CFIHOS and Engineering Base

As an active member of the world's largest standardization committee for engineering data in the process industry, Aucotec is not only a long-standing contributor to CFIHOS, but also a trailblazer: with Engineering Base, the company has met the requirements of the compliance process for software providers in impressive breadth and depth.

CFIHOS has its roots in an initiative undertaken by Shell in 2012. Today, the project’s development continues through the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) under the name JIP36. The IOGP has nearly 80 member organizations, including major operators, EPCs, software providers and universities.

CFIHOS aims to establish a consistent, data-driven information flow throughout the life cycle of industrial plants – from planning through construction to operation. The standard defines which data is required and how it should be described in the Reference Data Library (RDL). This is where Engineering Base comes in.

Far more than a traditional CAE system, Engineering Base is a data-centric platform that brings together all the disciplines of plant engineering – from process engineering through electrical design to automation – in a single system. The digital twin (1D) produced in this way is just as important a component as the powerful 2D functionalities.

What makes the Engineering Base platform really special, though, is that it enables everyone involved to work in parallel and collaboratively – in real time and from anywhere in the world. This reduces the number of interfaces, prevents loss of information and puts an end to time-consuming data transfers.

Not only was Aucotec quick to recognize the potential of CFIHOS, it has also been actively involved in the ongoing development of the standard. Particularly noteworthy is that Aucotec systematically mapped the requirements of the CFIHOS compliance process (relating to data structure, data transfer, implementation and integration) to Engineering Base. As a result, Engineering Base supports virtually all the phases and categories involved in the process.

The highly detailed documentation, featuring dozens of proofs and examples, illustrates how Engineering Base is not simply compliant; in many aspects, it goes far beyond what is required.

Engineering Base offers, among other things:

• Customizable taxonomies and ontologies structured according to IEC 81346
• A comprehensive attribute management solution that seamlessly links with the CFIHOS Reference Data Library (RDL)
• Modularized project templates and data models
• Multilingual databases for international projects
• Role-based access control in Active Directory
• Integration with ERP, simulation and 3D systems
• Powerful interfaces using REST API and file formats such as Excel, DEXPI, AutomationML and DWG

In addition, Engineering Base has always embraced an open approach. Whether working directly in the system itself or exchanging data via neutral formats – interoperability and adaptability have been factored in from the outset.

The aim of CFIHOS – a uniform language for the process industry – is a reality offered by Engineering Base today as a digital model that everyone can understand and use without the confusion of siloed solutions. The result is a consistent flow of information where data is created directly where it is needed, instead of having to be repeatedly generated or transferred.

Aucotec's involvement in CFIHOS and the performance capabilities of Engineering Base once again demonstrate how the company is not only aware of the challenges facing the digitalized process industry, but is actively shaping the solutions required.