3D Printing
At Shell, we are using 3D printing to print spare parts on demand; develop novel equipment and rapidly prototype engineering designs. We are developing in-house capability to bridge the gap between 3d printing manufacturers and the energy industry.
3D printing at the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam
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Title: ETCA - 3D Printing in the Energy Industry
Duration: 1:43 minutes
Description:
Shell leader discuss the update of low-code, no-code software development technology
{Industrial 3D printers are helping to make the energy sector more sustainable. We can print parts on demand, develop new designs and make prototypes quickly. In this video we virtually visit the 3D Centre of Excellence in ETCA and show how we bridge the gap between 3D printer manufacturers and the energy industry.}
{ETCA - 3D Printing in the Energy Industry} Transcript
[Background music plays]
{A simple upbeat version of the song of Shell plays during the whole film}
[Animated sequence]
{text in green, blue and grey appears on screen, together with a green, blue and grey boxes.}
[Text displays]
{Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam. Together with Shell. 3D printing in Energy Industry.
The video has burned in Dutch subtitle for the whole duration.}
{video footage}
{external views on the main entrance of the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam, a cyclist arrives to work. Inside the laboratory, a scientist speaks at the camera while another is working at a machine in the background}
{Section subheader, e.g. scene transition/break}
[Lisa Kieft-Leenders]
{Team lead 3D Printing. Center of Excellence & Workshop}
{Lisa Kieft-Leenders}
{At the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam, we have
several high-end industrial 3D printers in both plastics and metals.}
{video footage}
{An operator walks on a scaffold alongside a 3D printer composed of 3 building blocks. The printer seems over 10 meter long and spread across a big room. He then operates a touchscreen on the machine}
{video footage}
{two operators are working at a second 3D printer on which we read “3D hybrid”. They open a 2m high door after a printing work was completed}
{video footage}
{An operator is at a third machine, checking on a ongoing printing work. We see inside the machine as printing is in process}
{Lisa Kieft-Leenders}
{We have a wide range of post-production machines.}
{video footage}
{the video moves fast between different rooms in the laboratory where more machines are shown alongside operators.}
{Lisa Kieft-Leenders}
{The experts in our 3D printing Centre of Excellence help produce innovative laboratory instruments. for unique research and development needs delivering novel developments
contributing to the energy transition.}
{video footage}
{the video zooms in on a set of printed spare parts. A big part stands out in the middle. It is labeled with text on screen reading “Heat Exchanger”. Another set of parts is shown. The focus is on a part which is labeled “Static Mixer”}
[Joost Kroon]
{3D printing engineer}
{Joost Kroon}
{The 3D printing lab has been supporting Shell research and development with novel design and
rapid prototyping for over a decade.}
{video footage}
{two operators are operating a 3D printer on which we read “3D hybrid”. The camera zoom-in into the printer as printing is in progress}
{Joost Kroon}
{Traditionally designing components for industry meant investing vast sums of money for small on-off prototypes. 3D printing has changed that.}
{video footage}
{the video moves fast between different rooms in the laboratory where more machines are shown alongside operators.}
{video footage}
{Angeline Goh appears on screen – operators are discussing ongoing work in the background.}
[Angeline Goh]
{3D Printing Technology Manager}
{Angeline Goh}
{We already produce spare parts on demand for the energy industry, helping it make more sustainable.}
{video footage}
{An operator is interacting on the touchscreen from a 3D printer in a dark room}
{Angeline Goh}
{Additive manufacturing is already transforming manufacturing. We develop novel designs to reduce
the emission of our operations and bring innovations to our low-carbon businesses.}
{video footage}
{the video zooms in on a 3D printed spare part which is labeled “New prototype”}
{Angeline Goh}
{The energy sector is coming together to support the development of standards and digital solutions
to reduce the cost of industrial 3D printing.}
{video footage}
{the video zooms in on a 3D printed exemplar of the icon Shell logo: the Pecten.}
[Animated sequence]
{text in green, blue and grey appears on screen, together with a green, blue and grey boxes.}
[Text displays]
{Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam. Together with Shell. 3D printing in Energy Industry.}
What can you make with an industrial 3D printer?
Spare Parts Printing
Why 3D print replacement parts?
