Pipework Design Using PDMS

VANTAGE Plant Design
Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS

Version 11.6SP1
pdms1161/Pipework Design Using PDMS issue 150904
PLEASE NOTE: AVEVA Solutions has a policy of continuing product development: therefore, the information contained in this document may be subject to change without notice. AVEVA SOLUTIONS MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH REGARD TO THIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. While every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this document, AVEVA Solutions shall not be liable for errors contained herein or direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance or use of this material. This manual provides documentation relating to products to which you may not have access or which may not be licensed to you. For further information on which Products are licensed to you please refer to your licence conditions. Copyright 1991 through 2005 AVEVA Solutions Limited
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Revision History
Date October 2003 Version 11.5 Notes Updated to incorporate the Design Explorer and the new view manipulation facilities introduced at this version of PDMS. Updated for PDMS11.6 Updated for PDMS SP1
September 2004 January 2005
11.6 11.6SP1
Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1
Revision History-i
Contents
1. Read this First .............................................................................. 1-1
1.1.1. 1.1.2. 1.1.3. 1.1.4. Intended Audience..................................................................................1-1 Assumptions ...........................................................................................1-1 About the Tutorial Exercise ....................................................................1-1 Further Reading......................................................................................1-1
1.1. The Scope of this Guide ............................................................................1-1
1.2. 1.3. 1.4. 1.5.
Text Conventions.......................................................................................1-2 Terminology ...............................................................................................1-2 How the Guide is Organised......................................................................1-3 Further Training in Using PDMS................................................................1-3
2.
Introducing VANTAGE PDMS...................................................... 2-1
2.1. Introducing the Structure of PDMS ............................................................2-1 2.2. The Strengths of PDMS.............................................................................2-1 2.3. PDMS Piping Network Design Features....................................................2-2
3.
Getting Started ............................................................................. 3-1
3.1. Logging In ..................................................................................................3-1 3.2. Using the Mouse........................................................................................3-2 3.3. Using Forms ..............................................................................................3-2
3.3.1. 3.3.2. Using Text Boxes ...................................................................................3-2 Using Drop-Down Lists...........................................................................3-3
3.4. 3.5. 3.6. 3.7. 3.8. 3.9.
The PDMS Startup Display........................................................................3-4 Using Menus..............................................................................................3-5 Using the Toolbar ......................................................................................3-6 Using the Design Explorer .........................................................................3-7 Using the Status Bar..................................................................................3-8 More on Using Forms ................................................................................3-8
3.9.1. 3.9.2. 3.9.3. 3.9.4. Using Option Buttons..............................................................................3-9 Using Check Boxes ................................................................................3-9 Using Scrollable Lists .............................................................................3-9 Using Action Buttons ..............................................................................3-9
3.10. Responding to Alert Forms ......................................................................3-10 3.11. Using On-Line Help .................................................................................3-10
4.
Setting Up the PDMS Database Hierarchy ................................. 4-1

4.1.1. PDMS design data definitions ................................................................4-2
4.1. How PDMS Stores Design Data ................................................................4-1 4.2. Creating some administrative elements.....................................................4-3
5.
Creating Some Equipment Items ................................................ 5-1

5.1.1. 5.1.2. The Basic Principles ...............................................................................5-1 Using Predefined Templates for Standard Equipment ...........................5-2
5.1. How Equipment Items are Represented....................................................5-1 5.2. Creating a Storage Tank to a Standard Design.........................................5-3 5.3. Adding a Nozzle to the Storage Tank ........................................................5-6 5.4. Viewing the Design ....................................................................................5-8
5.4.1. Defining what Appears in the View.........................................................5-8 Contents-i Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1
Contents
5.4.2. 5.5.1. 5.5.2. 5.5.3. 5.5.4. 5.5.5.
Manipulating the Displayed View..........................................................5-10 Creating a vertical vessel .....................................................................5-12 Naming the Nozzle in the Base of the New Vessel. .............................5-13 Creating a Standard Design Pump.......................................................5-14 Changing the Orientation of an Equipment Item ..................................5-15 Tidying Up Afterwards ..........................................................................5-18
5.5. Creating Some More Equipment Items....................................................5-12
5.6. Saving Your Changes and Leaving Your Design Session.......................5-18
6.
Routing a Sequence of Piping Components.............................. 6-1
6.1. Design-to-Catalogue Cross-Referencing...................................................6-1 6.2. How Piping Networks are Represented.....................................................6-1

6.2.1. 6.2.2. Pipes and Branches ...............................................................................6-2 Piping Components ................................................................................6-3
6.3. Restoring your PDMS Session and Starting the Pipework Application .....6-3 6.4. Setting a Default Specification...................................................................6-4 6.5. Creating a Simple Pipework Sequence .....................................................6-5
6.5.1. Modifying Pipe Sequences ...................................................................6-12
6.6. Creating a Second Pipework Sequence ..................................................6-41 6.7. Quick Pipe Routing ..................................................................................6-47 6.8. Deleting Pipe Routes ...............................................................................6-57
7.
Checking and Outputting Design Data ....................................... 7-1

7.1.1. 7.2.1. 7.2.2. 7.2.3. Design tolerances...................................................................................7-2 Obstruction Levels..................................................................................7-4 Extent of Clashing ..................................................................................7-4 The Clash Detection Process .................................................................7-5
7.1. Checking for Design Data Inconsistencies ................................................7-1 7.2. Checking for Clashes.................................................................................7-4
7.3. Generating a Data Output Report..............................................................7-6 7.4. Generating Isometric Plots ........................................................................7-7 7.5. Conclusion ...............................................................................................7-10
Appendix A Appendix B
B.1 B.2 B.3
The Equipment and Piping Design Database................1 Other Relevant Documentation ......................................1
PDMS introductory guides ............................................................................1 PDMS Reference Manuals ...........................................................................1 General Guides.............................................................................................2
Appendix C
Sample Plots ....................................................................1
Contents-ii
1.
1.1.
Read this First

The Scope of this Guide
This guide introduces some of the facilities provided by VANTAGE PDMS for designing and documenting interconnected piping networks for a wide range of process and related plant design industries, both on-shore and off-shore. It explains the main concepts underlying PDMS and its supporting applications, and shows how you can apply these to your own design projects. The chapters of this guide take the form of a hands-on tutorial exercise combined with frequent explanation of the underlying concepts. As you work progressively through the exercise, you will gain practical experience of the ways in which you can use PDMS while learning about the powerful facilities it provides.
1.1.1.
Intended Audience
This guide has been written for engineers familiar with piping design practices, who may or may not have prior knowledge of PDMS.
1.1.2.
Assumptions
For you to use this guide, the sample PDMS project, Project SAM, must be correctly installed on your system, and you must have read/write access to the project databases. It is assumed that you know: where to find PDMS on your computer system how to use the Windows operating system installed on your site.
Contact your systems administrator if you need further help in either of these areas.
1.1.3.
About the Tutorial Exercise

All the steps of the exercise are numbered sequentially throughout the guide. The start and end of each part of the exercise is marked by lines across the page to separate them from the general information sections, like this:
1.1.4.
Further Reading
You can find a list of relevant AVEVA documentation in the appendices of this guide.
1-1
Read this First
1.2.
Text Conventions
This guide uses the following text conventions.
Convention Used for
Serif Bold
for the majority of the text. to highlight important information. to denote internal cross references and citations, and to introduce new terms and special terminology. to denote keys on your keyboard. for menu names and options, and for the names of forms. for text within a form, including text that you enter yourself using the keyboard.
Serif italic
Sans-serif Sans-serif bold
Typewriter
1.3.
Terminology
You can switch rapidly between the different parts of the program, so that the distinctions between them become almost imperceptible, but you need to recognise what is happening when you select from the different functions available to you from the various menus. The following terms are used throughout this guide to describe what action to carry out.
Term Enter Click Action
Type text into the specified dialogue box, then press the Enter (or Return) key to confirm the entry. Place the mouse pointer over a specified point, then quickly press and release the designated mouse button. If no button is specified, use the left-hand mouse button. Click on the required item to select it. Place the mouse pointer over a specified point, then press and hold down the required mouse button while moving the pointer to a second specified point. Release the button over the second point. Place the mouse pointer over a specified point, then click the left-hand mouse button twice in quick succession.
Pick Drag
Double-click
1-2
Read this First
1.4.
How the Guide is Organised

This guide is divided into three parts, including some appendices, as follows:
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
introduces this guide and summarises its scope. gives a general overview of the main design facilities provided within the pipework application. gives you a general guide to using the PDMS graphical user interface, including an explanation of how to access detailed on-line help. A running example is used from this chapter on, to illustrate essential concepts. explains how PDMS stores its design data and shows you how to organise your data. demonstrates how to create some simple items of equipment. Although not strictly part of the piping design process, the steps described in this chapter introduce you to the ways in which the design applications work and result in some reference points between which to route pipe runs in later parts of the exercise. explains the key features of piping design using PDMS and shows you how to build up a piping sequence component by component. shows how to check your design for errors and inconsistencies, and how to generate reports and isometric plots directly from the design data. It concludes the worked example. summarises the database hierarchy which PDMS uses to store your piping design data. identifies other sources of information which supplement, and expand upon, the brief details given in this guide. contains some examples of the types of isometric plot, including material take-off lists, which can be produced easily by using PDMS.
Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C
The guide concludes with an Index, allowing you to refer back to any specific topics about whose details you need to be reminded.
1.5.
Further Training in Using PDMS

This guide teaches you to about the key features of using PDMS for piping designs only. If you wish to learn more about the wide-ranging facilities of PDMS, AVEVA provides a wide range of training courses, covering all levels of expertise and all design disciplines. For details of courses, and to arrange course attendance, contact your nearest AVEVA support office (see the copyright page at the front of this guide for our web address).
1-3
2.
Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

This chapter: introduces PDMS explains the structure of PDMS explains the strengths of PDMS describes piping network design features.
2.1.
Introducing the Structure of PDMS

PDMS comprises the following functional parts: modules applications.
A module is a subdivision of PDMS that you use to carry out specific types of operation. This guide covers the following modules: Design, which you use for creating the 3D design model Isodraft, which you use for generating annotated and dimensioned isometric drawings of your design.
An application is supplementary program that has been tailored to provide easy control of operations that are specific to a particular discipline. The applications you will use for piping design work in this guide are: Equipment Pipework.
You can switch quickly and easily between different parts of PDMS.
2.2.
The Strengths of PDMS

In VANTAGE PDMS, you have a powerful suite of facilities, designed by piping engineers for piping engineers, for creating, analysing, and documenting logically interconnected piping networks.
2-1
The emphasis is on maximising both design consistency and design productivity: The design modelling functions incorporate a degree of apparent intelligence that enables them to make sensible decisions about the consequential effects of many of your design choices. This allows you to implement a sequence of related decisions with a minimum of effort. You can incorporate modifications into your design at any stage without fear of invalidating any of your prior work, because data consistency-checking is an integral part of the product. PDMS automatically manages drawing production, material take-off reports, and so on, by reading all design data directly from a common set of databases, to prevent errors from being introduced by transcribing information between different disciplines. The applications let you check all aspects of your design as work progresses. This includes on-line interdisciplinary clash detection, so the chances of errors and inconsistencies reaching the final documented design are reduced to an exceptionally low level. The applications are controlled from a graphical user interface. This means that all design, drawing and reporting operations are initiated by selecting choices from menus, and by entering data into on-screen forms. For ease of use, many common actions are also represented by pictorial icons. On-screen help is available to assist you whenever you need help.
2.3.
PDMS Piping Network Design Features

