Case Studies Showing how Clients have Achieved Zero-Defect Projects using Laser Scanning

Quantapoint’s zero-defect project capabilities have helped out clients achieve significant benefits, including savings of thousands of man-hours and millions of dollars. Our clients are typically able to measure construction rework as individual events and not a percentage of the total installed cost (’events, not percents’), with a greater than 10 times return on their investment. Below are selected case studies highlighting how Quantapoint was able to help them address their critical project issues.

Offshore, Power, Process

Chevron Nigeria Limited — Dimensional Control for Escravos Gas Project Phase 3A (EGP3A)
The scope involved modification and tie-ins to support two new gas gathering and compression platforms and wellheads. The piping and structural design were completed in Bentley AutoPLANT by an engineering contractor without accurate existing condition documentation. Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) was concerned that this may result in significant construction rework and hot work, which would negatively impact project schedule and expenses.

Major Oil Company – FPSO
A major West African oil company was revamping an FPSO (floating production, storage and off-take) to increase its production capacity. The project involved extensive modifications to various modules. Due to limited space and inherent safety concerns, the company wanted to minimize both the number of personnel and time spent on the FPSO as well as the amount hot work performed. The FPSO lacked current and accurate existing conditions documentation. Using traditional survey techniques to document an FPSO is difficult or impossible because it is continuously moving due to waves and ballast conditions.

ExxonMobil and Mobil Producing Nigeria — Dimensional Control for East Area Project (EAP) EPC 4A Platforms
The project involved extensive modifications to the platforms. The platforms were grouped, with EPC 4A including four production platforms and ten well-head platforms. Piping spools were being in fabrication but were not being verified against the design or existing field conditions. ExxonMobil and Mobil Producing Nigeria were concerned that this would result in significant construction rework and hot work, which would negatively impact project schedule and expenses.

Fluor Beats Budget and Timeline With Improved On Site Safety — Laser Scanning Used To Capture As-Built Data in Harsh Environment
Fluor was selected to implement a nitrogen oxide and highly reactive volatile organic compound reduction program for a major Texas refinery. The project involved modifying tightly spaced process heaters and carbon monoxide boilers to comply with Texas regulations, requiring replacement of older burners with ultra low NOx burners and adding new fuel gas piping. The project faced two major challenges. First, the space under each furnace and boiler was extremely congested and difficult to access. Second, there was a lack of accurate and current as-built documentation for the design.

O’Neal Achieves Significant Results with Quantapoint — Enables Precision for Shop Fabrication and Piping Tie-Ins and AVEVA PDMS Integration
O’Neal began working with a major pulp and paper manufacturer to install three new screens and associated piping for fine paper machines, the largest of which was 8 feet in diameter and 12 feet tall with 32-inch stainless steel pipes. Since they had only two days for shutdown and installation of the new screens in a congested area of the operating facility, O’Neal needed dimensional information on features which could interfere with the installation.

Quantapoint Helps WorleyParsons Shave Three Months off Power Plant Clean Air Project Timeline, Delivering “Interference Free Design”
Quantapoint’s laser scanning solutions helped the WorleyParsons team design new systems and structures integrated into the customer’s existing power plant, minimizing obstructions or project delays. Quantapoint enabled WorleyParsons to deliver an ‘interference free’ design and allowed us to keep our overall project on schedule. Quantapoint delivered a high quality, highly accurate product that offered excellent viewing and data manipulation capabilities between its PRISM software and our existing Intergraph PDS software packages.

Confidential Client — Refining
A leading refiner in Louisiana discovered corrosion on the bottom portion of a distillation column. The client required that the existing section be demolished and the new section added over a weekend shutdown. The facility lacked accurate and current existing condition documentation.

ChevronTexaco FCC Unit Revamp
Production problems necessitated significant modifications to an existing FCC unit. The project required that the FCC reactor and regenerator be cut and reoriented for more-efficient operation. Current existing condition documentation was either inaccurate, incomplete, missing or non-existent.

Mobil Producing Nigeria
Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) MPN is modifying its ASABO Platform complex as part of an overall safety initiative. The project involves extensive modifications to a wellhead, injection and production platform. Each platform lacked accurate existing condition documentation. Furthermore, due to limited space in the living quarters, the number of people and time spent on each platform had to be minimized. MPN’s goal was to generate accurate existing conditions documentation in a manner that promoted safety yet significantly reduced the amount of time spent on each platform collecting the data.

