Piping Erection Constructability Issues in a Semi-Automated Environment (Field Operations Phase)

This research endeavor focuses on how semi-automated piping construction for process plants may become both technically and economically viable through constructability enhancement. This paper answers the question regarding how field operations need modifying in order to support the automated field effort and thus achieve the overall success objective. The semi-automated environment of piping erection assumes a Pipe Manipulator attached to the bottom of a 22-ton rough-terrain crane for the base piece of pipe lifting equipment. The scope of this study is the analysis of horizontal piping erection. Three major categories of constructability issues are addressed in detail. These issues are material handling, equipment/tools capabilities, and equipment/tools configurations. Quantitative analysis methods include physical modeling and computer simulation, via a 3-D CAD simulation software package. Constructability analysis in a total piping erection savings of 24%.