The VANTAGE PDMS pipework applications offer the following key benefits: The applications are designed to use specification data when selecting piping components from the Catalogue database, so that design consistency and conformity to standards are ensured. It is important, therefore, that the Piping Catalogue databases are properly maintained: a Specification Generator facility is provided to enable this to be achieved with a minimum of effort. You can name piping elements in accordance with a predefined set of rules, so that their positions in the database hierarchy are always obvious without you having to enter specific texts during the design process. You can create pointers to define the storage areas in which specific types of design element are to be held in the database hierarchy. This, especially when combined with the rule-based naming facility, minimises the amount of data which you have to enter explicitly as you build up your design model. You can set up temporary lists of elements, so that you can carry out a design operation on all elements within the list simultaneously. This can avoid a great deal of repetitive work when you carry out commonly-repeated design modifications. The applications incorporate a number of geometric design aids, such as 3D positioning grids, design pins and 2D routing planes, to make it easy for you to position piping elements accurately within the design model. In most cases you can specify the points at which design items are to be positioned using the pointer to pick the required points in a 3D model view.
2-2
At any stage of your work, you can create reports listing specified data from the current database. You can specify a standard report template, so you can derive lists of commonly-required information very quickly, or you can design a one-off report format to suit special needs. The resultant output, which can include data from any design discipline, sorted in any way you require, can be either displayed on your screen or sent to a file (for storage and/or for printing).
2-3
3.
Getting Started
This chapter explains: how to log in to PDMS how to use the windows, menus and forms that comprise the PDMS graphical user interface on-line help.
3.1.
Logging In
This is the first step of the tutorial exercise. If you do not know where the PDMS program is stored on your system, you will have to contact your system administrator at this point.
Exercise begins:
1.
Start PDMS by double-clicking on the PDMS icon. The VANTAGE PDMS Login form that appears requires you to specify a number of details at the outset of your session.
Ignore any entries currently shown in this form. The next section describes how to complete the boxes, and the exercise continues afterwards.
3-1
Getting Started
3.2.
Using the Mouse

You use the mouse to steer the graphics pointer around the screen and to select or pick items by using the mouse buttons. The buttons perform different tasks depending on the type of window, and the position within the window, where the pointer is positioned. The appearance of the pointer changes according to the type of display item that is underneath it. The left-hand mouse button has three functions: On a graphical view, clicking the left-hand button with the pointer over a design element results in that element becoming the current element (that is, the design item on which you want to carry out the next operation). In a sequence of menus, dragging with the left-hand button activates the command represented by the highlighted menu option when the button is released. On a form, the effect varies according to what you select.
The middle mouse button is used primarily to manipulate a graphical view; the right-hand button (which gives a shortcut menu) is used to access the menu options specific to the graphical view window.
3.3.
Using Forms
Forms can include any of the following: text boxes drop-down lists option buttons check boxes scrollable lists action buttons.
Text boxes and drop-down lists are explained below; the remainder are explained later in this chapter.
3.3.1.
Using Text Boxes

Text boxes are the areas where you type in alphanumeric data such as names or dimensions. A text box will usually have a label to tell you what to enter. When you first open a form which contains text boxes, the first text-box on the form is current and a text editing pointer (a vertical bar) is displayed in the box. A textbox often contains a default entry (such as unset) when first displayed. Some text boxes accept only text or only numeric data, and entries with the wrong type of data are not accepted.
3-2
Getting Started
To enter data into a text box: Click in the box to insert the text editing pointer. Type in the required data, editing any existing entry as necessary. You may need to delete the existing entry first. When you have finished, confirm the entry by pressing the Enter (or Return) key. Any text box with an unconfirmed setting is highlighted by a yellow background.
3.3.2.
Using Drop-Down Lists

Drop-down lists let you choose one option from a multiple selection. The list will usually have a label to tell you what you are setting and will show the current selection. They typically have the following appearance:
To change the setting, click on the down arrow or button face to reveal the full list of available options, then pick the required option.
Exercise continues:
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Click on the VANTAGE PDMS Login form to make it active. Give the name of the Project in which you want to work: enter SAM. Give your allocated Username: enter PIPE. Give your allocated Password: enter PIPE. Give the part of the project Multiple Database (MDB) you want to work in: enter PIPE. Give the name of the module you wish to use: select Design. Make sure that you leave the Read Only box unchecked, so that you can modify the database as you work.
8.
You must specify which files to load at startup. You can choose either the application default settings (Load from Macro Files) or a customised setup saved during an earlier session (Load from Binary Files). Select Macro Files.
3-3
Getting Started
When you have entered all the necessary details, the form looks like this:
Click on the
button.
3.4.
The PDMS Startup Display

When PDMS has loaded, your screen looks like this:
Title Bar Main Menu Bar Main Tool Bar
3D View Tool Bar
3D Graphical View
Design Explorer
Status Bar
3-4
Getting Started
As labelled above, the display comprises the following:

Display Area Title Bar Main Menu Bar Main Tool Bar What it Shows
This shows the current PDMS module, and its sub-application if applicable. This is the area you use to make menu selections. This has a number of icon buttons and drop-down lists that offer shortcuts to a selection common PDMS operations and standard settings. This shows your current position in the PDMS database hierarchy. To move to a different point in the database, you click on the appropriate item in the list. Section 3.7 below explains more about how to use the Design Explorer. This is the window in which you display the design model graphically as you build it. The shortcut menu (which you access with the right-hand mouse button) enables you to control how the model is represented. This window also has its own tool bar. This displays information about the current status of your operations.
Design Explorer
3D Graphical View
Status Bar
You can reposition or minimise these windows at any time using standard window management facilities.
3.5.
Using Menus
Menu options in pull-down or pop-up menus can be in any of three formats: Standalone options initiate an action immediately. Options followed by three dots display a form. Options followed by a pointer, display a subsidiary menu that offers a further range of options. Throughout this guide, related selections from menus are abbreviated form using the > symbol as a separator.
3-5
Getting Started
For example: select Position>Move>Distance means: a) Select Position from the bar men. b) Select Move from the resulting pull-down menu c) Move the pointer to the right and select Distance from the resultant submenu.
3.6.
Using the Toolbar

The tool bar is displayed immediately below the main menu bar in the application window. It contains a number of icon buttons which let you carry out common tasks without searching for the options in the menus. The actions of the buttons are explained in the on-line help. If you pause the pointer over a button, a tool-tip pop-up box will remind you of the function of the button. To activate a button, you click on it.
Note
The tool bar can be switched off, or displayed with larger icons. To do so, select Settings>System from the main menu bar and then set the required options on the resulting System Settings form.
3-6
Getting Started
3.7.
Using the Design Explorer

The Design Explorer presents a hierarchical view of the PDMS databases and makes navigating around the Design Database quick and easy. The figure below shows a typical example of the information the Design Explorer displays:
To expand or collapse any branch of the tree, click on the
or
icon.
You can reduce the amount of information the tree displays by ticking the filter checkbox and selecting one of the predefined core filters from the drop-down combobox list. If you want to narrow the view down even more, you can change the settings in the Explorer Settings, which you can access by selecting Settings>Explorer from the main menu. If you place the mouse-pointer over an element, you will get a ToolTip that gives the elements name, type, and description; clicking-the right mouse-button while the cursor is over an element will bring up a context menu from which you can choose to perform various actions. What actions are available depend on which DB and module you are using. You can drag-and-drop elements within the Design Explorer to copy them, or you can drag-and-drop from the Design Explorer to add elements to the 3D view and My Data.
Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1 3-7
Getting Started
The current element is highlighted in the tree view and the current element will change to follow selections made elsewhere, even if the Explorer is not the active window. If you set the Expand to CE check box in the Explorer Settings, the tree will automatically expand to show the current element if it is not currently in view. The current element is also the displayed in the History List, which you will find by default on the main menu bar. However, you can undock the History List and have it as a free-floating window. The figure below shows the History List as a free-floating window.
You can make another element the current element using the History List by: typing the elements name into the combo box; selecting a previously typed in element from the combo-boxs pull-down list. Note that if you dock the window vertically, it will not display the combo-box.; navigating through the history one element at a time using the backwards and forwards buttons; selecting elements from anywhere in the History List using the drop down lists on the backwards and forwards buttons.
3.8.
Using the Status Bar

The status bar displays messages telling you what actions the application is carrying out. You should look at it frequently, especially if the system appears to be waiting for you to do something, since it will always prompt you for any input or action which is required to carry out the next step of your current activity. If the prompt lets you repeat a task an unspecified number of times, such as picking a selection of items using the pointer, you must press the Escape key when you have finished to indicate that you are ready to move to the next operation.
3.9.
More on Using Forms

Forms are used both to display information and to let you enter new data. Forms typically comprise an arrangement of buttons of various types, text-boxes, and scrollable lists. Input to a form is usually via a combination of mouse and keyboard. While you have access to a form, you can change a setting, return to the initial values, accept and act on the current data, or cancel the form without applying any changes, according to the nature of the form.
3-8
Getting Started
You were introduced to text boxers and drop-down lists in Section 3.3.2; this section describes the remaining boxes, buttons and lists: option buttons check boxes scrollable lists action buttons.
3.9.1.
Using Option Buttons

Option buttons are used to select one, and only one, from a group of options. The selection is mutually exclusive, so that selecting one option deselects others in that group automatically. They typically have the following appearance: Option selected Option not selected To change the selected option button in a group, click the required button.
3.9.2.
Using Check Boxes

Check boxes are used to switch an option between two states, typically set and unset. Unlike option buttons, they do not interact, so that you can set any combination of check boxes at the same time. They typically have the following appearance: Set Unset
3.9.3.
Using Scrollable Lists

A scrollable list is displayed as a vertical list of options within the form, with vertical and horizontal scroll bars along its sides. To select an option, click on the line you want. The selected line is highlighted. Some scrollable lists let you make only a single selection, so that selecting any option deselects all others automatically. Other lists let you make multiple selections, with all selected options highlighted simultaneously. You can deselect a highlighted option in a multiple-choice list, by clicking on it again (repeated clicks toggle a selection).
3.9.4.
Using Action Buttons

Most forms include one or more action buttons. You use these to tell PDMS what to do with the details you have entered in the form.
3-9
Getting Started
The common action buttons are: Tells PDMS to accept the current form settings, and closes the form. Cancels any changes you have made to the form, and closes the form. Tells PDMS to accept the current form settings, and leaves the form displayed for further use. Cancels any changes you have made to the form, and leaves the form displayed for further use. Closes the form, keeping the current settings. Some forms contain more specific types of control button which carry out particular command options. The action is indicated by the name of the button (such Add or Remove).
3.10. Responding to Alert Forms

Alert forms are used to display information such as error messages, prompts and requests for confirmation of changes. You should respond by carrying out the task prompted for, or by clicking on the control buttons on the form (usually an OK or Cancel button).
3.11. Using On-Line Help

