Challenge: Accurate measurement of complex and damaged pipes and equipment in hot, confined refinery conditions, in order to design, manufacture and install customized repair solutions as quickly as possible.
Solution: Artec Leo, Artec Studio, Geomagic Design X, SOLIDWORKS
The result: Scanners with sub-millimeter precision now allow data to be collected quickly, shared in the cloud with engineers, and used to create custom clamps for pipes in need of repair. This fast process is six times faster than manual measurement, ensuring plant continuity and minimizing costly unplanned downtime.
Why Artec 3D?: Thanks to its robust and ultra-compact design, Artec Leo is ideal for scanning in confined industrial spaces. Artec Studio enables seamless data processing, while Artec Cloud enables technicians to instantly share scanned data with remote partners for design and production of custom parts.
Most of the time it goes unnoticed, but our world is covered with millions of miles of pipelines that transport critical resources from plants and refineries to users. Only when problems occur in oil and gas networks do they make headlines, often with damaging consequences for the operator's reputation.
Leaks cause environmental problems, undermine user confidence, and in some cases lead to unplanned downtime. Pipelines carry millions of dollars worth of resources every day, so incidents are extremely expensive – and time is of the essence when it comes to repairs.
To avoid such disasters, gas and oil pipeline operators usually shut down operations every 2-3 years for maintenance. However, between these regular inspections, pipes are susceptible to damage from corrosion, erosion or bursting. In such situations, specialized service providers, such as Team, Inc., come into play.
Team, Inc. provides inspection and repair services that enable customers to verify system integrity, perform preventative maintenance and perform repairs to keep their assets operational. While most of the industry still manually measures damaged pipes, Team, Inc. took a different path: they adopted the Artec Leo to measure and repair damaged parts with unprecedented speed and precision.
Eliminating costly mistakes
Although the company is based in Houston, Texas, Team, Inc. operates in more than 20 countries and provides services to industries from energy to aeronautics, positioning itself as a global provider of engineering solutions in the truest sense of the word.
However, until recently their in-service repair services still depended on caliper measurements. According to Adam Thistlethwaite, vice president of workflow services, manual measurement was not only time-consuming, but also very risky. Pipe networks often contain complex angles that are difficult to judge with the naked eye, while dimensions written on paper and sent by photo can easily be misinterpreted.
Repair parts are expensive to produce, so manufacturing errors are very expensive. More importantly, such problems affect repair times. It was this risk that prompted Team, Inc. to digitize its work process. At first, their engineers tried to measure pipelines using wired, target-oriented 3D scanners. However, application and removal of target labels was tricky in refinery conditions, and in some cases, heat haze distorted the results.
That's why they turned to Artec's American gold-certified partner, GoEngineer, who equipped them with an Artec Leo scanner. Until then, Team, Inc. technicians had always measured by hand and never used 3D scanning. However, thanks to the click-to-scan functionality, they quickly mastered the use of the device and began field work after only a few hours of training.
Durable, portable, accurate, and extremely easy to use, the Artec Leo fit perfectly into Team, Inc.'s workflow, eliminating any lingering doubts and allowing for error-free leak clamp adjustments.
"With some corroded pipes, you'd think they're making a 90° angle, but it's actually 92°," explains Thistlethwaite. "If we tried to force-fit the clamp, it could cause the tube to fail, which would be a safety issue. Now, if the angle isn't quite 'perfectly straight,' we can capture that with 3D scanning and incorporate it into the design, so the clamp fits perfectly right away."
Pipeline design in the cloud
Even when filming carefully, Team, Inc. it can now digitize 1 m² of pipe in less than an hour – a significant saving compared to the previous 5-6 hour sketching – but that's not the only advantage.
Their engineers begin the process by capturing and aligning data in Artec Studio software. The Autopilot feature automates the process by selecting the best algorithms, while combining registration, alignment and file size reduction in one step. The last step is particularly important for Team, Inc.'s workflow, as it reduces the file size when exporting the network and facilitates data sharing via Artec Cloud .
"Previously, we recorded dimensions, photographed the pages and sent them to engineers who reconstructed the geometry in SOLIDWORKS. These transitions created opportunities for error and increased the cost of poor quality," said Thistlethwaite. "Now, thanks to Artec Cloud, we can upload data directly from the field and share it with colleagues in the office, who immediately start work on repairs."
For repair, modification and conversion of scanned data into CAD models for clamp design in SOLIDWORKS, base engineers use Geomagic Design X . The advanced reverse engineering tools in this software are ideal for rapidly iterating existing product designs. However, the company is still looking for even faster methods to create custom repair clamps.
"We are trying to identify new ways to increase efficiency in working with the software - both through internal training and with the support of our partner GoEngineer," Thistlethwaite added. "In particular, we are investigating methods of processing scans that could produce the same results in a more efficient way."
Faster execution of emergency repairs
All Team, Inc. technicians. in the United States now have access to the Artec Leo scanner, which they use to collect data at remote locations and then send that data to facilities throughout the company's global network. The instant sharing of 3D scans not only made it easier to meet the typical 1-2 day clamp manufacturing deadlines, but also allowed them to build a database of captured designs that could be reviewed again for quality assurance.
Then there are the benefits of portability. The Artec Leo scanner's unique wireless all-in-one configuration allows it to be used anywhere in the world, while scanned data can be instantly shared via WiFi. This ability to share measurement data almost instantly has enabled Team, Inc. to accelerate production processes and respond to urgent customer needs with unprecedented speed.
However, their seamlessly integrated workflow for sharing data between multiple locations is constantly improving as they look for new ways to repair their customers' critical equipment. Thistlethwaite points out that 3D scanning of complex geometries has already become an indispensable part of the work, and given how easy Leo is to use, it is possible that it will find application in other segments of Team, Inc.'s business.
"Our technicians are particularly pleased with this technology," concluded Thistlethwaite. "They can't wait to use the 3D scanners - they're thrilled with the speed, convenience and accuracy!"