Digital twins for pressure vessel
A pressure-vessel digital twin should connect the vessel tag to inspection locations, drawings and reviewed results. The purpose is to make inspection history easier to find and compare, not to make the model look complete.
Build the asset hierarchy
Shell courses, heads, nozzles, welds and supports form the starting structure for this use case. Agree the naming rules with the people who maintain the equipment register. A model identifier should remain stable when a drawing is revised or a new inspection is added.
Connect records to decisions
Use a consistent reference for thickness locations and indication positions. Keep the date, units, technique and original record with each result. Record repairs and replaced components before comparing successive examinations.
Define who can upload, review and approve information. Keep draft observations visibly separate from approved records. Agree how the model will reference the existing maintenance or document system and who will resolve mismatches.
Make limitations visible
External geometry does not establish internal wall condition. A model cannot calculate a defensible remaining life unless the underlying measurements, assumptions and engineering method support that calculation.
Run a useful acceptance exercise
Choose a vessel with a legible drawing and a reviewed measurement history. Have the inspector locate several readings on the model and confirm that another reviewer can trace them to the original report.
Record the steps that still require manual work. Before extending the scope, agree ownership of updates, access permissions, backups, exports and support. The acceptance exercise should demonstrate the proposed workflow using representative records.