Most bar menus end with a Help option. Where available, on-line help gives detailed instructions on how to use the forms and menus from which you control each application.
3-10
Getting Started
Choosing one of the Help options will bring up the Help window. The picture below shows a typical example of what you will see:
The pane on the right shows by default a clickable image of the main PDMS Design window. If you click on an area of the image, the image will be replaced by text that describes the part of the image you clicked on. The left pane contains a set of tabs that allow you to use Help in different ways. Choosing one of the options described below activates the relevant tab for you so it is at the front when the Help window comes up. The Help option gives you the following choices from its submenu: Help>Contents This displays the Help window so that you can find the required topic from the hierarchical contents list. Help>Index This displays the Help window with the Index tab selected, so that you can browse for the topic you want to read about from the alphabetically-arranged list. You can locate topics quickly by typing in the first few letters of their title. Help>Search This displays the Help window with the Search tab at the front so that you can find all topics containing the keywords you specify. Help>About This displays information about the current operating system on your computer and about the versions of PDMS and its applications to which you have access. Pressing the F1 key at any time will display the help topic for the currently active window.
3-11
Getting Started
Exercise continues:
Experiment with each of the Help options until you understand the search and navigation facilities for finding specific items of information. Use the Help>on Context option to read the help texts for any forms which you can currently see on your screen.
9.
When you are ready to continue, close any forms which you have been experimenting with as follows: If a form has a Dismiss button, click this button. If a form has its own menu bar, select Control>Close from that menu. Close any Help windows which are displayed by double-clicking in the control box in the top left-hand corner of each window. Alternatively, select File>Exit from the Help window menu bar. Do not close the Design Explorer or the 3D View windows, because you will use these in the next parts of the exercise.
You are advised to make full use of the on-line help facilities whenever you want clarification of any operations during the later steps of the exercise.
3-12
4.
Setting Up the PDMS Database Hierarchy

In this chapter, you will learn: about the PDMS database hierarchy how PDMS stores design data
Although this guide is about the design of piping networks, in practice you will usually need to route your pipe runs between predefined design points such as equipment nozzles. You will therefore learn how these other items are defined in PDMS as well as learning how to connect sequences of piping components between them. In this chapter you will look at the ways in which equipment data and piping design data is stored by PDMS, and you will create some administrative data elements to enable you to organise your detailed design in a logical way.
4.1.
How PDMS Stores Design Data

All PDMS data is stored in the form of a hierarchy. A PDMS Design database has: a top level, World (usually represented by the symbolic name /*) two principal administrative sublevels, Site and Zone.
The names used to identify database levels below Zone depend on the specific engineering discipline for which the data is used. For piping design data, the lower administrative levels (and their PDMS abbreviations) are: Pipe (PIPE) Branch (BRAN).
Each Pipe can represent any portion of the overall piping network, but is usually used to group items with a common specification. Each Branch within a Pipe represents a single sequence of piping components running between two, and only two, points: Branch Head Branch Tail.
The data which defines the physical design of the individual piping components is held below Branch level. In the basic configuration, equipment design data has only one administrative level below Zone: the Equipment (EQUI).
4-1
The data which defines the physical design of each equipment item is represented by a set of basic 3D shapes known as Primitives (Box, Cylinder, etc.) held below Equipment level. Connection points are represented by Nozzles (NOZZ). Together, these hierarchic levels give the following overall format:
WORLD (/*) SITE ZONE PIPE BRANCH SITE ZONE EQUIPMENT
Design data defining equipment shapes (primitives) and connection points (nozzles)
Design data defining individual piping components (elbows, bends, tees, valves, etc.)
4.1.1.
PDMS design data definitions

All data is represented in the database (DB) as follows: Each identifiable item of data is known as a PDMS element. Each element has a number of associated pieces of information which, together, completely define its properties. These are known as its attributes.
Every element is identified within the database structure by an automaticallyallocated reference number and, optionally, by a user-specified name. Additional items of information about an element which can be stored as attribute settings include, the: element type element physical dimensions and technical specifications element physical location and orientation in the design model element connectivity.
Some attribute settings must be defined by you when you create a new element, others will be defined automatically by PDMS. When you are modifying a database (for example, when you are creating new elements or changing the settings of their attributes), you can consider yourself to be positioned at a specific point within the hierarchy. The element at this location is called the current element (usually abbreviated to CE). In many cases, commands which you give for modifying the attributes of an element will assume that the changes are to be applied to the current element unless you specify otherwise, so you must understand this concept and always be aware of your current position in the database hierarchy. The Design Explorer displays this information continuously.
The vertical link between two elements on adjacent levels of the database hierarchy is defined as an owner-member relationship. The element on the upper level is the owner of those elements directly linked below it. The lower level elements are members of their owning element. Each element can have many members, but it can have only one owner. You can navigate from any element to any other, thereby changing the current element, by following the owner-member links up and down the hierarchy.
4.2.
Creating some administrative elements

You are now ready to create some administrative elements at the top of the PDMS Design database hierarchy, as explained above.
Exercise continues:
10. Make sure that you are at World level in the Design Explorer, then select
Create>Site. On the displayed Create Site form, type PIPESITE in the Name text box, and press the Enter key to confirm the name.
The system automatically adds a / prefix to this name so that it conforms to the internal PDMS file naming conventions: /PIPESITE.
11. Click OK to create the Site element. Your first new element appears in the
Design Explorer as the current element.
12. You will now create two Zones named PIPEZONE (to hold piping data) and
EQUIZONE (to hold equipment data). Both are to be owned by PIPESITE.
13. Now choose Create>Zone. On the displayed Create Zone form, enter PIPEZONE. 14. Click OK to create the Zone element. Again, the new element appears in the
PIPESITE.
Design Explorer as the current element, and you can see that that it is owned by
15. To create another Zone owned by PIPESITE (and not PIPEZONE), click on
PIPESITE in the Design Explorer to make it the current element. Now create a second Zone, EQUIZONE, in the same way as before. Your top part of the Design Explorer will now look like this:
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Note
If you or other users have accessed this database before, the list may also contain other elements.
In the next chapter you will create some standard equipment items, to give some reference points between which you can subsequently route your sample piping sequences.
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5.
Creating Some Equipment Items

In this chapter you will: Learn how equipment items are represented in PDMS. Create some simple equipment items, to predefined designs. These will form the basis for routing your piping network.
5.1.
5.1.1.
How Equipment Items are Represented

The Basic Principles
Each equipment item is defined geometrically in PDMS as a collection of basic 3D shapes. These shapes are known as primitives. The primitives used for piping connections to equipment items are nozzles (which are standard components which you select from the PDMS catalogues). So, for example, a simple storage vessel might be built up from the following primitives: a cylinder for the main body two dishes for the ends two boxes for the support legs a nozzle for the piping connection:
Primitives:
Dish x2
Cylinder x1
Box x2
Nozzle x1
The position of the equipment item as a whole, and the relative positions of its component primitives are specified in terms of its origin. The orientation of the equipment item is specified by aligning the X,Y,Z axes of its primitives within the E,N,U (East, North, Up) coordinate system of the design model (more accurately, the E,N,U coordinate system of the item owning Zone).
X Y Z
Equipment Origin
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You will look in more detail at the principles of positioning and orientating items within the PDMS design model when you start to create piping components.
5.1.2.
Using Predefined Templates for Standard Equipment

You do not have to build up each item of equipment from its component primitives because PDMS has range of predefined equipment types from which you can choose. These standard equipment types, some of which will have been supplied with the original application and some of which may have been added by your company, are stored as parameterised Design Templates (TMPL). The master copies of these design templates are stored in a special part of the design database. When you select a design template for inclusion in your design: a copy of the design template is created below the parent equipment element all primitives defining the template geometry are stored below the template copy any variable dimensions and so on, needed to fully specify the equipment in the design are stored as Design Data (DDAT) elements below a Design Dataset (DDSE) owned by the template.
All the above are jointly referred to as the design element properties. To enable a template designer to reuse standard configurations of primitives within an equipment design, the Equipment element is sometimes subdivided into Subequipment (SUBE) elements. In such situations an extended hierarchy is formed. An example of an extended hierarchy is as follows:
WORLD (/*) SITE ZONE EQUIPMENT SUBEQUIPMENT Design primitives and nozzles DESIGN TEMPLATE
Design primitives and nozzles
DESIGN TEMPLATE
Design primitives and nozzles Parameterised dimensions in dataset
Design primitives and nozzles Parameterised dimensions in dataset
Note
For the purposes of the current exercise, you do not need to fully understand the implications of this alternative method of storing design data. The concepts have been introduced to enable you to recognise some of the new elements that will be added into your Design Explorer as you progress through the steps of the exercise
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5.2.
Creating a Storage Tank to a Standard Design

In this section you will create a storage tank using one of the standard designs supplied with PDMS.
Exercise continues:
16. To start the Equipment application, select Design>Equipment from the Design
General Application menu bar.
When loading is complete, the main menu bar and the tool bar (which now has a second row) show some extra options which give you access to the whole range of functions needed to create and position equipment items:
17. Make sure that EQUIZONE (the zone you created for storing equipment items)
is your current element.
18. Display the Create Standard Equipment form in one of the following ways:
Select Create>Standard from the menu bar Click on the on the toolbar.
19. In the Name text box of the Create Standard Equipment form enter Tank-1.
The Specification Data area of the form enables you to narrow down your choice of standard equipment by a progressive question-and-answer sequence. At each stage of the search, you select from the options in the lower list (whose title changes to reflect its content) and the progress of the search is summarised in the Current Selection list.
20. From the Specification drop-down list, select CADC Advanced Equip. 21. From the CADCENTRE Advanced list, select Vessels.
This selection is copied to the Current Selection list, while the lower list now shows three Vessel Type options.
22. Select Vertical Vessels. 23. Select Storage Vessel with Dished Top & Bottom. 24. Select VESS 001 - Dished Top & Bottom.
The lower list title now says Selection complete and the list itself is now empty. The Current Selection list shows the fully-specified equipment:
25. At this stage, the equipment has the default dimensions defined by the
template designer. To specify your own dimensions, click the Properties button to display a Modify Properties form listing all parameterised dimensions assigned to the equipment definition.
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26. Enter the following details:

Height: Diameter: Dish Height: Knuckle Radius: Support type:
3000 2800 300 100 NONE
The dimensioned plot view in the lower part of the Modify Properties form shows the significance of the dimensions.
Note
If you cannot see the plot view, select Settings>Properties from the main menu bar and, in the resultant Properties Settings form, select Display Plotfile. Click OK and then redisplay the Modify Properties form to show the plot view. Alternatively, click the Plotfile button on the Create Standard Equipment form or Modify Properties form to display the plot in a separate window at any time.
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If you wish to zoom in so that you can read the text on the plot view, position the pointer in the plot area, hold down the middle mouse button, drag out a rectangle enclosing the region of interest, and release the button. To zoom out, position the pointer over the centre of interest of the plot and click the middle mouse button.
27. Click OK on the Modify Properties form. 28. Click Apply on the Create Standard Equipment form.
The Positioning Control form now appears automatically:
This is because you must specify the position of equipment before it can be added into the database. In a normal design situation, you would position the equipment relative to part of an existing plant structure. At the moment your view is empty, so you cannot pick any existing reference point. You must therefore give an explicit position.
29. Click the
button on the Positioning Control form.
30. On the Explicit Position form that appears, enter the coordinates:
31. Click Apply.

