Solve Offshore and Refinery Design Conflicts with BIM: A Guide for EPCs and Plant Owner

30 / 6 / 2025

Why Offshore and Refinery Projects Demand a New Approach

Offshore and refinery projects are some of the most complex undertakings in the oil and gas sector. With high-stakes investments and extreme environmental conditions, even the smallest design conflict can lead to costly delays and operational inefficiencies.

In traditional workflows, Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) teams and plant owners often rely on siloed data, fragmented 2D drawings, and disconnected communication channels. The result? Critical clashes between systems that only surface during construction.

That’s where Building Information Modeling (BIM) for offshore projects and BIM for oil and gas projects steps in, not just as a visualization tool, but as a conflict-resolution and coordination powerhouse. By integrating multidisciplinary design data into a unified digital environment, BIM eliminates guesswork, ensures early clash detection, and streamlines construction across all project phases.

Key Stakeholders Who Need BIM in Refinery and Offshore Projects

BIM for EPC Companies

Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) firms often juggle multiple vendors, accelerated schedules, and constantly evolving scopes.

Building Information Modeling provides a centralized digital platform where structural, MEP, piping, and instrumentation data can be integrated into a single, federated model.

His approach reduces design inconsistencies, minimizes costly rework, and enables more accurate coordination across engineering teams and subcontractors.

For plant owners and facility operators, long-term asset performance and lifecycle optimization are critical.

BIM supports these objectives by enabling more informed facility planning, predictive maintenance scheduling, and the development of digital twins.

With accurate, data-rich models, owners gain deeper visibility into building systems, equipment specifications, and spatial layouts, ultimately improving operational efficiency and reducing downtime over the life of the facility.
Real-Time 3D Modeling for Project Managers and Design Leads

Project managers and lead designers operate at the intersection of scope, schedule, and safety. BIM tools provide real-time modeling, 4D construction phasing, and advanced clash detection capabilities that help manage this complexity.

These tools enhance project tracking, allow for more accurate forecasting, and enable better alignment between planning teams, design consultants, and construction crews, keeping projects on time and within budget.

Understanding Design Conflicts in Oil & Gas Projects

In the high-risk environment of oil and gas infrastructure, whether offshore platforms or onshore refineries, design conflicts aren’t just workflow hiccups; they can be the root cause of project delays, budget overruns, and safety violations. Identifying and mitigating these conflicts early is critical for both EPCs and plant owners. Below are some of the most common and costly coordination issues that occur across project lifecycles:

1. Spatial Clashes Between Disciplines

One of the most frequent issues in refinery and offshore projects is interdisciplinary spatial conflict.

During construction, crews often discover that a large-bore process pipe clashes with a cable tray or HVAC duct, requiring expensive on-site redesigns and fabrication rework.

Lack of a federated 3D model that integrates disciplines like structural, piping (PDMS or Plant 3D), HVAC, and electrical.

2. Inaccurate or Missing As-Builts in Brownfield Projects

In aging facilities, especially brownfield refineries, existing documentation is often outdated or missing. This leads to major surprises during retrofits or shutdowns.

Design teams often rely on decades-old drawings that don’t reflect current conditions. When new equipment is installed, conflicts arise due to inaccurate dimensions or undocumented utilities.

Traditional documentation lacks point cloud validation or reality capture, and manual redlining is error-prone.

3. Late-Stage Change Orders Due to Discipline Mismatch

When civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical designs evolve separately, discrepancies pile up until they result in change orders during construction.

A foundation pedestal clashes with a skid-mounted pump, forcing the team to halt work, submit RFIs, and wait for a redesign, delaying procurement and increasing downtime.

Lack of BIM Execution Plan (BEP) and absence of LOD (Level of Development) standardization across consultants.

4. Safety Hazards from Design Oversights

Overlooking safety zones, maintenance clearances, and access paths can lead to non-compliance with OSHA/NEBOSH standards and compromise operational safety.

Operators cannot access shut-off valves or perform inspections safely due to tight layouts or improper elevation planning. Designs done in 2D lack operability simulation or 4D sequencing, making it hard to visualize accessibility.

How BIM Resolves Design Conflicts in Oil & Gas Projects: From Clash Detection to Cross-Discipline Coordination

In the oil and gas industry, engineering precision isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. With increasingly complex offshore structures and aging refinery systems, design conflicts can quickly escalate into delays and safety risks. BIM provides a proactive solution, offering digital clarity and greater project control from planning through operations.

Here’s how BIM directly addresses core challenges across oil and gas infrastructure:

Clash Detection with Federated BIM Models

One of BIM’s most impactful features is its ability to identify spatial conflicts before construction begins. By creating federated BIM models that integrate architectural, structural, piping, HVAC, and electrical systems, project teams can run comprehensive clash detection using platforms like Navisworks or BIM 360 Coordinate.

This enables EPC companies and project managers to resolve interferences virtually, before they become field issues, dramatically reducing rework and site delays. In large-scale oil and gas facilities, where thousands of components intersect, this visibility is critical for risk mitigation.