Spare Parts Printing supports Shell in moving to a digital supply chain addressing local supply, obsolescence, just-in-time inventory and other material supply chain opportunities. Managing spare parts is a major logistical challenge. Too few and your facility might need to shut down. Too many is wasteful in terms of capital and storage. The challenge is more acute offshore as there is limited storage capacity and the cost of sending spare parts can be huge. The availability and obsolescence of parts is also a challenge. How do you get a part for piece of equipment that is no longer made?
Several of our assets are aging and reaching end-of-life. Some major components such as pumps dictate the asset lifetime, as they are so expensive and critical. Without 3D printing, if the compressor is obsolete and it stops working, the whole compressor needs to be replaced because the individual components within it cannot be manufactured. 3D Printing has the potential to radically simplify the supply chains with the potential to extend life span of obsolete equipment as we can produce parts not manufactured anymore.
3D printing replacement parts in Shell
Shell has an in-house capability to scan, reverse engineer, optimize, print and post-process parts at the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam. By 3D printing spare parts, we can effectively extend the life of our assets. In some cases, we can also reduce cost and lead times for parts.
We have manufactured numerous parts such as impellers which are operational in our assets. We are developing a database of digital passports to confirm the suitability of 3D printed spare part designs. This will enable technically assured, certified, on-demand printing of spare parts and further the goal of reducing stock and waste in the supply chain.
CE certification of a 3D printed pressure vessel
Shell is the first company in Europe to have obtained CE certification from a third-party authority for a part 3D printed in-house. Shell worked with LRQA on this 4-year research projects to grow our own capabilities and the scope application of 3D printing in the energy sector.
Novel design
Why use 3D printing for novel design?
Novel design studies aim to make components that function more effectively, with improved performance. This practice is well-established in industries such as aerospace, where aircraft parts are 3D printed to make them lighter while retaining the strength characteristics of conventionally manufactured parts. 3D printing can also be used to create parts impossible to manufacture using traditional techniques such as casting and forging combined with conventional machining techniques.
Similarly, Shell also manufactures novel designs with 3D printing. Multiple novel designs have been printed to support various research projects.
Rapid prototyping
How does 3D printing supports rapid prototyping?
We use 3D printing for rapid prototyping of engineering designs. This enables us to test components on a small-scale in materials such as plastic before developing them on an industrial scale.
3D printing rapid prototypes – examples and benefits
At the Stones deep-water project in the US Gulf of Mexico, 3D printing for rapid prototyping helped the project team save several months of delivery time. They developed a mooring system for a floating production, storage and offloading vessel.
At the Coulomb field, 3D printing was used to validate the design of structures on the seabed floor. The Coulomb field is 80 kilometres off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico and one of Shell's deepest subsea projects. At more than 7,000 feet below sea level, the project requires laying a foundation called a mud-mat. The mud-mat design featured hinged "wings" that could be folded up when being transported and, once on the seabed, could open up to reveal the mud-mat's full size.
A 3D printed scale model showed the team that the bolt used to connect the two parts of the hinge together was too large for proper alignment; a difference of 0.5cm that could have had a giant impact. 3D printing helped avoid construction issues and kept costs low.
3D printing: helping Shell build new energy projects more efficiently
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Title: 3D Printing YouTube
Duration: 4:18 minutes
Description:
A look at the possibilities of 3D printing and what it could mean for Shell, and illustrating how it has been used to create a 3D prototype to aid in the construction of FPSO buoys.
3D Printing YouTube Transcript
[Background music plays]
Rhythmic, anthemic instrumental music.
[Video footage]
Panning aerial view of an FPSO on the ocean.
High angle view of a harbour scene, the focus on a large yellow buoy, cutting to a wide view through windows of the buoy being hoisted by a crane.
[Text displays]
3D Printing
Enabling efficient execution
[Video footage]
Closer front view of the buoy held aloft by the crane.
Bird’s eye view of the buoy on board the FPSO that appears to be making its way out of the harbour, cutting to another wide view through a window of the FPSO at sea, the buoy still on board.
[Text displays]
Projects are the lifeline for Shell’s growth and vital in helping to meet the world’s energy demand
[Video footage]
Side view of the buoy being lowered into the ocean, cutting to a fast motion wider views of this process.