The tank is added into the 3D View, but the current view settings mean that you cannot see it in clear detail. You will rectify this a little later. The Design Explorer now shows an Equipment (EQUI) element, which owns a Design Template (TMPL), which in turn owns some primitives and propertydefining elements representing the equipment geometry.
32. Dismiss the Explicit Position form. 33. Dismiss the Create Standard Equipment form.
5.3.
Adding a Nozzle to the Storage Tank

The standard vessel design does not incorporate any nozzles. In this section, you will add a nozzle that you will later use to connect your pipework to the storage tank.
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Exercise continues:
34. Ensure you have EQUI Tank-1 selected in the Design Explorer as the current
element. Select Create>Primitives, and click Apply to accept the default details in the resultant form:
35. On the Create Nozzle form displayed, enter the following details in the text
boxes:
Name: Position:
Tank-1-N1 West 1675 North 0 Up 250 W (Sets the direction of the nozzle flanged face). 300 (The height of a nozzle is the length of its connecting tube).
Orientate P1 is: Height:
36. Click the Nozzle Type button. Define the nozzle type by entering the following
details in the displayed Nozzle Specification form:
Specification Generic Type Nominal Bore
#300.R.F Ansi_flanged 150
37. Click Apply, and then Dismiss.

You will see in more detail how catalogues are used when you start to select piping components.
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38. The settings on the Create Nozzle form now look like this:
Click Apply and then, if you have not already done so, Dismiss any remaining forms involved in creating the nozzle.
5.4.
Viewing the Design

In order to see what your design looks like as you build it up, and to enable you to identify design items by simply pointing to them rather than by navigating to them in the Design Explorer, you will now display your current design in a 3D View window, and learn how to manipulate this display.
5.4.1.
Defining what Appears in the View

In this section you will identify your equipment zone as the contents of the graphical display, and view isometrically.
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Exercise continues:
39. The Design Explorer will now look like this:
40. You can see the list of elements that will appear in the View by looking at the
Draw List. To view the Draw List, select the option Display>Draw List from the main menu bar. You should get something like this:
41. To remove the elements currently in the Draw List, right-click each one in turn
and select Remove from the shortcut menu. To set the Draw List so that you can see each equipment item as you create it, you need to select your equipment Zone. Do this by clicking on EQUIZONE in the Design Explorer.
42. Now click on EQUIZONE and select 3D View>Add from the shortcut menu.
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43. Now, in the 3D View tool bar, click on the Limits CE button,
. This adjusts the scale of the view automatically such that it corresponds to a volume just large enough to hold the chosen element(s); in this case, the Zone. and select Isometric>Iso 3 from the shortcut menu.
44. To set an isometric view direction, position the pointer in the 3D View window
45. Display horizontal and vertical border sliders by selecting

View>Settings>Borders or press Function Key F9.
46. Experiment with the shortcut menu options Look, Plan, and Isometric, to see
different view directions, and then revert to Isometric>Iso 3.
5.4.2.
Manipulating the Displayed View

You can manipulate the displayed model view in a number of ways. The three view manipulation modes are: Rotate the view Pan the view across the display area Zoom in or out to magnify or reduce the view.
The current manipulation mode is shown in the status line at the bottom of the 3D View window, and is currently set to Rotate, as shown in the previous illustration.
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To change the view manipulation mode, use the 3D View tool bar buttons, or the function keys, as follows:
or F2 selects ZOOM mode or F3 selects PAN mode or F5 selects ROTATE mode.

You can also choose these view manipulation options, from the shortcut menu with the mouse pointer within the graphical view.
Exercise continues:
47. Select
, (note that this is the default state).
48. Position the pointer in the view area and hold down the middle mouse button,
then move the mouse slowly from side to side while watching the effect on the displayed model.
The initial direction of movement determines how the view appears to rotate; starting with a left or right movement causes the observers eye-point to move across the view.
49. Now release the mouse button, hold it down again and move the mouse away
from you and towards you; this time the observers eye-point appears to rotate up and down around the model.
50. Repeat the rotation operations while holding down the Ctrl key. Note that the
word Fast appears in the status line and that the rate of rotation is increased. the word Slow appears in the status line and that the rate of rotation is decreased.
51. Repeat the rotation operations, but this time hold down the Shift key. Note that
For an alternative way of rotating the model, try dragging the horizontal and vertical sliders to new positions along the view borders. You can rotate the model in this way at any time, regardless of the current manipulation mode.
52. Select
then move the mouse slowly in all directions. Note that it is the observers eye-point which follows the mouse movement (while the viewing direction remains unchanged), so that the displayed model appears to move in the opposite direction to the mouse; in effect, you move the mouse towards that part of the view which you want to see.
54. Repeat the pan operations while holding down first the Ctrl key (to increase the
panning speed) and then the key (to decrease the panning speed).
55. Select
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then move the mouse slowly up and down. Moving the mouse away from you (up) zooms in, effectively magnifying the view; moving the mouse towards you (down) zooms out, effectively reducing the view. Note that these operations work by changing the viewing angle (like changing the focal length of a camera lens); they do not change the observers eye-point or the view direction.
57. Repeat the zoom operations while holding down first the Ctrl key and then the
key.
58. Position the pointer at the top of the tank and click (do not hold down) the
middle mouse button. Notice how the view changes so that the picked point is now at the centre of the view. Whenever you click the middle button, whatever the current manipulation mode, you reset the centre of interest. Set the centre of interest to the face of the nozzle, then zoom in for a close-up view. You will find this a very useful technique when making small adjustments to the design. and
59. To restore the original view when you have finished, make sure that your
current element is EQUIZONE and click on the Limits CE button, reselect Isometric>Iso 3 from the shortcut menu.
5.5.
Creating Some More Equipment Items

You need to have several equipment items between which to route piping components, so, in this section, you will now create a different design of vertical storage vessel and a pump, using similar procedures to those you used to create the first vessel.
Exercise continues:
5.5.1.
Creating a vertical vessel 60. Navigate to EQUIZONE and click

, or select Create>Standard.
61. In the Name text box of the Create Standard Equipment form enter Tank-2. 62. From the Specification drop-down list, select CADC Advanced Equip. 63. From the CADCENTRE Advanced list, select Vessels.
This selection is copied to the Current Selection list, while the lower list now shows three Vessel Type options.
64. Select Vertical Vessels. 65. Select Storage Hoppers 66. Select VESS 002 - Dished Top and Coned Bottom.
This design includes provision for one nozzle at the bottom of the conical base.
67. Click the Properties button, and enter the following details:
Height: Diameter: Dish Height: Radius: Height: Nozzle Height: Nozzle Type: Support type:
2500 1500 250 75 750 250 #300.R.F. 150mm NS NONE
68. Click OK on the Modify Properties form. 69. Click Apply on the Create Standard Equipment form. 70. Click the
East North Up
button on the Positioning Control form, and enter the coordinates: 2600 7000 2600
71. Click Apply, and observe the relative positions and orientations of the two
vessels in the graphical view. EQUIZONE is now larger than when you last set the viewing scale, so navigate to /EQUIZONE and click to reset the limits.
72. Dismiss the Create Standard Equipment form. 73. Dismiss the Explicit Position form. 5.5.2. Naming the Nozzle in the Base of the New Vessel. 74. Navigate to the nozzle on /Tank-2 using the Design Explorer:
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75. Select Modify>Name name the nozzle Tank-2-N1, Apply, and Dismiss. 76. Navigate back to Tank-2 and add a second nozzle using the same sequence as
in steps 34 to 38, and give it the following description:
Name: Position:
Tank-2-N2 East 1000 North 0 Up 2000 E (Sets the direction of the nozzle flanged face). 250 (The height of a nozzle is the length of its connecting tube). #300.R.F ANSI-flanged 100
Orientate P1 is: Height: Specification Nozzle Type Nominal Bore
Note:
This nozzle has a smaller bore than the other nozzles. You may need to rotate the view to see all of the nozzles simultaneously.
5.5.3.
Creating a Standard Design Pump 77. Click on

, and give the pump the following definition:
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Name: Specification: Pumps, Pump Type Specific Type: Selection:
/Pump-1 CADC Advanced Equip CADCENTRE Advanced Centrifugal Pumps Centreline Mounted Centrifugal Pumps PUMP 005 - Pump Centreline Mounted Tangential Outlet.
Set the properties as follows:

Baseplate Length Baseplate Width: Distance Origin to Baseplate Distance to Suction Nozzle: Distance Bottom to Centreline Discharge Nozzle Height Suction Nozzle to Coupling Distance Discharge Nozzle Suction Nozzle Type Discharge Nozzle Type
1600 510 175 240 340 180 700 135 #300.R.F. 150mm NS #300.R.F. 150mm NS.
78. Create the pump and position it at:

East North Up
4700 5000 350
5.5.4.
Changing the Orientation of an Equipment Item

The orientation of the pump is as defined by the template default settings.
79. Click on the
button on the main tool bar to display the Define Axes form. On this form, select Cardinal Directions:
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An E,N,U axes symbol is displayed at the origin of the current element. The horizontal suction nozzle points north.
80. To change the orientation of the pump so that it points West, click on the Model
Editor button
on the main toolbar.
81. Using the left-hand mouse button, click on the pump to display the drag
handles.
Rotation Handle
82. With the pointer over the horizontal rotation handle (see above), press and
hold down the left-hand mouse button and move the pointer (which changes shape) in an anticlockwise direction until the following pump orientation is achieved:
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83.
The pump now points West. Click anywhere in the graphics area to remove the drag handles.. See the online help for a full explanation of all the element position manipulation facilities available in Model Editor mode. back its original orientation first by clicking on the Undo button ( main toolbar. Click again to leave Model Editor mode. ) ) on the
84. Other methods of changing orientation are explained below. (Move the pump
85. To change the orientation of the pump so that it points West, either click on
button, or select Orientate>Rotate. The Rotate form enables you to rotate the the equipment through a specified angle about a defined axis. The default axis is up, through the origin, and is correct, so just set Angle to 90:
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86. Click Apply, and then Dismiss the Rotate form, and select Close>Retain axes on
the Define Axes form. This leaves the axes symbol in the 3D View: you will find this useful for reference in the rest of the exercise.
5.5.5.
Tidying Up Afterwards 87. Navigate to each pump nozzle in turn and rename:
the horizontal nozzle: /Pump-1-SUCTION the vertical nozzle: /Pump-1-DISCHARGE.
88. Check the layout of the three equipment items in the graphical view:
5.6.
Saving Your Changes and Leaving Your Design Session

It is good practice regularly to save changes to your design as you build it up. This avoids the need to start all over again in the event of loss of work due to an unforeseen interruption, such as a power failure.
Exercise continues:
89. Update the database to store changes to the design model so far by clicking on
, or selecting Design>Save Work, and click Yes.
90. You should also save your current screen layout and display settings, so that
next time you use the application you can easily pick up your design as it stands. Do this by selecting Display>Save>Forms & Display. selecting Design>Exit.
91. You can now leave PDMS and return to the operating system. Do this by
Ordinarily, if you had made any changes since your last Save Work operation, an alert form would ask whether you want to save those changes; this time, you are just asked to confirm that you want to leave PDMS.
92. Click OK.

