Project review model of Meeker Phase II facility

“Interdepartmental and inter-company coordination was one of the main challenges of such a large project. CADWorx Plant professional made internal and external coordination virtually seamless.”

Established in 1987, Gas Liquids Engineering Ltd. (GLE), based in Alberta, Canada is a full service project engineering and management company that focuses on the design of natural gas purification and liquids recovery systems for the petrochemical industry. It is this broad and deep experience that GLE brought to one of the largest gas production facilities in the Colorado Piceance Basin. This was also one of the largest CADWorx projects that they had undertaken to date.

Colorado Piceance Basin

The Colorado Piceance Basin represents one of the most prolific and fastest growing energy producing areas in the USA. Located above the gas rich “tight sands” of the 6,000 square mile Piceance Basin, the gas production complex is expected to provide the region with valuable midstream energy production.

Propak Systems Ltd. (Propak), an engineering, fabrication and construction company in Alberta, Canada managed the design and construction of this the second phase of the project. Propak’s plan was to mirror and update the phase I designs that were originally done in 2D. To undertake this work Propak decided to subcontract the design of it to GLE.

Opportunities for Improvement

When GLE began the design of the project, it was faced with two major challenges. The first challenge was the complexity of the pipe rack, a vital main artery of the site, with its hundreds of branches and tie-in points. Second, GLE found significant inconsistencies between many of the Phase I 2D as-built drawings that, if left unaddressed would cause scheduling delays and increase costs.

Project sets up perfectly for 3D design

Having used the CADWorx Plant Design Suite before and knowing the quality of these and other COADE software tools, GLE realized that both issues could be solved using this 3D plant design solution. GLE knew that the CADWorx package suited its work practices and being a complete solution that included piping, equipment, steel, ducting, as well as “on the fly” clash detection, and bidirectional links to CAESAR II, it would be beneficial for the project.

Client approves use of CADWorx

At the first project review, GLE delivered a fully interactive 3D model. GLE’s team showed areas where they thought design, process and construction savings could be made. In seeing the value and potential of the 3D model, Propak made the decision to allow GLE to model the whole project in 3D.

Benefits of project collaboration

Using CADWorx on this project allowed for ongoing model reviews and walkthroughs amongst GLE’s designers, engineers and other project stakeholders. These reviews made the design phase of the project flow much smoother and faster, allowing changes to be made as soon as they were identified. Bidirectional links between CAESAR II and CADWorx helped save 40% of the stress engineers’ time by receiving design information directly from designers. All in all, GLE was able to deliver a design that allowed for quick and accurate layout adjustments, improved efficiency and reduced costs.

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