Should you use a digital twin for your asset integrity management?

A digital twin is a virtual image of your asset. It’s a source in which all asset information can be combined, such as process data, conditions, physical properties, results of inspections, leaks, temporary repairs, risk levels, and remaining life estimates. It also incorporates (near) real-time data collected from your assets. A digital twin can combine the data with a 3D model, to simulate how the asset would be affected in real-life conditions. It is fundamental to have real-time data attached to the twin, allowing it to change along with its physical counterpart.

Let’s explore what a digital twin does, using the example of a boiler. Your process requires you to produce a specific amount of heat during defined hours. What if you need to run that boiler for longer periods of time, during a peak season or in severe cold conditions? How much extra fuel would you need? Would the boiler need extra maintenance? What are the chances of failure in these different conditions? By simulating these situations with the digital twin, you can discover vulnerabilities and mitigate them. Without having to damage the (expensive) asset itself.

Organizations worldwide are already using digital twins.

Depending on your use case, a 3D model may be enough to achieve your goals. With Cenosco’s IMS Suite, you can use 3D models of your assets and use them to visualize your data. You can then use the model to highlight specific sections based on properties, such as ‘overdue inspection’, ‘high risk of failure’, or ‘leaks within the last 5 years. It’s also possible to add pictures to these sections, to create an even more complete image of your asset.

With a 3D model, you can:

As you can see, there is some overlap between what digital twins and 3D models can do for you. That’s no surprise since a 3D model is actually the foundation of a digital twin. A digital twin can start as a 3D model that visualizes data and grow into a mature tool, that monitors risks, predicts failure, and eventually even initiates interventions.

When you use our IMS Suite, you collect a lot of valuable data about your equipment and assets. If you want to create or optimize a digital twin, you can feed it with that data. In combination with data from your other systems, this will enable you to create a realistic simulation.

Are you interested in using 3D models or digital twins for your business? We’d love to tell you how our software can help.

IMS is an end-to-end asset integrity management suite. It consists of unified solutions, which operate across all your equipment types and processes. Furthermore, our solutions support users in making smart inspection and maintenance decisions. Therefore, these ultimately lead to increased safety, asset availability, and lower asset management costs. Our solution was created together with multinational oil and gas leader, Shell. Therefore, with our solutions, you can benefit from years of direct industry experience.