In the next chapter, you will add to the design model by creating some piping components.
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6.
Routing a Sequence of Piping Components

In this chapter you will: learn how some of the items which make up the design are represented and accessed in the PDMS databases; route some pipes between the three items of equipment which currently make up your design model; position a selection of piping components within the pipe runs.
6.1.
Design-to-Catalogue Cross-Referencing
To ensure design consistency and conformity with predefined standards, the basic definitions of all items that you can use in the pipework design are held in a Catalogue database. This holds definitions of: all available configurations and materials for each type of piping component all types of nozzle for connecting pipe fittings to equipment items.
When you add an item to your design model, you store the position, orientation etc. for the item in the PDMS Design database, but you specify the physical properties of the item by setting up a cross-reference (Specification Reference or SpecRef) which points to an appropriate entry in the Catalogue database. The dimensions of each item are defined in the catalogue by parameters whose values are set only at the design stage, so that a single catalogue entry can represent a whole family of design components which differ only in their dimensions. You have already used this concept when creating the equipment nozzles in the previous chapter. In each case, you: selected the required type of nozzle by setting its catalogue specification, (ANSI flanged, with raised face, suitable for 300 pound working pressure, with 150 mm nominal bore, for example specified the length of the nozzle tube (defined in the catalogue as a parameterised dimension) by setting its Height attribute.
6.2.
How Piping Networks are Represented

Piping networks are represented by the following: pipes and branches piping components.
Each of these is explained in turn below.

6.2.1.
Pipes and Branches

You have already learnt that the principal administrative elements of a Zone are Pipes and their subordinate Branches. Each Pipe can represent any portion of the overall piping network, while each Branch represents a single section of a Pipe which runs between two, and only two, points (the Branch Head and the Branch Tail). The individual piping components (defined in terms of their catalogue specifications) are stored as Branch members. So, a Pipe that incorporates a Tee, for example, must own at least two Branches to achieve the necessary three connection points. The following configurations show two ways of achieving this (solid lines represent part of Branch 1; dotted lines represent part of Branch 2):
From Branch 1 Head Branch 2 Head Tee owned by Branch 1 To Branch 1 Tail From Branch 1 Head Tee owned by Branch 1 Branch 2 Head To Branch 2 Tail
To Branch 2 Tail
To Branch 1 Tail
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6.2.2.
Piping Components
Each piping component is represented in the PDMS catalogue by three types of data: The physical shape of the component is defined by a set of geometric primitives (like the ones used to represent equipment items introduced in the previous chapter). So that the component can be manipulated and linked to adjacent piping items, all principal points needed to define its position, orientation and connectivity are identified by uniquely-numbered tags. These tags, which have both position and direction, are called p-points. Each p-point is identified by a number of the format P0, P1, P2 etc., while the principal inlet and outlet points for the logical flow direction through the component are identified as parrive and p-leave. P0 always represents the component origin position, while in normal pipe routing mode (Forwards mode) P1 is the same as p-arrive and P2 is the same as p-leave. The settings of all variables needed to distinguish a component from others with the same geometry and p-point sets are defined by parameters. The values of these are defined to suit the specific design requirements.
For example, a Tee component might be represented in the PDMS catalogue as follows:
P1 (usually also p-arrive)
P1
P1 (usually also p-leave)
P1
where the two cylinder primitives form the component geometry set and the four ppoints form its point set (the fourth p-point, P3, lets you specify the orientation of the side arm when you incorporate the tee into your design). The dimensions of the tee are represented in the catalogue by parameters whose values are determined by the nominal bore required to suit the design.
6.3.
Restoring your PDMS Session and Starting the Pipework Application

You can now go back into PDMS Design.
Exercise continues:
Note
It is assumed from now on that you know how to use the OK, Apply, Cancel and Dismiss buttons on forms, so they will not always be mentioned in the rest of the exercise.
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93. Restart PDMS and enter the Design module as you did at the start of the
exercise, but this time set the Load form option on the PDMS Login form to Users Binary.
When loading is complete, your screen should look the same as it did when you saved the layout in the previous chapter. If you intend to continue your design when you finish a PDMS Design session, it is always advisable to use the Display>Save>Forms & Display option (as you did previously) so that you can reload the binary files in this way. The alternative is to reload the applications from their source macros, but this takes more time. You can revert to the most recently saved layout at any time by selecting
Display>Restore>Forms & Display.
94. Change from the Equipment application to the Pipework application, by

selecting Design>Pipework. The menu bar for the Equipment application is replaced by that for the Pipework application. The menu bars for both applications are superficially similar, but the latter gives you access to options with specific relevance to creating and manipulating piping components. The Default Specifications form, which is shown automatically, is described in the next section.
6.4.
Setting a Default Specification

When you select components from the piping catalogue as described earlier in this chapter, you do so by stating which Specification the components must match. To avoid having to specify this data again for each component, you can set a Default Specification at Pipe or Branch level. This will be used automatically at lower levels unless you override it (the default specification is said to be cascaded down the hierarchy). As an example, the specifications which form part of the sample project within which you are working include: A1A: ANSI Class 150 Carbon Steel A3B: ANSI Class 300 Carbon Steel F1C: ANSI Class 150 Stainless Steel
For the purposes of your design exercise, you will use the A3B specification to select all components.
Exercise continues:
95. On the Default Specifications form, select the Piping specification A3B.
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96. The project specifications include some choices for pipework Insulation, but no
trace heating specifications (as shown by the None Available entry on the Tracing option button). You do not want to use insulation or trace heating, so make sure that both of are unselected, as shown above. When you click OK, the current default specification is shown in the second row of the tool bar:
6.5.
Creating a Simple Pipework Sequence

In the next part of the exercise you will create a sequence of piping components connected between the nozzles /Tank-1-N1 and /Pump-1-SUCTION. The initial sequence will include a tee to which you will later connect another pipework sequence.
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The configuration which you will create (with all components in a horizontal plane) is as follows:
Nozzle (Pump) Nozzle
/Pump-1-SUCTION
(Tank)
/Tank-1-N1
Gasket 1 Flange 1
Gasket 4 Flange 4 flow From second Branch L Valve 1 ( with h wheel) d
flow Elbow 1 E
Tee 1 Flange 3 Gasket 3 Gasket 2 Flange 2
N W
You will represent both this and the next sequence by a single Pipe element in the design database, but you must subdivide this into two Branch elements to allow the flows into the pump to combine at the tee. You will define the branches as follows: Branch 1 will have its Head at nozzle /Tank1-1-N1 and its Tail at nozzle /Pump-1-SUCTION. It will consist of the following components, listed in headto-tail order: Gasket 1 Flange 1 Elbow 1 Flange 2 Gasket 2 Valve 1 (which includes flanges in its catalogue definition) Gasket 3 Flange 3 Tee 1 Flange 4 Gasket 4.
Note that the flow through the tee will enter at P1 and leave at P3 (that is, parrive will be P1 and p-leave will be P3). Branch 2, which you will create in a later part of the exercise, will have its Head positioned at Nozzle /Tank-2/N1 and its Tail at the third arm of the tee (P2), (remember that flow direction is always from head to tail).
Note:
The tubing running between the piping items (shown by the dotted lines in the diagram), is added and adjusted automatically by PDMS to suit the positions and specifications of the components. You do not have to
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create it explicitly; it is referred to as implied tube. Refer back to the sequence in the diagram when necessary to understand the logic of the following steps for creating this in the design model.
Exercise continues:
97. Navigate to /PIPEZONE in the Design Explorer and click the pipe creation icon
in the Pipework toolbar:
98. The following form will appear:
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You can use this form to characterise the pipe you want to add to your design. For now, name the pipe Pipe-1, set the Bore to 150, and the Insulation to K.
99. Click on Apply to create the pipe. 100. PDMS will now present you with a form that allows you to access and modify
the branchs Head and Tail information.
Note how the new branch is named automatically from its owning pipe as Pipe-1/B1. Note also that the branchs Head and Tail connections are undefined. To define them you click on the respective Change button and make the appropriate choices.
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101. For this exercise, you will connect both the head and tail of the branch to
existing nozzles. First, click the Change button in the Head Connection part of the form.
PDMS will present the following form:
102. Click the Pick button and use your mouse pointer to select the Nozzle N1 on
Tank-1. If youve been following the steps in this tutorial, this nozzle will be named NOZZ Tank-1-N1.
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When you select the nozzle, the form changes to reflect your choice:
103. To confirm your selection and connect the head of the branch to the nozzle,
click the Connect button.
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The main Create Pipe form will once more be displayed, but now the Head detail has been filled in:
104. Now click the Change button in the Tail Connection part of the form:
PDMS will present you with a form virtually identical to the one you used to select the branchs head:
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105. Click the Pick button and use your mouse pointer to select /Pump-1-SUCTION
(the horizontal nozzle on the pump)
106. Click the Connect button to confirm your selection.

Notice how the route of the branch is shown in the graphical view by a broken line. As you have not yet introduced any components, this runs directly from the head to the tail. You will now build up the component sequence by creating individual piping items.
107. First, Dismiss the form by clicking the cross,

