This chapter describes the process of creating project pipe classes based on standard pipe classes.
Standard pipe classes are created in many companies as master copies for their project classes. This is done to allow the project to create classes easier and faster. It also allows the project to modify these classes to the project needs. The creation of the master classes in the product group can be done in different ways, described below.
Master spec in the product group contains all spec items. Projects can copy them and
modify them to suit the project’s needs (i.e. comply with client standards or different
national regulations). In this case, the spec contains the full list of required specification
items such as pipe, flanges, fittings gaskets, bolts, compensators, and valves.
The advantage of this method is the classes are complete and can be handled class
by class as standard. For example, they can be used in the tender phase for estimation
without any great effort.
The problem is that in many cases the project classes do not comply with the standard
class and many modifications are necessary. In the industry, valves and gaskets are
responsible for most of the changes to the plant.
To overcome the above mentioned problem, standard classes can be created as pipe and fitting classes, allowing problematic items such as valves, gaskets and compensators to be removed from the classes. To standardize the classes for those items, special valve, gasket, and compensator classes are created that fit to a wider range of classes. This allows you later in the project to aggregate the standard class+gasket class+valve class and filter the items that are actually needed.