The development of neutral formats for the management and exchange of technical data for process plant design, construction and operation. A result from Esprit, the European Union's IT research and development programme.
Process plants present a considerable challenge in data management terms.
There are complex facilities, generating large volumes of information over a sustained period, much of which must be shared between different contractors operating different software packages and hardware platforms. International standards in this area are deficient and inconsistencies in exchanging data frequently arise. Pilot tests were used to validate the result, involving the exchange of process plant data between CAD systems, analysis systems and existing company process plant databases. The benefits offered to process industries by this approach include simpler communication and exchange of process plant design data between CAD systems, and savings in time and effort through increased automation. The demonstrations have also convinced customers and contractors that exchange software based on common formats is a good investment.