of the form.
, in the top right-hand corner
6.5.1.
Modifying Pipe Sequences

If you want to modify a pipe component once youve created it, you can select the pipe in the graphical view or the Design Explorer, and click the Pipe Modification icon on the Pipework toolbar:
The exact appearance of the form PDMS displays depends on what youve selected. If youve selected an entire pipe youll get a form that allows you to modify the pipe as
a whole; if youve selected a branch, then youll also get the options that allow you to modify the branch. If you click the icon and you havent selected a valid pipe component, you get an error that looks like this:
Exercise continues:
108. Make the Branch you created in Step 100 the current element by clicking on
Pipe-1/B1 in the Design Explorer.
109. Click the pipe component creation icon on the Pipework toolbar:
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110. PDMS will display the Component Creation form:
The Components Creation form allows you create a component or group of components that is connected or positioned along the route of a pipe. The system will try to create a set of predetermined adjacent component types when creating certain other components. For example, if you create a valve, the system will attempt to create the adjacent gaskets and flanges. This greatly simplifies the task of creating pipe routes, as the system will try to remove the burden of creating the secondary components from you, leaving you free to concentrate on the major ones.
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111. Select Flange from the list. You will get the form below in response:
112. Select type WN from the drop-down Filter By list. Ensure that the With Flow icon
is selected, and both the Auto. Create Adjacent and Skip Connected Comps checkboxes are both checked.
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113. Click the Connect button. Youll see that the new Flange has been added to the
branch and appears both in the Design Explorer and the graphical view; youll also notice that the Auto Create Adjacent facility has automatically created and added a Gasket between the Flange and the Nozzle. This appears in the Design Explorer but is too thin to show up in the graphical view.
114. You can modify a component once youve added it, preserving its connections to
adjoining components wherever possible. First, select the Pipe Component Selection icon from the Pipework toolbar:
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PDMS displays the Component Selection form:
Using this form you can change the selected components specification, and in some circumstances the components type. You can also view any errors caused by doing so. If you check the checkbox in the top-right of the form, the form will track the specification of the CE. Experiment with this form and see what effect it has on your design. When youve done, restore the original settings and Dismiss the form using the cross in the top right-hand corner.
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115. The next step is to add an Elbow to the pipe route. Click on the Choose button
and select the Elbow option from the list.
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116. Select type E from the drop-down Filter By list. Ensure that the With Flow icon is
selected, and both the Auto. Create Adjacent and Skip Connected Comps checkboxes are both checked:
117. Click the Connect button. PDMS will add the elbow to the flange thus:
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Youll notice that the elbow is both pointing the wrong way and positioned flush against the flange:
E (Pump) N W Flange 1 Nozzle
/Pump-1-SUCTION
/Tank-1-N1
Nozzle
(Tank) Gasket 1
Elbow 1
While the auto-connect function positions and orientates the elbow so that its p-arrive points towards the preceding flange, the application has no way of knowing which way the p-leave of the elbow is to be directed, so it assumes the default direction as set in the catalogue. To change this we can use Component Modification in the Model Editor.
118. Click the Model Editor icon in the main toolbar:
119. Select the Elbow in the graphical view using the mouse pointer. Immediately
you select it, the Elbow will be encircled by the Component Modification Handles, shown below in magenta.
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These handles allow you to rotate and move the selected component or components. As you move the mouse pointer over the handles, they change to indicate what actions you can perform on them. In addition, if you click on the right mouse-button, you can choose a number of context-dependent options from the pop-up menu.
120. Rotate the view and zoom in on the Elbow until you are looking directly into
the Nozzle Tank-1-N1. Hover the mouse pointer over any part of the arc and two arrows will appear and the mouse pointer change to an arrowed-semicircle, indicating that you can click the left mouse-button, drag the handle and rotate the Elbow:
Experiment for a few moments seeing how the Elbow rotates in response to your mouse movements.
121. When youre done experimenting, rotate the Elbow fully 180 degrees so it is
pointing the other way. The angle youve turned the Elbow through is clearly indicated as you drag the handle:
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Angle turned through
Alternatively, right-click on the mouse and select the Enter Value option from the pop-up menu.
This allows you to enter the value you want to rotate the Elbow by in degrees; you can also click the Preview button to see how it will look. If you click the Cancel button, the rotation is cancelled and the Elbow returns to its original orientation:
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122. You also want to position the elbow at a specified distance from Flange 1. To
demonstrate a new feature, you will line it up with the lower nozzle on /Tank2.
To do this, zoom the view out again so you can see once more both the Elbow and the lower Nozzle on Tank-2. Although you can reposition the Elbow any viewing angle, its easier to see exactly whats happening if you rotate the view so youre looking at it from below. When you hover the mouse pointer over the movement handle marked X, the handle will change indicating you can drag the Elbow to the West:
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123. Right-click with the mouse. You will see the following poop-up menu:
Select the Align with Feature option. This will allow you to align the Elbow with an existing item that you identify by picking it with the pointer in the graphical view.
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Move the pointer so it is over the P1 direction of the Nozzle. Your display should be similar to that shown below:
Note how the system moves the Elbow as a preview to how it will look if you click on the feature and accept the move.
124. Click on the P1 point of the Nozzle Tank-2-N1. The system will move the
Elbow and insert the appropriate length of implied tubing:
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The Elbow is repositioned as follows:

E (Pump) N W Nozzle
/Pump-1-SUCTION
Nozzle S
/Tank-1-N1
(Tank)
Gasket 1 Flange 1
Implied tube added automatically
P-leave aligned with nozzle /Tank-2/N1
Elbow 1
You will look in more detail at the ways of positioning and orientating items in some later parts of the exercise.
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Your design, in iso 3 view, should now look like this:
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125. Click the pipe component creation icon on the Pipework toolbar and select the
Valve option from the list on the form that appears:
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126. Select the GATE option from the Filter By drop-down list and click the Connect
button:
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127. From the drop-down list on the next part of the form, select the Flange WN
option and click the Done button:
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128. Your design should now look like this:
From the Design Explorer you will see that the system has added the Valve as a full assembly and has automatically included two Gaskets and Flanges:
129. As before, we want to reposition the valve so it is better placed for pipe-routing.
To do this, leave the Valve assembly selected, and click on the Model Editor icon on the main toolbar.
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130. On the X axis, right-click with the mouse and select the Enter Value option from
the pop-up menu. In the form that appears, type the value 1600 in the text box for the X value (note that the Y and Z boxes are disabled), and click the Preview button. The system will show you what the proposed move looks like:
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131. Click the OK button and the system will complete the move and add a length of
implied tubing between the Elbow and the Valve assembly:
Note that the handwheel on the Valve is pointing upwards by default; this is what we want for this design, but it would be easily changed by using the Model Editor and the Component Modification Handles similarly to how we used them for rotating the Elbow. The piping network now looks like this:
E (Pump) N W Nozzle /Pump-1S Nozzle / Tank-1-N1 Gasket 1 Flange 1 (Tank)
Elbow 1
Flanged Valve Set
132. Now create a Tee.

Click the Pipe Component Creation icon and select Tee from the list. On the form that appears next, select the T option from the drop-down list, and then in the filtered list below it, select the option with a Bore of 1. This represents an equal tee, where the bore of the P2 and P3 arms is set automatically to match that of the P1 arm (shown at the top of the form as 150 in this case).
In the Connection Information section of the form, select the second of the three Config icons as shown below:
Selecting this option makes the Tee a branch off Tee, where the Tee outlet (pleave) is P3 rather than P2.
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133. Click the Connect button. Your Tee will be added to the Valve. It should look
like this:
When created, the tee is positioned and orientated as follows:

E (Pump) N W Nozzle /Pump-1P3 points Up S Nozzle /Tank-1-N1 Gasket 1 Flange 1 (Tank)
P-leave=P2
Tee 1 Valve 1 Flange 3 Gasket 3 Gasket 2 Flange 2
Elbow 1
134. To orientate the tee, select the Tee in the Model Editor and rotate it in the
same way you rotated the Elbow using the Component Modification Handles.
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Alternatively, you can select Modify>Component>General from the main menu and use the Orientate or Rotate option on the Piping Components form, rotating the Tee so its P3 direction is East:
Orientate options
Rotate options
Whichever method you use, the Tee should now look like this:
Rotated Tee
135. The next thing we need to do is align the Tees branch off point with the Nozzle
Pump-1-SUCTION. The easiest way to do this is to use the Movement Handles.
First, select the Tee in the Model Editor and hover the pointer over the X axis:
136. Right click the mouse and choose the Align with Feature option from the popup
menu:
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137. Select the P1 point of the Pump-1-N2 feature:
138. Click the left mouse button to align the Tee. Note the system moves the Tee
and inserts a length of implied tube to complete the connection:
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139. You can also select Modify>Component>General from the main menu and use
the Position option on the Piping Components form to align the Tee with the pump nozzle:
Position Options
You can use the Position options in several ways. Use any one of the following, but read the online help on them all so that you understand the principles:
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Select Thro Tail or Thro Next (these are the same, since the tail is effectively the next item in the branch list). Select Thro ID Cursor and, when prompted, pick the nozzle in the graphical view. Select Thro Point and, when prompted, pick the p-point at the centre of the nozzle flange.
140. Whichever method you use, the resulting pipework layout now looks like this:
E (Pump) N W Nozzle S Nozzle (Tank)
/Tank-1-N1
Gasket 1 Flange 1
/Pump-1-SUCTION
P-leave=P3 Elbow 1 Tee 1 Valve 1 Flange 3 Gasket 3 Gasket 2 Flange 2
Note that a length of implied tube is now shown between the Tee outlet and the branch tail, even though the final components have not yet been inserted. This confirms that the alignment and bore sizes of the tee outlet and branch tail are compatible.
141. Complete the branch by adding a weld-neck flange and gasket, connected to
the branch tail, clicking the Piping Component Creation icon and selecting a WN Flange from the list. Enter Pipe Component Modification mode and drag the newly added Flange and Gasket until they are against the Nozzle Pump-1SUCTION.
142. The result should look like this:
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Schematically, the piping now looks like this:

E ( Pump) N W Branch Tail Nozzle /Pump-1-SUCTION flow flow S Nozzle /Tank-1-N1 Branch Head (Tank)
6.6.
Creating a Second Pipework Sequence

To allow you to practice and reinforce the techniques learned in creating the preceding pipework sequence, you will now create a similar branch, also part of /Pipe-1, which runs from the nozzle /Tank-2/N1 to the open connection on the tee of your existing branch, as follows:
(Tank) Nozzle
/Tank-2/N1
(Pump) U N D S N W Branch 2 Tail E S Branch 1 Tail
Branch 2 Head
flow
existing branch
The broken line marks a change of view direction: components to the left are shown looking East (they lie in a vertical plane through the tank nozzle) components to the right are shown looking Down (they lie in the same horizontal plane as your existing Branch 1).
Exercise continues:
143. Navigate to /Pipe-1 and click on the Pipe Modification icon on the Pipework
toolbar to bring up the Pipe Modification form:
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144. Click the New Branch button to create a second branch, /Pipe-1/B2.
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145. Select the new Branch in the list as above, and using a similar to the one
outlined in Steps to 100 to 107, connect its Head to Nozzle /Tank-2/N1 and connect its Tail to the Tee in Branch /Pipe-1/B1. Notice how the branch route goes automatically to the free connection on the tee; you do not have to pick any particular point on the tee when you connect the tail.
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146. Create a gasket and flange connected to the branch head:
147. Click the Piping Component Creation icon on the Pipework toolbar and add a WN
Flange to the branch head.
148. Using the same Component Creation form, create an Elbow of type E.. Orientate
and position the Elbow so its leave connection is aligned with the branch. Implied tube is now shown between the elbow and the tee, confirming that the alignment and connecting bore sizes are correct:
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149. Still using the Component Creation create a valve and its associated flanges
and gaskets. Select Valve type GATE and Flange type WN.
Note that the Valve is flush against the Elbow.
150. Using Pipe Component Modification handle, move the Valve along the pipe
route towards the Tee so it is flush against it. If you click on the Valve in the Model Editor, youll see that the Movement Handles are slightly different from the ones weve seen before:
This form of the Handles tells us we can move or rotate the component in a set of prescribed directions. In this case we can either move along the direction of the pipe route or rotate the Valve around the pipe routes axis.
151. Right-click with the mouse and select the Align with Feature option on the popPipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1
up menu. When the cursor changes, move it anywhere on the Tee, and observe
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how the system shows you a preview of what it will look like if you accept the move.
152. .Click the left mouse button to accept the change:
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153. Zoom in on the pipework to see your completed design model.
This completes the introduction to the basic pipe routing operations. In the following parts of the exercise you will look at some ways of checking the design model and outputting some design data derived from the database settings.
6.7.
Quick Pipe Routing

The quick pipe routing functionality will allow the user to define the path of a pipe wherever there is an ill defined route within a branch, i.e. where the dotted line is displayed instead of implied tube.
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In defining a route the lets you perform the following: Orthogonal and non orthogonal leg definition Positioning: Increment snapping Explicit positioning Feature snapping Centre line Offsetting by OD of tube (including insulation) Automatic completion of route Where completion is predictable Undo/Redo changes
Where an extremity of a route is undefined, then the system allows you to assign the end to the last defined point within the route or designate an appropriate element to connect the extremity to.
Exercise continues:
154. Select Design>Equipment from the main menu. Follow steps 16 to 38 and add a
third tank to the design. The differences are that in Step 30 the Explicit Position form should look like this:
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And in Step 35 your input data should be:

