An article in the current issue of Aker Solutions Magazine offers an interesting perspective on how a modern offshore facility or drilling rig is designed and built. While rigs and platforms are often one of a kind, they are built from common components and make extensive re-use of components, a process called Knowledge-based engineering design.
KBeDesign includes design rules, standards and estimation tools stored in a database such that installations can be tailored to region’s environmental conditions and local legislation.
KBeDesign was developed around TechnoSoft’s Adaptive Modeling Language which covers modeling and simulation throughout the development cycle. AML supports automatic product configuration, design, manufacturing and production planning. AML provides support for standards including IGES and STEP. An underlying object-oriented database offers open access and links to geometry engines such as Parasolid, ACIS, and Shapes.
Aker believes that KBE is a significant improvement on traditional ‘static’ computer aided design particularly when leveraged in ‘intelligent scaling’ of previous designs. Where traditional CAD may require weeks or months to implement changes, one recent semi-submersible was resized in a day.
This article originally appeared in Oil IT Journal 2013 Issue # 1.
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