Pipe Routing

Pipe routing may be simple and direct, or it may be precisely defined, according to the constraints and preferences the user has set. The auto-route process creates a centerline route using Elbows or Bends which are created during the auto-route operation.

The simplest route is one with no constraints, which will result in the shortest possible route, ignoring all other elements in the database. By adding constraints, the user can force the automatic routing process to consider alternatives and avoid obstructions.

The pipes to be routed must contain empty Branches whose Head and Tail references are correctly set. The constraints which can be applied are as follows:

• Obstruction Elements such as Equipment items and Structures may be defined as obstructions which must be avoided by the automatic routing process.

• Penalty Volumes - Denote, by means of weighting factors, volumes in space which can be either preferred or prohibited areas for pipe routing. Penalty Volumes are created as PVOL elements in the Design database, The WEIGH attribute is used to determine whether the PVOL is a prohibited or preferred area according to its value. High values indicate prohibited areas, low values indicate a preferred area.

  Example
  WEIGH 100 .01 100	Indicate that the X and Z axes are prohibited and the Y axis is preferred.

• Routing Planes - Routing Planes are elements which are used to guide the automatic routing mechanism into preferred areas. For example, if a rack was to be positioned between two rows of vessels an RPLANE element would be created along the centerline of the proposed rack. Without the RPLANE element, the auto-route process would route the two rows of pipes either side of the preferred area, rather than down the middle.