Name: Position:
Tank-3-N1 West 1675 North 0 Up 2750 W (Sets the direction of the nozzle flanged face). 300 (The height of a nozzle is the length of its connecting tube).
Orientate P1 is: Height:
Your design should now look like this:
155. We shall now route a pipe between Nozzles Pump-1-DISCHARGE and Tank-3N1. Select Design>Pipework from the main menu.
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156. Using a similar process to that described in Steps 97 to 107, create a new pipe,
called Pipe-2, between Nozzles Pump-1-DISCHARGE and Tank-3-N1, setting Pump-1-DISCHARGE as the Head and Tank-3-N1 as the tail:
Note the dotted line that represents the pipe route between the two nozzles.
157. Select in the Design Explorer the Branch youve just created and add a Flange
and associated Gasket as you did in Steps 109 to 113.
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158. Enter the Model Editor and click anywhere on the dotted line that represents
the pipe route for Pipe-2. When you select the line, youll see the Routing Access Handles displayed at either end of the route:
Quick Routing Handle
End Route Handle
If you select the End Route Handle, then the handles will switch about. Note that if you have an ill defined end there will be no End Route Handle.
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159. Right-click on the West axis Quick Routing Handle at the Tail of the route and
choose the Extend Through Feature option from the pop-up menu:
This allows you to select a Feature that defines the plane to which the pipe extends:
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160. Click on point P2 of the Flange. The system will extend the pipe to the defined
plane and insert an Elbow with implied tubing attached:
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161. Viewing from a different angle, youll see that the pipe has extended exactly
the right amount to bring it level with the nozzle on the pump:
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162. Right-click on the South axis of the Quick Routing Handle Right-click and
choose the Extend Through Feature option from the pop-up menu. Click on point P2 of the Flange. The system will extend the pipe to the defined point and insert an Elbow with implied tubing attached
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163. Right-click on the Down axis of the Quick Routing Handle Right-click and
choose the Extend Through Feature option from the pop-up menu. Click on point P2 of the Flange. The system will extend the pipe to the defined point and insert an Elbow with implied tubing attached:
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164. You can complete the route by adding a Flange to the Elbow nearest Tank-3
and ensuring the Skip Connected Comps checkbox on the Component Creation form is unchecked. When youve added the Flange, drag it to the Nozzle in the Model Editor. Your final design should look like this:
6.8.
Deleting Pipe Routes

At PDMS 11.6 it is now possible to select graphically contiguous components of the same pipe or branch by the first and last component of the range and then delete them in one operation.
Exercise continues:
165. Click the Delete Range of Piping Components icon on the Pipework toolbar:
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166. Select the first component in the range you want to delete:
167. Select the last component on the range you want to delete. The system will
highlight the components between the first and last ones and ask you to confirm you want them deleted:
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168. Click the Yes button and the system will delete the components you selected:
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7.
Checking and Outputting Design Data

In this chapter you learn about:
Note
methods of checking for errors and inconsistencies in the pipework layout checking for clashes (spatial interferences) between design elements how to output a design data report derived from the piping model how to generate an isometric plot. These facilities are available from all Design applications, so you can readily check and output data from any combination of design disciplines.
7.1.
Checking for Design Data Inconsistencies

The data consistency checking utility reports the following types of occurrence (and other similar errors) in the design:
Axial misalignment
Angular misalignment
Leave bore 50
Arrive bore 100
Inconsistent bores
Flanged connection Screwed connection
Incompatible connection types
Tube too short to allow practical assembly
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7.1.1.
Design tolerances
The misalignment between adjacent components can be measured using any of three parameters: the offset distance between their p-arrive and p-leave axes the displacement angle between their p-arrive and p-leave axes the ratio of the offset to the projected distance between the p-arrive and pleave p-points (equivalent to the tangent of the angle parameter).
p-arrive connecting tube ANGLE p-leave y RATIO = x/y = tan(ANGLE)
x = OFFSET
You can specify maximum permissible values for any of these parameters, as well as minimum acceptable lengths of tube between components. (You can specify different minimum lengths for different bores if you wish.) If any part of the design falls outside the current limits, an error message will warn you.
Exercise continues:
169. To check your design for data consistency errors, select Utilities>Data
Consistency. You will see a Data Consistency Check form.
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170. View the default values for piping design tolerance settings by clicking the
Parameters: Piping button to display the Piping Consistency Check Options form. You will use the default values for all piping design tolerance settings, so have a look at them then Cancel the form. on screen, so select the Output: Screen button.
171. You can send the error report either to your screen or to a file. You will view it 172. The Check: list lets you specify how much of the design model you want to
check in a single operation. You will check each branch separately, so select Branch from the list. process.
173. Navigate to the branch /Pipe-1/B1 and click Apply to initiate the data checking
The resulting diagnosis is shown in the scrollable text area at the bottom of the form. There may be messages about unknown SKEYs, but ignore these.
174. Repeat the check as described for branch /Pipe-1/B2.

The result overwrites the preceding report.
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It is good practice to run a data consistency check whenever you have created or modified any significant amount of the design, typically before you choose Design>Save Work. It is particularly important for your design to be free from data consistency errors before you generate isometric plots for fabrication and/or erection purposes, otherwise you could get some very confusing results.
7.2.
Checking for Clashes

The types of clash identified depend on two factors: The obstruction levels of the clashing elements The current touch and clearance tolerances
7.2.1.
Obstruction Levels
All design primitives and all catalogue primitives have an obstruction attribute (OBST) which defines the physical type of obstruction which the primitive represents: A hard obstruction (OBST=2) represents a rigid and impenetrable object, such as a steel beam or a plant vessel. A soft obstruction (OBST=1) represents a volume which is not solid but which needs to be kept clear for access. Any primitive with OBST=0 represents a freely accessible volume and is ignored for clash checking purposes.
7.2.2.
Extent of Clashing
As well as distinguishing between hard and soft clashing items, the checking utility recognises three categories of clash between them, depending on how far the two primitives intrude on each others allocated space. These categories are: A physical clash: the primitive volumes overlap by more than a specified amount. This usually means that a definite interference exists. A touch: the primitives either overlap by less than the amount needed to cause a clash or are separated at their closest point by less than a specified distance. This may simply mean that one item is resting upon another as intended, or it may indicate a problem. A clearance: the primitives are separated at their closest point by more than the amount necessary to constitute a touch but less than a specified clearance distance. This represents a near miss, which you may want to investigate.
These three classes are illustrated below for the clash specifications: Touch limits: Clearance limit: 5mm overlap to 2mm gap 8mm
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so that the following criteria apply: If the items overlap by more than 5mm, a clash is reported If the items overlap by less than 5mm, a touch is reported If the items do not overlap but are separated by less than 2mm, a touch is reported If the items are separated by more than 2mm but less than 8mm, a clearance is reported If the items are separated by more than 8mm, no interference is found
overlap > 5mm a physical clash
overlap < 5mm
gap < 2mm touches
2mm < gap < 8mm a clearance
7.2.3.
The Clash Detection Process

Each element which is to be checked for clashes has its own geometry checked against that of all other elements which are specified by a current obstruction list. Items which are not in the obstruction list are ignored during the clash checking operations. By default, the obstruction list includes all elements in the database, so that each element to be clash checked is tested against every other element. To control the amount of checking carried out in a large database, you can restrict the obstruction list to a few specific elements and/or you can specify a 3D volume (the clash limits) within which the clash checking is to be confined. To highlight the locations where clashes are found, the clashing and obstruction items are shown in contrasting colours in the graphical view (two shades of red, by default).
Exercise continues:
175. You will use the default values for all clash checking settings. To see what
these are, select Settings>Clasher>Defaults to display the Clash Defaults form. Think about the meaning of each setting shown (refer to the preceding introduction); then Cancel the form. for clashes against the three equipment items (in /EQUIZONE). The default obstruction list (all elements in the current design database) will include both piping and equipment items (/PIPESITE). To edit this, select Settings>Clasher> Obstruction>List. You will see an Add/Remove Obstruction Items form. Remove all current entries and then Add the equipment zone. Select All in the Obstruction List and click Remove Select EQUIZONE in the hierarchy and click Add
176. You will check all of your piping components (that is, the whole of /PIPEZONE)
To close the form select Control>Close

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177. Navigate to the piping zone which you want to check and select
Utilities>Clashes. You will see a Clash Display form. The left-hand side of this
form controls the clash checking process; the right-hand side consists of a 3D view in which you can look in detail at any clashes diagnosed. Select Control>Check CE from the form menu bar to run the clash checking process and, when completed, study the Clash List which shows any clashes found. In your case this should simply say None.
Note
If the Auto Clash button on the main toolbar is set to On, each new element that you create is checked immediately for clashes as the design is built up. This can slow down progress when you are adding many new elements, but is very useful when you want to add a few new items to an existing design which has already been checked for clashes.
7.3.
Generating a Data Output Report

The reporting utility lets you read selected information from the database and present the output in a tabulated format. Each report can be customised by specifying some or all of the following: Where the output is to appear (on the screen or in a file ready for printing). Any introductory header which is to appear at the beginning of the report. The page length (if the report is to be paginated). The page layout, including number and positions of columns, column headings, etc. Any headers and footers which are to appear at the top and bottom of each page. The selection criteria which define which data settings are to be included in the report.
Once such a report has been designed, its specification can be saved for future use in the form of a report template file. The ways in which you define how a given report is to be generated and presented are beyond the scope of this exercise, but you will look at the results of the process by using a pre-prepared template which outputs a material take-off list showing the length of tube needed to build your design. (You will probably use your company standard templates for most reports anyway, in which case this is the method you would normally use in practice.)
Exercise continues:
178. Select Utilities>Reports>Run to initiate the reporting process. You will see a File
Browser listing all files in the current reporting directory (specified by your System Administrator as part of the project set-up procedure). Check that you are in the ...\REPORTS\TEMPLATES directory. All files with a .tmp suffix are report templates. Select pipe_mto.tmp, which has been designed to produce a material
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take-off report listing all components, including tubing, in the piping design. Click OK on the File Browser.
179. To run the report defined by the chosen template, you must specify two things
(as determined by the rules within the template): where the report is to appear, and what part of the database hierarchy is to be read when extracting the required types of data. When you clicked OK on the File Browser to specify the template, a Report Details form appeared which lets you do this.
Leave the Filename text-box empty (which will send the report to the screen automatically). In the Hierarchy text-box, enter /PIPESITE, since you want to list the tubing requirement for the whole of the piping design model. Click OK to run the report.
180. The tabulated report output will be displayed in a Command Output window
which is opened automatically, like this:
This report shows the number of each type of component used in the design and the total length of tube needed to interconnect them. (Do not worry if part of the heading seems inappropriate for your project; this wording is written into the template simply as an example of the type of heading which you might want to use.)
7.4.
Generating Isometric Plots

The isometric plotting module of PDMS provides very powerful facilities for generating any specified isometric view of all or part of the pipework design, with associated parts lists and annotation, with a very high degree of user control over the output format. You will use just a small part of this power to produce a plot of your design using the default settings only.
Note
Before you proceed further, you must have carried out the data consistency checks specified in Steps 173 to 178 and achieved an error-free report.
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Exercise continues:
181. To change to the isometric plotting module (called ISODRAFT), select

