DEXPI for beginners

Getting started with asset lifecycle information management

Abstract

The current information management in the asset lifecycle of the process industry based on drawings/diagrams  (analog) and Excel lists requires high effort, is complex and error prone. The solution for this problem is a consistent information management along the asset lifecycle, from process development till operation and deconstruction of the plant, covering the essential disciplines, process engineering, machine/apparatus, piping, and automation. This requires consistent, integrated data models covering the whole lifecycle as well as the different disciplines. DEXPI e.V. defines an industry standard that represents an information model for the topology of chemical processes and the chemical plant, based on international standards. This includes the part of the digital twin that describes the information content of a block flow diagram, process flow diagram, and piping and instrumentation flow diagram, thus covering data-based, integrated engineering in the study, preliminary and basic planning, and the trades of equipment/machinery and automation technology. This paper presents the status of the data models, the integration of automation technology, the incorporation into the administration shell of Industry 4.0, and the
international activities for the harmonization of information models.