[Text displays]
We are finding ways to be more cost-efficient, and scrutinising how we design and execute projects
Interviews with people involved in the project
[Title]
Executive Vice President, Engineering, Shell
[Video footage]
High angle view of buoy now slightly submerged in the ocean.
Slightly panning bird’s eye view of the buoy submerged in the ocean with a platform support vessel visible top of frame-left.
[Robert Patterson]
A fundamental part of the engineering design process is to visualise what an end product will be.
[Text displays]
Robert Patterson
Executive Vice President, Engineering, Shell
[Video footage]
Close-up of Robert Patterson.
Close-up of the white circular structure of the buoy model.
Close-up of a hand holding a rectangular white model component aloft, descending to place is in the aforementioned model structure. Design drawings can be seen on the walls as his hand descends.
Wide shot of a group of workmen standing in a circle as they talk, all dressed in safety gear.
Wide view of an industrial area with machinery and cranes scattered around and a large rectangular block being hoisted in the air.
Low angle view of a workman in safety gear, and panning up to a close-up of heavy equipment seen just above where he is standing.
[Robert Patterson]
3D printing allows for very rapid prototyping. It allows you to really engage with the design, installation sequence, and the safety risks associated with putting it together. You do all of those things early, it leads to far better outcomes.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Robert Patterson.
[Robert Patterson]
In particular, in the offshore environment, where the teams in the Americas have been doing some experimentation with 3D printing for some of their work, they face a particular challenge with the high cost of installation.
[Text displays]
Stones Buoy design verification and install
[Video footage]
Wide shot of rectangular blocks on pallets and a forklift frame-right, moving one of these loaded pallets.
Panning close-up of the stacked rectangular blocks.
Low angle view of adjoined rectangular blocks extending vertically.
Slightly zooming wide view of what appears to be an almost completed buoy filling frame-right, and another partially completed towards frame-left.
[Graphic]
High angle pull back view of an FPSO at sea, with the buoy alongside it, towards frame-right.
[Robert Patterson]
At Stones, they looked at a pretty complex activity of putting together large blocks of syntactic foam in a special, disconnectable buoy to an FPSO that will be the world’s deepest water installation.
[Video footage]
Wide view of an industrial area with machinery and cranes scattered around and a large rectangular block being hoisted in the air.
Worm’s eye view of a rectangular block held aloft against the background of a cloudy sky, cutting to the block being pulled into place on the buoy structure, using ropes, again cutting to closer views of the block being lowered into place.
[Robert Patterson]
They realised that the construction sequence of putting together hundreds of syntactic foam blocks was complex. What’s the right sequence to put those blocks into a very complex geometry?
[Video footage]
Wide shot of a group of workmen in safety gear, as Amir stands in the foreground, holding a white component of the model, explaining to them.
Close-up of Blake Moore with factory structures visible in the background.
Panning close-up of white foam components of the model lying on a work surface, cutting to close-ups of various permutations of the white components, finally panning to a close-up of the partially assembled circular buoy model.
[Title]
FPSO Lead, Stones Project, Shell
[Text displays]
Blake Moore
FPSO Lead, Stones Project, Shell
[Blake Moore]
Usually you have nothing more than paper drawings to try to describe how best to do the installation work. What we’ve done is we’ve actually used a 3D printer and we created a… the model in 3D of the structure, and then a model of all 222 components of the foam blocks so that we could then plan it and make sure the sequence was right to ensure that we did it safely.
[Video footage]
Mid-shot of Amir seen standing alongside the white model structures on his work surface. On the wall behind him, designs of the model are visible.
[Title]
Construction Engineer, Stones Project, SBM Offshore
[Text displays]
Amir Salem
Construction Engineer, Stones Project, SBM Offshore
[Amir Salem]
Having a model like this in the design process really bridges the gap between design and fabrication.
[Video footage]
Close-up in profile of Amir holding model components as he speaks and gestures toward the full-size components comprising the blocks behind him.
Close-up of one of the pallets as its load is hoisted.
[Blake Moore]
It’s already added value in understanding whether the dimensions are correct and whether we have clashes or not.
