The drawings you hold for an operating plant stopped being accurate some time ago. Not through negligence, but because years of small modifications, rerouted lines, relocated supports and temporary fixes that became permanent rarely make it back into the drawing register. So a design gets produced against a layout that no longer exists, the steelwork turns out not to be where the drawing says it is, and the problem surfaces on site with a crane booked and a shutdown clock running.

Laser scanning removes that guesswork. Rather than designing against a record of what the plant was meant to look like, you design against a measured record of what it actually looks like today. On congested brownfield plant, where tie-ins have to thread between existing pipe racks, cable trays and platforms, that difference decides whether the clash gets found in a model review or on the day of installation.

What the work involves

Capturing the site. Laser scanning equipment captures millions of measured points per second across every visible surface, producing a point cloud of the area. It is non-intrusive and quick, which matters when access is awkward or the plant is running. We scan indoor and outdoor environments: process areas, pipe racks, plant rooms, tank farms and structural steelwork. Congested and difficult to reach areas are exactly where scanning pays for itself compared with tape measures and hand sketches.

Building the model. The point cloud is registered and brought into our design tools as the base for a 3D model. We then model the new work into it: pipework, vessels, pumps, supports, access platforms, cable trays, HVAC and structural steel, with equipment tags, pipe specifications and interfaces annotated. Because the existing plant is measured rather than assumed, the new design is coordinated against reality from the first sketch.

Detecting clashes before site. With new design and scanned condition in the same model, physical conflicts are found and resolved at a desk. Access routes, escape paths, valve reach, maintenance clearance and lifting routes can all be checked while changing them still costs nothing. This is also where prefabrication becomes viable: if the spool is modelled against measured dimensions, it fits when it arrives.

Producing the deliverables. From the coordinated model we extract construction drawings, isometrics, and line and valve lists, then update as built documentation once installation is complete using verified measurements and site redlines.

What you get

  • A registered point cloud of the scanned area, usable for design and long term asset records
  • A 3D model of existing conditions with new design coordinated into it
  • A clash detection review with conflicts identified and resolved before construction
  • Layout and construction drawings extracted from the model
  • Fabrication ready isometrics with dimensions, welds, fittings, supports and bills of material
  • Line lists and valve lists covering size, material, rating, service, pressures and temperatures
  • Updated as built drawings incorporating field mark-ups, rerouted lines and relocated equipment
  • Walk-through visuals for design reviews, constructability reviews and stakeholder briefings

When clients typically call us

  • A tie-in is planned into congested existing plant and the available drawings cannot be trusted
  • A shutdown window is fixed and there is no room for surprises found on the day
  • Prefabrication is being considered and the spools have to fit first time
  • Legacy drawings are missing, incomplete or predate several rounds of modification
  • A new skid or vessel has to be sited and nobody is certain it will physically go in
  • A site has changed hands and the new owner needs a verified record of what they have bought

Frequently asked questions

Do we need to shut the plant down to be scanned?

Usually not. Scanning is non-contact and does not interfere with operation, so most surveys are carried out on running plant with normal permits and access arrangements.

How accurate is it?

Accurate enough to design tie-ins and prefabricated spools against, which is the practical test. We agree the required tolerance and scan density before mobilising, because a structural survey and a pipe routing survey are not the same job.

Can you scan without doing the design?

Yes. Some clients want the point cloud and an as built model as an asset record for their own teams to use. We can also work the other way and model into a point cloud captured by someone else.

What happens to the model after the project?

It stays useful. Handed over with the as built documentation, it becomes the accurate starting point for the next modification, which is where the cost saving compounds.

Related: Part of our engineering design services. See also P&IDs and process design and factory layouts and relocation.

If your next project involves cutting into plant that has quietly changed since the drawings were issued, measuring first is the cheapest decision available. Talk to us about your plant. Request a call