PIPING SPECIFICATIONS AND CATALOG OVERVIEW

Basic definitions:
Piping Specifications = components allowed for each Piping Class with detailed specifications of each component's characteristics.
Dimensional Catalog = tables with dimensions associated to each component, grouped by common stantards. Each standard = one folder.

EPLANT-Piping data architecture allows to separate defining Piping Specifications from Dimensional Catalogs and therefore greatly simplify the creation and maintenance of both type of information. This is a mayor improvement from other Plant Design Systems.

Piping Specifications and Catalogs Overwiew (5min 32sec)

 

PIPING SPECIFICATION FORMAT AND RULES

EPLANT-Piping need Piping Specifications being loaded in a specific format, making use of different codes and conventions.

Open in a new window the detailed format and rules to use as reference.

 

LOAD A PIPING CLASS FROM SCRATCH

The following is a sequence you can follow to load a new Piping Class:

Component Codes: identify the EPLANT-Piping Component Code associated to each component used in the Piping Class. Groups such as Fittings must be opened into explicit components.
End Codes: identify the EPLANT-Piping End Code associated to each component.
Material Codes: identify the EPLANT-Piping Material Code associated to each component.
Additional Codes: define the Additional Code associated to each component, if any.
Verify the newly defined class: automatically check formal errors.

Prepare Reference Data used to Load Piping Specifications (4min 37sec)

Load Piping Specifications (8min 59sec)

 

WORKING WITH EXCEL

Although all editing of piping classes can be done inside the Data Base Module, most operations are best done using Excel.

Working with Excel (5min 5sec)

 

VERIFY PIPING CLASSES

This command should be used whenever a major change is made, especially after importing classes from Excel: automatically verify the consistency of the definition checking codes and rules:

Verify Piping Specifications (3min 24sec)

 

DIMENSIONAL CATALOG

The Dimensional Catalog is the set of tables that store dimensions associated to each component, grouped together in different folders, each one corresponding to a different standard.
A link is established between each row in the piping specification and the corresponding standard name declared in the Standard column.

EPLANT-Piping Components have a Parametric Definition. The values stored in these tables are the parameters corresponding to each Piping Component. Parametric Definition is optimized in a way to minimize the explicit parameters needed for each component. Each component makes use of common values such as: Piping External Diameter, Flange Thickness and Diameter, etc. In this way most of the components only need one explicit parameter. This is another big improvement and simplification with respect other Plant Design Systems.

The format of each Dimensional Table defines the way the dimension stored in that table (one dimension for each table) depends from the Piping Spec parameters.

Dimensional Catalog Overview (5min 32sec)

 

Dimensional Catalog Verification (2min 14sec)

 

PREDEFINED CLASSES

EPLANT-Piping automatically installs a number of System Classes as examples using different standards.

Predefined Classes (3min 12sec)

 

ADDITIONAL CODE

Additional Codes (CODA field) can be used to associate a detailed description of components, apart from the Component Generic Description (defined in the COD.DBF table) and Material.
It is intended to show up in Material Requisitions.

It can be used as a Custom Material Code, provided that the code is not Diameter dependent. It that case, Material Codifications is best done using a Custom Material Code.

Additional Codes (3min 2sec)

 

PROJECT END CODE

Although the End Codes that must be used in Piping Specification definitions (and consequently in the Tables Names in the Dimensional Catalog) are the System End Codes, each project can associate to them more convenient codes to be used in MTO reports.

Project End Codes (3min 35sec)

CUSTOM MATERIAL CODE

EPLANT-Piping supports up to two different Custom Material Codes called External and Alternate Codes. They can be used when the code is arbitrary and diameter dependent. Code definitions can be limited to the very material used by the project, simplifying its definition.

Custom Material Codes (6min 53sec) - More

 

ALTERNATE OPTIONS

When different options are avaiable for the same Component in the Same Diameter Range, Alternate Options can be defined. They will prompt an interactive selection during component placement:

Alternate Options (3min 37sec)

 

ALTERNATE GASKETS / BOLTS

This is the case when a Gasket or Bolt type different from the default ones (defined at the Project level) are needed.

Alternate Gasket / Bolts (3min 22sec)

 

VALVE OPERATORS

Valve Operators are themselves a separate component with respect the valve. This allow to place them after the Valve placement and change them any time. To automatically place them along the Valve, the Piping Specification OPE columns is used.

Valve Operators - Specs and Catalog (4min 4sec)

 

INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS

EPLANT-Piping allows defining Insulation Classes.

Open in a new window the detailed format and rules to use as reference.

Insulation Specifications (3min 22sec)

 

PIPING COMPONENT CODE

This table defines all Piping Components to be used by EPLANT-Piping. User can add new components. See the Technical Manual for details.

Piping Component Codes (3min 18sec)

 

MATERIAL CODE

This table defines the available materials. Piping Specifications need to load the Material Code. Material Report will show instead the associated description. User can easly add new Material Codes and Descriptions.

Material Codes (1min 52sec)

 

END CODE

End Codes are used to specify different Connection Types between components. Each End Code defines a Connection Compatibility and which Implicit Elements (Gaskets, Bolts, Welding, Clamps) if any are generated for each connection.
The End Codes themselves are also used in the Dimensional Table Names and in Material Reports. In this last case, they can be translated using the Project End Codes.

Connection End Codes (3min 44sec)

 

RATING & SCHEDULE

Rating & Schedule (1min 26sec)

 

WEIGHT CATALOG

Weight is assigned to each component by means of tables corresponding to each Dimensional Standard. In case of Pipes and some types of Fittings (Elbows, Tees, Reductions) if the required weight is not defined it will be automatically calculated using the specific weight associated to the material.

Weight Catalog Overview (1min 36sec)

 

Last Updated October 20th, 2020.