Developing a general purpose simulation model for steel pipe-rack installation

Construction and installation of pipe-racks, which are one of the most important structures in the majority of oil and gas projects, are complex and resource consuming operations. Pipe-racks are used to support pipes, cables and various types of equipment. Therefore this type of construction operation is the predecessor of many activities such as piping, mechanical installations, electrical and instrumentation works. Consequently optimizing this time consuming and resource intensive operation will lead to smooth and timely start of the subsequent works and results in shorter project duration. This paper describes a recently developed simulation model for optimizing construction and installation of "steel structure" pipe-racks in oil, gas and petrochemical projects. The model was built using Simphony simulation software. The results show that the simulation model is able to reasonably predict the time duration of pipe-rack installation based on risks and uncertainties and to verify the resource utilization of both humans and equipment. This enables the construction management team to develop proactive strategies and alternate solutions to optimize resources for pipe rack construction and installation operations.