Intergraph® Interfaces SmartPlant® 3D with GexCon's FLACS® Explosion Analysis Software

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Intergraph® has interfaced Smart 3D (SmartPlant and SmartMarine 3D) design software with GexCon's FLACS® explosion analysis software to enable users to analyze the design of their onshore or offshore facilities more quickly and with greater accuracy as they analyze impacts of  explosions.

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Intergraph Smart 3D rules-based design software helps users to build safety into plants early in the design process, enforcing regulation and engineering standards to increase safety, productivity and quality of operations. The rules-based engineering design capabilities ensure compliance with many of the world's industry and safety standards organizations bodies. GexCon's FLACS has been the leading tool for explosion consequence prediction on offshore oil and gas installations for more than a decade.

Ideal for chemical, oil and gas, power and other plants involved in the handling or manufacturing of explosive or flammable materials or pressurized liquids and gases, the safety management software configuration helps identify safety risks early in the design phase thus improving safety and design quality and reduces higher costs for late corrections during construction and operation phases.

Now with the interface between Intergraph design software and FLACS, Smart 3D models can be imported for analysis and validation within hours or days.  This capability reduces cost and increases model accuracy compared to the typical workflow of re-creating the model within FLACS which can take from one week to several months.  The interface enables users to iterate designs options faster, with higher model accuracy, as they can analyze gas dispersion and explosion impacts.

"Plant safety is a growing industry concern. The interface between Intergraph's rules-based 3D design solution and GexCon's FLACS explosion analysis software can help designers increase productivity and enhance safety before plant construction begins," said Tom Fiske, Ph.D., senior analyst with ARC Advisory Group, a leading industry analyst firm, and the author of  its Process Engineering Tools (PET) Worldwide Outlook Market Analysis and Forecast through 2013, which ranked Intergraph the No. 1 vendor of overall engineering design software and process engineering tools.

Gerhard Sallinger, Intergraph Process, Power & Marine president, said, "Intergraph Smart 3D rules-based design solutions inherently promote safer plant design, construction and operations.  The interface with FLACS will further increase the safety, productivity and quality for our customers, while further enhancing the robust safety management capabilities of the SmartPlant and SmartMarine solutions suites."  

"With Smart 3D conveniently interfaced to FLACS, users have a quick, reliable way of analyzing their 3D models for explosions and risk assessment," said Olav Hansen, Product Director of GexCon. "Being able to perform analyses in a timely manner speeds projects and improves plant design safety to ensure a safer working environment."  

GexCon, an independent consulting company in the field of gas dispersion, fire and explosion safety, developed FLACS with the full cooperation, support, direction and funding of 10 of the largest oil and gas companies in the world.

Smart 3D solutions are members of Intergraph's Plant Enterprise suite of integrated solutions that provides full design, construction, materials and engineering data management capabilities needed for the creation, safe operation and maintenance, and capital Project Life Cycle Management (cPLM) of large-scale process, power, marine and offshore projects. The software's life cycle data management also enables a smoother handover for EPCs to owner operators and for owner operators to more easily maintain, refurbish or modify their plants.

To find out more about Intergraph's safety management capabilities, please visit www.intergraph.com/go/smartsafety.

About GexCon

GexCon is an independent consulting company aiming to be the world leader in the field of gas dispersion, fire and explosion safety. GexCon consists of 40 engineers with a total working experience in the field of gas and dust explosions of more than 400 years. The experience includes detailed knowledge of explosion phenomena built up during years of research, carrying out safety assessments, performing accident investigations and performing physical testing. For more information visit: www.gexcon.com.

About Intergraph

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph's industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data into understandable visual representations and actionable intelligence. Intergraph's software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I).  Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction and operation of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially-powered solutions to the defense and intelligence, public safety and security, government, transportation, photogrammetry, utilities, and communications industries. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

© 2010 Intergraph Corp. All rights reserved. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corp. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Intergraph