Shell Oil Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel Project
Shell Oil Company modified several of its US refineries in order to comply with Low Sulfur Diesel requirements. Common to each facility was a lack of accurate and current existing condition documentation. The goal was to select a work process that provided a highly accurate and detailed 3D model in a fraction of the time required by traditional surveying techniques. It was further required that 3D laser scanning would generate a model that would not require a costly and time-consuming re-modeling effort.

Architectural

Quantapoint Helps Historic Amusement Park Modify Popular Coaster with No Downtime — Laser Scanning Proves Invaluable for Roller Coaster Track Replacement
Founded in 1898, Kennywood Park, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, is the area’s premier amusement park and was designated as a national historic landmark in 1987. Kennywood was modifying the “Phantom’s Revenge” roller coaster – a park favorite, with high speeds, dizzying drops and sharp turns. Quantapoint “digitized” the Phantom’s Revenge roller coaster using two laser scanners during off-business hours. The resulting “Digitized Coaster” consisted of both photo-realistic and panoramic Laser Images™ and detailed and high-definition Laser Models. Quantapoint’s unique Laser Models were much easier to work during design and engineering than older “point cloud” technology, whose sparse data would make it difficult to visualize the coaster and may not include any of the fine details of the track itself. Quantapoint also created a 3D CAD model that included spot elevation markers for each connection between the vertical structural supports and the steel track. Quantapoint’s QuantaCAD software enabled the 3D CAD model to be verified using the Digitized Coaster to verify fine details such as flanges, track braces and rails

Digitizing the Guggenheim — Quantapoint Helps Restore a Frank Lloyd Wright Treasure
The Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, has been suffering from surface cracks since its construction in 1959. The restoration team was faced with the challenge of documenting the structural cracks and formulating an action plan to repair the flaws and restore and preserve the integrity of the building. Accurate documentation of the interior was also required to determine exhibit locations, traffic flow patterns and spatial planning. Quantapoint digitized both the interior and the exterior of the Guggenheim. Quantapoint used our award-winning Laser Model™ technology to create a high-resolution digitized version of the Guggenheim that could be accessed directly or within various CAD packages. Quantapoint created highly accurate 3D models for structural and engineering analysis and the additional drawings as needed for interior space planning.

Quantapoint Supports Murphy & Dittenhafer in Award Winning Restoration of Historic Hotel — The Tremont Grand, Baltimore Maryland
The scope of work involved the restoration and cleaning of the exterior structure and renovation of all interior finishes. This required accurate documentation of scagliola columns, ornamental plaster, murals, marble staircase and bronze elements of the 38,000 square foot structure. Unfortunately, no existing conditions documentation was available and re-creating it manually would have been a time-consuming and costly manual process. According to Michael Murphy, a Principal at Murphy & Dittenhafer, “Quantapoint’s scans were especially valuable because of the many areas of the building with elaborate ornamentation that we wanted to preserve while making additions. For example, the reflected ceiling plans assisted our team in identifying appropriate spaces to locate new life safety and other devices within the detailed period ceiling treatments.”

Quantapoint and Pfaffmann & Associates Preserve the Meadowcroft Rockshelter - Helping to Protect a National Archaeological Treasure
Considered a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Treasure, the Meadowcroft Rockshelter is a rock overhang under which the first Americans encamped to protect them from the elements. It provides archaeologists with a rare glimpse into the lives of the first people to arrive in the New World. According to Rob Pfaffmann, founder of Pfaffmann & Associates, “One of the biggest challenges for us was surveying an area that included a rocky cliff side of varying elevations, existing staircases and tree limbs, but we needed accurate dimensions to create architectural drawings and 3D models.” Added Pfaffman, “By using Quantapoint, Pfaffmann and Associates was able to reduce uncertainty, reduce rework and enable the project owners to get the sign-off they needed to begin the construction process.”