Design>Modules>Isodraft>Macro Files. Click YES to confirm that the database is to be updated to save any design changes since your last Savework; ISODRAFT will then be loaded. When loading is complete, you will see the Isodraft menu bar like this:
This deceptively simple menu gives you access to a wide range of facilities for generating customised isometric plots to suit all likely purposes. For the purposes of this exercise, you will simply generate a standard isometric for the whole pipe (i.e. both branches) using default settings for all options.
182. Navigate to /Pipe-1 in the Isodraft Members form and then select
Isometrics>Standard. You will see a Standard Isometric form which lets you specify which parts of the piping design are to be detailed in the plot and which of the standard drawing formats is to be used. Select Standard iso option: BASIC.MET, like this:
and click Apply to initiate the isometric plotting process. The status bar will display the message Please wait, detailing in progress while the isometric view is composed, the dimensioning annotations are calculated, and the material take-off report is compiled. On a large process plant model this could take a few minutes, but with your very simple model it should take only seconds. When processing is complete, the following new windows will be displayed:
7-8
Isodraft Messages shows a log of the detailing process, including reports of any
potential problems encountered:
Display List shows all isometric plots which have been created so far and which are available for display. In your case there is only one, so it is selected for display automatically, thus:
7-9
Display Isometric consists of a 2D graphical view showing the plot currently selected in the Display List. The current display should look like this:
The same data is also sent automatically to a file in your current operating system directory, ready to be sent to a plotter if a hardcopy version is required. Such files are named by default with a sequential number of the format plot00x, where x is incremented from 1 in this case plot001
183. Using the same standard layout, generate separate isometric plots for each of
the branches /Pipe-1/B1 and /Pipe-1/B2. Compare the information on each of these with the overall plot of /Pipe-1.
Note
Page size printed plots of all three isometrics are in the appendices.
7.5.
Conclusion
This concludes both the tutorial exercise and this introduction to some of the ways in which PDMS and AVEVA applications can help you in your piping design work. You should now have an insight into the potential power of PDMS and sufficient confidence to explore some of the more advanced options on your own. For further technical details, refer to the sources of information listed in Appendix . If you have not already done so, you are strongly advised to attend one or more of the specialised PDMS training courses, which will show you how to get the maximum benefits from the product in your own working environment (see Section 1.5).
7-10
Appendix A
The Equipment and Piping Design Database
This appendix shows the part of the PDMS Design database hierarchy which holds elements relevant to equipment and piping design. (Elements shown in italics, BOX for example, are Equipment items).
ZONE
PIPE (PIPE)
EQUIPMENT * (EQUI)
ROUTING PLANE GROUP (RPLG) ROUTING PLANE (RPLA)
BRANCH (BRAN)
optional
SUBEQUIPMENT (SUBE)
piping components ATTACHMENT POINT (ATTA) BEND (BEND) BLIND FLANGE (FBLI) CAP (CAP) CLOSURE (CLOS) COUPLING (COUP) CROSS (CROS) DUCTING (DUCT) ELBOW (ELBO) FILTER (FILT) FIXED LENGTH TUBE (FTUB) FLANGE (FLAN) FOUR-WAY VALVE (VFWA) GASKET (GASK) GENERAL PIPE COMPONENT (PCOM) INSTRUMENT (INST) LAP-JOINT STUB END (LJSE) OLET (OLET) REDUCER (REDU) STANDARD HOOK-UP (SHU) TEE (TEE) THREE-WAY VALVE (VTWA) TRAP (TRAP) UNION (UNIO) VALVE (VALV) VENT (VENT) WELD (WELD) NOZZLE (NOZZ) design primitives LOAD POINT (LOAP)
BOX CIRCULAR TORUS CONE CYLINDER DISH POLYHEDRON PYRAMID RECTANGULAR TORUS SLOPE-BOTTOMED CYLINDER SNOUT (All primitive shapes have a negative equivalent that may be owned by a positive element.
A-1
Appendix B
Other Relevant Documentation
This guide serves purely as an introduction to those parts of PDMS most relevant to pipework design. Therefore, it describes only the main concepts needed to get you started. Documents that can provide you with further information are listed below.
B.1
PDMS introductory guides

There is a set of introductory guides like this one, that introduce a subset of principal PDMS facilities to new users. The complete set is:
Accessways, Stairs and Ladders Design Using VANTAGE PDMS HVAC Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Structural Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Support Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Introduction to PDMS Design Templates Drawing Production Using PDMS Reporting from PDMS
Introduces the range of facilities available in the DRAFT module. Introduces the database reporting utility available from within most PDMS applications, including the use of expressions to select relevant data.
B.2
PDMS Reference Manuals

The full PDMS documentation set includes a number of reference manuals which give detailed explanations of all the technical concepts involved. These manuals also describe the underlying command syntax which can be used to control PDMS directly (should you wish to bypass the forms and menus interface). Reference manuals particularly relevant to piping design work include:
Manual Purpose
DESIGN Reference Manual ISODRAFT Reference Manual DRAFT Reference Manual
Covers concepts and commands for all design disciplines. Explains how to create customised piping isometric plots. Explains the PDMS 2D drafting facilities.
B-1
Appendix B
Other Relevant Documentation
Manual
Purpose
PARAGON Reference Manual SPECON Reference Manual
Explains how to set up a PDMS Catalogue. Explains how to create tabulated specifications.
B.3
General Guides
The following guides are intended for use only by experienced PDMS users who want to write their own applications:
Manual Purpose
AVEVA Software Customisation Guide
Explains how to write your own application macros using PML (AVEVAs Programmable Macro Language) and how to design your own forms and menus interface. Supplements the Customisation Guide. Includes a list of PML 2 Objects, Members and Methods. For Forms and Menus objects, the command syntax relating to the objects is included
AVEVA Software Customisation Reference Manual
B-2
Appendix C
Sample Plots
This appendix comprises some examples of typical (though relatively simple) plots showing the sorts of piping design outputs that can be created using VANTAGE PDMS with the AVEVA pipework application.
C-1
Appendix C
Sample Plots
C-2
Appendix C
Sample Plots
C-3
Appendix C
Sample Plots
C-4
Index
3D view Aligning components Application 3-5 6-38 Design Dataset element Design Explorer Design session Design templates Display Element 5-2 3-5
definition ........................................................ 2-1 Equipment...................................................... 5-3 Pipework......................................................... 6-4 definition ........................................................ 4-2 definition ........................................................ 4-1
ending ...........................................................5-19
5-2
Attribute Branch
saving............................................................5-19 definition ........................................................4-2
Branch head Branch tail Button
definition ........................................................ 4-1 definition ........................................................ 4-1 control............................................................. 3-9 radio................................................................ 3-9 toggle .............................................................. 3-9
6-2
Ending design session Equipment
5-19
6-2
creating...........................................................5-3 definition ........................................................4-1 representation ................................................5-1 standard designs............................................5-3
Escape key/button Forms and display
3-8
saving............................................................5-19
Catalogue database CE Check box Clash Clash checking
6-1 4-2 3-9
definition ........................................................ 7-4 checking process ............................................ 7-5 clash limits ..................................................... 7-5 extent of clash ................................................ 7-4 obstruction levels ........................................... 7-4 obstruction list ............................................... 7-5 principles........................................................ 7-4
Geometry set 6-3 Graphical view 3-5 Hard obstruction 7-4 Head See Branch head, See Branch head Help, on-line 3-10 ISODRAFT module 7-8 Isometric plotting 7-7 Isometric view 5-10 Leaving design session 5-19 Limits
setting for view....................................5-10, 5-12
Clash limits Clashing extent Clearance Component
7-5 7-4
List
scrollable.........................................................3-9
Member Menu
definition ........................................................ 7-4 aligning......................................................... 6-38 creating......................................................... 6-14
definition ........................................................ 4-3 pull-down........................................................3-5
Control button Current element
3-9
Menu bar Misalignment Module
3-5
definition ........................................................ 4-2 principles........................................................ 7-1
checking..........................................................7-1 tolerances .......................................................7-2 definition ........................................................2-1
Data consistency checking Database hierarchy Default specification Design data 4-2 6-4
Mouse buttons Nozzle
functions .........................................................3-2 creating...........................................................5-7 definition ........................................................ 5-1 index-i
checking.......................................................... 7-1
Design Data element

5-2
Nozzle (NOZZ)
Index
definition ........................................................ 4-2
Obstruction levels Obstruction list On-line help Option button Owner Panning view Parameters P-arrive Physical clash Pipe
7-4 7-5
Radio button Reports Rotating view Screen layout
3-9
templates ........................................................7-6
3-10
3-3
5-10
definition ........................................................ 4-3
restoring .........................................................6-4 saving............................................................5-19
5-10
catalogue components.................................... 6-3
Scrollable list shortcut menu Site Soft obstruction Specification
3-9 3-2
6-3
creating...........................................................4-3 definition ........................................................4-1
definition ........................................................ 7-4 definition ........................................................ 4-1 aligning......................................................... 6-38 creating......................................................... 6-14
7-4
Piping component P-leave Plot view Plotting
default.............................................................6-4 selecting equipment.......................................5-4 definition ........................................................6-1
Specification reference (SpecRef)
6-3
manipulating.................................................. 5-5 isometrics ....................................................... 7-7
Plotting facilities Point set Position P-point
7-8 6-3 6-38
Status bar 3-5, 3-8 Subequipment element 5-2 Submenu 3-5 Tail See Branch tail, See Branch tail Text box 3-2 Title bar 3-5 Tool bar 3-5, 3-6 Touch
definition ........................................................7-4
definition ........................................................ 6-3 p-arrive ........................................................... 6-3 p-leave ............................................................ 6-3 point set.......................................................... 6-3 creating........................................................... 5-7 definition .................................................4-2, 5-1 geometry set ................................................... 6-3
View
3D/graphical ............................................3-5, 5-8 centre of interest ..........................................5-12 panning.........................................................5-10 rotating .........................................................5-10 zooming.........................................................5-10
Primitive
View direction World Zone
5-10
Project selection Prompts Properties
3-3 3-8
definition ........................................................4-1 creating...........................................................4-3 definition ........................................................4-1
parameterised dimensions etc. ..................... 5-2
Pull-down menu
3-5
Zooming view
5-10
index-ii

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VANTAGE Plant Design

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS

pdms1161/Pipework Design Using PDMS issue 150904

September 2004 January 2005

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

1.1. The Scope of this Guide ............................................................................1-1

1.2. 1.3. 1.4. 1.5.

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS...................................................... 2-1

Getting Started ............................................................................. 3-1

3.4. 3.5. 3.6. 3.7. 3.8. 3.9.

Setting Up the PDMS Database Hierarchy ................................. 4-1

Creating Some Equipment Items ................................................ 5-1

5.4.2. 5.5.1. 5.5.2. 5.5.3. 5.5.4. 5.5.5.

5.5. Creating Some More Equipment Items....................................................5-12

5.6. Saving Your Changes and Leaving Your Design Session.......................5-18

Routing a Sequence of Piping Components.............................. 6-1

6.1. Design-to-Catalogue Cross-Referencing...................................................6-1 6.2. How Piping Networks are Represented.....................................................6-1

Checking and Outputting Design Data ....................................... 7-1

Sample Plots ....................................................................1

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Read this First

About the Tutorial Exercise

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Read this First

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Read this First

How the Guide is Organised

Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C

Further Training in Using PDMS

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

Introducing the Structure of PDMS

The Strengths of PDMS

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

PDMS Piping Network Design Features

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Using the Mouse

Using Text Boxes

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Using Drop-Down Lists

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

The PDMS Startup Display

3D View Tool Bar

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

As labelled above, the display comprises the following:

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Using the Toolbar

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Using the Design Explorer

To expand or collapse any branch of the tree, click on the

Using the Status Bar

More on Using Forms

Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6SP1

Using Option Buttons

Using Check Boxes