Global Pipe Optimization for Ship Engine Room

Abstract

Pipe routing in ship design presents significant challenges because of its time-consuming nature and the need for considerable attention to detail. In recent years, the decreasing number of pipe designers has impacted the quality of pipe-routing designs. However, optimizing pipe routing is crucial for reducing construction costs and ship production time. This study focused on optimizing the procedure and routes, considering over 500 pipes throughout the engine room of an 82,000-ton Panamax bulk carrier with three decks. Procedure optimization was based on a genetic algorithm and a system that considered individual pipe characteristics, such as type, diameter, and length. For pipe-route optimization, we used the Dijkstra algorithm, which aims to provide the shortest pipe routing by minimizing branching, bending, crossing, and obstacle avoidance. Pipe-routing optimization was divided into “basic” and “detailed” designs to derive rough and detailed routes, respectively. The basic design allowed intersections and horizontal bending, while the detailed design provided a route without intersections and minimized all bending. The optimized design was compared with pipe routing designed by diameter and shorter-path orders. In ship construction, pipe-routing optimization reduced the overall cost of pipe routing by 7% compared to other systems that typically use diameter and shortest-route orders. The study’s findings highlight the practical cost benefits and potential applications of the pipe-routing process in ship construction.

Bibliographic Information