Quantapoint and Herbert S. Newman and Partners Renovate the Troup Magnet Academy of Science — Helping to Restore a Historic Landmark
Herbert S. Newman and Partners understood that restoring the school in a respectful and historically accurate manner would require a detailed understanding of the structure, including exterior elevations and the very intricate brick patterns on the facade. Unfortunately, no existing conditions documentation was available and re-creating it manually had proven to be a time-consuming and costly manual process for the architects. According to Tim Callahan, a Principal at Herbert S. Newman and Partners, “Quantapoint provides a fast, cost-effective and accurate method to document complex or intricate buildings.”

Quantapoint Helps WJE Significantly Reduce Project Cost and Time While Improving Quality
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) was asked to develop plans for repairs needed to an historic facade of one of New York City’s largest museums. There were minimal existing drawings so WJE had to survey and document the facade while minimizing disturbance to the structure and its landscaped site. According to Timothy Allanbrook, a Senior Consultant for WJE, “Quantapoint brought many benefits to the project. Without their services we would have had to depend on the few fragments of historic drawings that we had been able to find. Without Quantapoint we would have needed at least three times more staff to complete the assignment.

Quantapoint Documents Richly Detailed Church for Historical Preservation Project
Considered an important Boston historical landmark, the Arlington Street Church was scheduled for general restoration and preservation work. The Church’s richly detailed interior presented unique challenges. It was comprised of intricately detailed plaster surfaces with high interior elevations. Unfortunately, there was no existing condition documentation that accurately reflected this information to ensure it was preserved. Quantapoint scanned the 147 year old structure in only one day and used the digitized building to create richly detailed 2D drawings that included all the elevated, detailed plaster surfaces of the sanctuary. The richly detailed drawings were delivered to the architects within two weeks, enabling Goody, Clancy & Associates, Inc. to remain within budget and on schedule to preserve the intricate detail of this Boston classic.

Carrie Blast Furnace
A developer proposed to rehabilitate the Carrie Blast Furnace site from its industrial past to a new use as a museum. This required that a detailed model be generated to accurately reflect current building and equipment layouts. The new museum would then be designed to compliment existing site uses and features.

Boston Public Library
When the McKim Building Restoration Project needed existing condition documentation at the Boston Public Library, Quantapoint scanned the 20,300 square-foot interior in just three days, working only after library hours.

Four Mellon Bank Center
A national retailer planned to turn the historic Four Mellon Bank Center building into an upscale department store. Before design could begin, the architect needed extensive floor plans with accurate detail of the building’s stonework, bronze gates, marble fixtures, and exterior facades. Using Quantapoint, the architect received final drawings, floor plans, and reflected ceiling plans with four building sections and two exterior elevations in ten working days.

Hagerty Hall
“Without Quantapoint,” says project manager Tim Hawk, “our team would have proceeded through the design phase unaware that the project didn’t fit in the building. Through Quantapoint’s diligence and accuracy, we were able to catch a huge discrepancy in the square footage and make adjustments.”

H.J. Heinz Complex
Architects recently planned to renovate the brick-and-stone facade of the four-building Heinz manufacturing complex faced complicated conditions. In just 12 days, Quantapoint delivered highly detailed drawings.

Sixth Presbyterian Church
Architects used Quantapoint as part of a proposal for new construction adjacent to a 19th-century church. Quantapoint laser scans and modeling software produced a 3D model of the building’s architectural mass. A Quantapoint team completed all scanning and information processing in a single, one-person workweek, spending less than four hours on site.

Elk County Courthouse
The Elk County Courthouse was built in the 1890s. It’s a brick and stone structure with decorative window and gable details, a slate mansard roof, and a clock and bell tower rising 60 feet above the primary roof line. Quantapoint documented the exterior in less than two days.

Other

NCLETTC Mock Riot — Good Intelligence Saves Lives
The National Corrections & Law Enforcement Training and Technology Center (NCLETTC) was preparing to hold a mock riot to train law enforcement personnel. For the exercise, the NCLETTC desired accurate building documentation of the prison to determine the impact on both riot response planning and implementation.

Leading Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturer
A leading alcoholic beverage manufacturer was planning a weekend shutdown to demolish the existing manifold system and replace it with a new one. The plant has capacity to produce over 6,000 cans and bottles per minute and is planned to be down for two days. It is expected that by Monday morning the new manifold system will be installed and operational.