Common data model • Object naming rules
• Tag & doc classes Information • Attribute expected values
• Attribute classes • Lifecycle maturity rules
• Units of measure
standard • Industry standards mapping
05 Embracing digital twin technology for engineering assets
Laser scanning assets: Connecting 1D and 2D data to y Understand what you need to achieve to improve
an as-is 3D model of an asset is a critical component of engineering performance: both short-term aims and
a successful digital twin. No longer requiring complex long-term goals. Define how digital twin solutions
and expensive modeling, a laser scan connected to the will add value to your business.
point cloud provides high-quality asset visualization y Audit the solutions that you currently have and
with links to relevant engineering data to enable teams identify areas that you need to improve. This could be
to make the right decisions, fast. connecting siloed data feeds across the plant into a
By connecting laser scanned data to the point cloud, an single platform, for example, or undertaking a laser
unlimited number of users can access the photorealistic scan of the asset to improve maintenance planning.
environment which provides invaluable context to the y Find a partner who can help demonstrate how a
information and intelligence needed for modification cost-effective approach can deliver short-term return
projects and day-to-day maintenance and operations. on investment.
They can also use 3D mark-up functionality to add and y Get started. There is no ideal moment to start. One
share information across multiple teams. of the benefits of today’s solutions is that there is no
When teams are aligned around one trusted source “one and done” approach. Choose technology that
of secure data, the risk of working from outdated scales easily enabling you to add additional tools
visualizations or multiple versions existing is eliminated. as required and scale to more users and assets if
Now, 3D point cloud data is delivered exactly where it needed. Taking the first steps enables you to build
should be, instantly. Global teams have an easy and confidence and prove its value before building and
simple way to create, share, and maintain the trusted evolving further.
data they need to optimize brownfield capital and y Find a trusted partner to help deliver a sustainable
maintenance projects effectively. Learn more about improvement program. A partner who knows your
laser scanning and the point cloud here. industry will be best placed to guide you through the
choice of solutions to build a digital twin that aligns
Analyze real-time and historical data: Systems enable with your organizational needs.
users to extract critical insights about asset health
by connecting disparate data sources. The solution
seamlessly manages the data collection process, Transforming engineering performance with
enabling engineers to spend their time analyzing Asset Information Management
collected data and making recommendations. Unlike Digital twin technology is connecting asset information
calendar-based inspections and periodic assessments, to give engineers a level of end-to-end overview and
it detects small but critical equipment changes so control that they have never had before. With real-time
teams can quickly act. access to all 1D, 2D and 3D data in the cloud, multiple
teams can simultaneously collaborate to minimize risks,
It’s time to take the first steps toward your and respond to opportunities, ultimately transforming
digital twin asset performance.
There can be a vast difference between understanding Where once digital twin solutions were seen as
how digital twin technology can benefit industrial expensive and complex – offering little returns for
organizations and knowing the steps to take to begin existing and aging assets – today’s tools provide an
reaping those benefits. The whole process can seem affordable, out-of-the-box answer to the myriad of
overwhelming and unachievable. challenges facing current industrial project challenges.
There are some simple steps that heads of engineering Fast to implement, requiring minimal set-up and ongoing
can take to plot their route to implementing a successful maintenance, a unified approach to Asset Information
digital twin. These include: Management in the cloud combines proactive document
management with real-time analysis and 3D modeling to
provide engineering teams with granular level insights.
06 Embracing digital twin technology for engineering assets
Engineer a trusted digital twin with AVEVA solutions
AVEVA’s engineering information solutions are helping
industries to implement their digital transformation
through a trusted digital twin. The largest energy,
chemicals, and power companies already trust AVEVA
to help them build their digital twins and adapt to the
global market changes.
AVEVA™ Asset Information Management with the
help of AVEVA™ Information Standards Manager
integrated in a 3D visualization tool (AVEVA™ 3D Asset
Visualization), collects data (historical and real data
from AVEVA™ PI system™) from multiple information AVEVA Asset Information Management dashboard
sources and turns it into actionable insights. This
setup can automatically detect and cross-reference
all the relationships between equipment, documents,
drawings, and various data formats.
AVEVA™ Point Cloud Manager is a cloud-enabled
3D data capture solution for registering, processing,
and visualizing point cloud and 3D model data on
brownfield, greenfield, and maintenance projects. The
solution helps engineers ensure that the digital twin
and its real-world counterpart are accurately aligned,
which improves decision-making and safety and
reduces rework on their most critical assets.
AVEVA Point Cloud Manager dashboard
These solutions integrate seamlessly in the cloud
to connect point-cloud and 3D design model data
with all other asset information, creating deeper
contextualization and better visualization of the digital
twin. Both solutions are available on AVEVA™ Connect,
our industrial cloud platform, as software as a service
(SaaS) offerings. With AVEVA’s support and the
support of our partners, it is easier than ever to create
real-time digital twin, keep it updated, and start gaining
more valuable insights.
AVEVA 3D Asset Visualization dashboard
07 Embracing digital twin technology for engineering assets
References
1. AVEVA Report: Approaching the Age of Performance: About the author
Insights from industries in evolution.
Steve Parvin, VP Engineering
2. McKinsey & Company: Global Energy Perspective 2022 Information Management,
Portfolio Strategy. Steve is a
3. McKinsey & Company: Global Energy Perspective 2022
qualified Chemical Engineer,
4. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment: who gained his first experience
An economic assessment framework for decommissioning working with engineering data
of offshore wind farms using a cost breakdown as a plant support engineer on a
structure, 2021. chemical plant, which was built in the 1940s. He has more
than 20 years of experience in engineering information
management, working as an IM consultant alongside
large owner operators and EPCs on MCPs around the
world (Australia, Kazakhstan, Middle-East, UK, US). Steve
represents AVEVA at the IOGP, CFIHOS (JIP36) meetings
and leads the Software Vendor Team, which comprises
many industrial software vendors.
Learn how AVEVA Asset Management Discover how you can accelerate
Information can improve engineering efficiency, transformational outcomes with a
collaboration, and project outcomes hybrid cloud approach
Click here to speak to one of our digital twin experts
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