This is the final release under the PipeLay Phase II project, on which MCS collaborated with companies including Technip, Petrobras, Allseas, Heerema, Saipem and SBM.

“With the greater complexities involved, the installation contractor needs more sophisticated software to analyse the installation operation,” MCS software general manager Pat Scully said.

“Pipeline design is now increasingly governed by the installation process and the loading to which the pipeline is subjected on its journey from deck to seafloor, putting new demands on the engineering performed by the contractor.”

MCS said the program was designed as an engineering tool rather than as a finite-element package and had the potential to be a significant labour-saver.

“Inputs are all in engineering terms and the software automates many of the tasks associated with building complex finite element models, running and post-processing multiple load cases and presenting results in a concise, report-ready format,” MCS said.

The software has enhanced pipe-in-pipe, pipe-on-pipe, pipe pay-out and pay-in modelling capabilities, and the ability to use extra installation criteria, including seabed contact, axial stress and strain and lay-back.

It has an arbitrary elastic seabed modelling capability and provides a large range of examples, such as davit life, DMA start-up, articulated stinger and modelling.

Significant improvements to the user interface had made program more powerful, flexible and user-friendly, MCS said.

The Dynamic Display module has been converted to a real 3D display using Microsoft DirectX Version 9, offering the user new views of their model with solid surfaces, realistic lighting and shading effects, perspective views, hidden line removal and textures.

“In essence, PipeLay provides in one package what previously took an array of software, front-end macros and post-processing tools,” MCS said.

“PipeLay is also backed up by support from professional engineers experienced in both developing and using the software.”