In addition to its speed and accuracy, the FARO Focus laser scanner was chosen for use on the Mystras FPSO project due to its minimal size and light weight. These attributes allowed high precision results to be achieved when operating in confined spaces

International Partner Buro (IPB), a major European company that specialises in providing 3D laser scanning and dimensional control to the world-wide oil and gas industry, recently completed a major project on behalf of NPDC - Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Ltd.

IPB’s brief was to laser scan the Mystras FPSO (Floating Storage Production Vessel) that is located in the Gulf of Guinea, an important oil producing region off the coast of Nigeria.

A FARO Focus was used to create a precise, comprehensive 3D laser scan of the 76053 gross tonnage vessel that features an extremely complex superstructure. Headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, FARO is one of the world’s most trusted sources for 3D measurement, imaging and realisation technology. The company develops and manufactures leading edge solutions that enable high-precision 3D capture, measurement and analysis across a variety of industries including manufacturing, construction, engineering and public safety.

The generated 3D laser scan enabled the consolidation of all existing 2D core and project drawings into a single set of master engineering records (MERS). In addition, the client required the extraction of 2D as-built drawings from 3D models, data uploaded into a digital plant solution and the generation of graphical component verification reports. With the help of IPB’s advanced FARO Focus laser scanner the mission was accomplished on-time and on budget.

Marian Radoi, the founder and CEO of International Partner Buro, explains: "The global oil and gas industry requires the highest levels of process execution and safety from its service suppliers. Due to our technical expertise and the use of advanced products, such as the FARO Focus laser scanner, we are able to guarantee the delivery of the highest standards of precision, quality, flexibility and reliability and a rapid response to the requirements of our clients.

"We are able to deliver full project management and consultancy and to provide solutions in areas such as clash detection and reporting, dimension control, 3D modelling and 2D drawing data conversion."

In addition to its speed and accuracy, the FARO Focus laser scanner was chosen for use on the Mystras FPSO project due to its minimal size and light weight. These attributes allowed high precision results to be achieved when operating in confined spaces and enabled the equipment to be carried comfortably along the 260-metre length of the vessel.

Due to the high complexity of the areas that had to be scanned, in order to capture all the relevant details a large number of scans were performed. The FARO Focus Laser Scanner’s speed of operation significantly aided overall efficiency in this area.

FARO Scene software was used for scans registration. The orientation of the scans were performed in the vessel’s coordinate system, in two steps, fist the scans were registered to each other using the target registration method. Then a cloud to cloud registration was performed in order to improve the accuracy of the scans registration.

Since the completion of the project our client now has the advantage of being able to perform a remote virtual tour of the scanned area via the International Partner Buro WebShare Platform. IPB Web- Share is an easy to use online or offline web platform which enables our clients to visualise projects and with an active internet connection, to download the necessary data, from any part of the world.

The general map offers the possibility of measuring distances and areas, whilst the 3D view allows measuring of point-to-point distances. HD panoramic images are available on the IPB Web- Share platform or in SceneLT, free software. Each panoramic position provides a full 360° view, including all of the details recorded during the laser scanning process.

Authorised users have access to the original 3D data through the download option and are able to examine it using the free software SceneLT. Instant access to the data obtained through 3D laser scanning enables efficient collaboration and rapid decisions to be made and reduces the number of physical visits on the scanned site.