[Video footage]
Worm’s eye view of a component being lowered on ropes within the buoy structure. A workman stands beneath, cutting to a close-up of the component being lowered and back to the previous view.
Wide shot of a group of workmen in safety gear, as Amir stands in the foreground, holding the white component of the model, explaining to them.
[Amir Salem]
It’s a great tool to be able to plan the work, execute it and anticipate the problems and come up with a work-around before the process even starts.
[Video footage]
Mid-shot of several men seated around a table, equipment on the table in front of them, and design drawings visible on the screen behind them.
Close-up of L J Delcambre as he speaks.
Close-up of some assembled components of the model on the table in front of the men.
High angle view of a red crane lifting a yellow component.
[Text displays]
Coulomb Mudmat Hinge Assembly
[Robert Patterson]
We’ve already seen benefits at Coulomb in really improving the design of the bolt connections to hinges – complex activities that affect offshore installation.
[Video footage]
Mid-shot of three of the men around the table, model components in front of them on the table.
Close-up of one of the components, cutting to a close-up of the man handling the component.
Close-up of N Lee Walden, design drawings visible on the screen behind him.
[Title]
Subsea Structural Engineer, Coulomb Project, Shell
[Text displays]
N Lee Walden
Subsea Structural Engineer, Coulomb Project, Shell
[N Lee Walden]
We commissioned the Coulomb 3D print to convey to the engineers that were designing the hinge assemblies, and to the contractor, the complexity of the structure that we’re trying to build.
[Video footage]
Close-up again of the model components on the table, cutting to a mid-shot of L J Delcambre as he speaks and gestures towards the component.
Wide shot of the group of men, the design drawings visible on the screen behind them.
Close-up of L J Delcambre, a factory/industrial scene forming the background.
[Title]
Project Manager, Coulomb Project, Omega, LLC
[Text displays]
L J Delcambre
Project Manager, Coulomb Project, Omega, LLC
[L J Delcambre]
Having a 3D model aids you in finding and detecting the problems. It gives us the chance to sit together as a team, sitting down with the model and detecting any problems that we foresee.
[Video footage]
Close-up of the components as the men shift them around the table.
Close-up of another man in profile as he speaks, cutting to a close-up of his hand pointing to one of the components.
Mid-shot of N Lee Walden standing in front of the screen, pointing to the design drawings as he speaks.
Mid-shot of L J Delcambre as he speaks and gestures to the components on the table.
Profile view of a workman welding.
[N. Lee Walden]
Seeing them in a solid format allows us to see the physical integration between parts and pieces. On the Coulomb Project, it’s allowed us to predict the potential problems before we even got into the fabrication stage.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Robert Patterson, as before.
Wide view of factory structures with the buoy components on pallets in front of them as several workmen move about.
Close-up of a forklift moving a pallet bearing the stacked rectangular components.
Close-up of Robert Patterson.
[Robert Patterson]
When we move to a 3D printed prototype, we can ensure that we’ve set ourselves up for a successful design, a successful installation and a successful operation.
[Video footage]
Close-up aerial view of 3D printer, cutting to fast motion shots of a 3D model as it is formed, and a hand brushing away the excess material to reveal the component in the printer.
Close-up of several components placed on a table.
[Robert Patterson]
But 3D printing has an even bigger future than that – the ability to make spare parts, the ability to create new and different shapes and products.
[Video footage]
Close up of René Honig, windows visible behind him.
[Title]
VP Innovation, Shell
[Text displays]
René Honig
VP Innovation, Shell
[René Honig]
A central 3D printing team will help us to scale up the capability as fast as we can, and therefore drive value in the fastest possible way. The role of the central team is really understanding how to create value and to leverage the best practice across the group.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Robert Patterson, as before.
Point of view shot as a hand is seen moving down a corridor, into a work area and towards and finally into a 3D printer.
Panning close-up of a 3D model.
Close-up as before of several components on a table, several pairs of hands either handling the components or resting on the table beside them.
[Robert Patterson]
We’re just at the beginning of new possibilities and 3D printing and what it can mean for Shell.
[Graphic]
White flash dissolve to Shell logo.
[Audio]
Shell jingle.
[Text displays]
© Shell International Limited 2016