Point Cloud Integration for Accurate Retrofitting

In brownfield environments, reliable documentation is often missing or outdated. BIM enables teams to combine 3D laser scan data (point clouds) with intelligent modeling, delivering an accurate digital twin of existing conditions. This is especially valuable during refinery upgrades, where precision is essential to avoid costly shutdowns.

Using Scan to BIM workflows, teams can import data from scanners like Leica RTC360 or FARO Focus into modeling software such as Revit or Plant 3D. The result is a highly accurate, data-rich model that supports seamless retrofitting, minimizes assumptions, and eliminates on-site surprises.

4D BIM for Construction Sequencing and Offshore Logistics

Offshore oil and gas projects are logistically demanding. Materials, equipment, and labor must be deployed in tightly controlled timeframes. 4D BIM enhances construction planning by adding a time component to 3D models—allowing teams to simulate the entire build process, visualize critical paths, and optimize sequencing.

Tools like Synchro 4D or Navisworks Timeliner support scenario testing for everything from equipment lifts to module placements. This not only improves efficiency but also helps manage weather delays, crane operations, and barge schedules—challenges unique to offshore environments.

Centralized Coordination Across Disciplines and Vendors

Oil and gas projects involve multiple consultants, fabricators, and contractors, each contributing to a different part of the puzzle. BIM brings them all into a shared digital environment through Common Data Environments (CDEs) and standardized data formats like IFC and COBie.

This centralized approach improves transparency, accelerates approvals, and ensures that everyone is working from the same, up-to-date model. From early design through procurement and commissioning, BIM enhances traceability and simplifies collaboration.

Rule-Based Scanning Aligned with Industry Standards

Advanced BIM platforms support rule-based clash detection that goes beyond geometry. Configurable rule sets help detect violations specific to oil and gas environments, such as:

Minimum clearance zones around equipment

Pipe stress tolerances

Escape route interference

Hazardous area zoning

For example, BIM can flag a pipe-electrical conduit conflict that violates an ATEX zone regulation before modular skid fabrication begins.

This enables early intervention, improves compliance, and enhances safety—all without waiting for construction-stage discovery.

Essential BIM Tools and Workflows for EPC Companies in Oil & Gas Projects

Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) firms in the oil and gas industry face growing demands for precision and real-time coordination. To meet these challenges, a robust BIM implementation strategy is mission critical. Below are the essential BIM components that top-performing EPCs rely on:

3D Laser Scanning of Existing Structures

For brownfield refinery projects and offshore platform retrofits, capturing real-world site conditions is the foundation of accurate modeling. 3D laser scanning using tools like Leica RTC360 captures millions of data points in a matter of minutes.These point clouds are then imported into BIM software to generate accurate as-built models, which minimize field assumptions, reduce rework, and support precise installation planning.

LOD Strategy for Different Project Phases

Level of Development (LOD) in energy infrastructure projects is a framework used to define the amount of detail and accuracy in BIM models at various stages of the project lifecycle. EPCs must develop a clear LOD strategy that aligns with project goals, whether it’s LOD 200 for schematic design or LOD 400 for fabrication.This ensures that stakeholders are working with the right level of detail at the right time, reducing miscommunication and unnecessary work.

BIM Model-Based RFIs and Submittals

Traditional RFIs and submittals are time-consuming and prone to interpretation errors. With Intelligent model-based documentation, EPC teams can generate intelligent, visual RFIs directly from the BIM environment. This improves communication with clients and vendors by attaching 3D context, parametric data, and location-specific issues to every query or approval request.

ROI for Plant Owners and EPCs: Real-World Benefits of BIM in Oil & Gas

For plant owners and EPC contractors in the oil & gas sector, BIM is a strategic investment that delivers measurable returns across every stage of a project’s lifecycle.

1. Reduced Rework and Change Orders

Industry data shows that 4–9% of total project costs in large-scale construction are due to rework and unplanned change orders, problems BIM is uniquely positioned to solve optimarprecon.comautodesk.com.

Studies report that BIM-based clash detection and prefabrication can reduce rework by as much as 80%, delivering up to 25–30% savings on rework-related expenses .

This aligns with BCG’s forecast of 15–25% E&C cost reductions in industrial projects, including oil & gas refineries.

2. Enhanced Safety Through Visualization

BIM creates powerful 3D visualizations that significantly improve safety planning in hazardous oil & gas environments. Validating minimum spatial clearances to simulate escape routes and hazard zoning, BIM integrates safety into the design lifecycle.

Across infrastructure and industrial projects, BIM contributed to a 10–13% reduction in operational risks through better hazard modeling and compliance practices

3. Better Vendor Coordination

Large EPC projects involve diverse stakeholders creating potential data silos and versioning chaos. BIM fosters synchronized workflows using Common Data Environments (CDEs) and standards like IFC/COBie.

A survey of global users found that 53% reported significant reductions in field coordination conflicts, with 39% highlighting improved multiparty efficiency as a key ROI driver scribd.com.

4. Optimized Maintenance Planning (BIM for FM)

Post-construction, BIM transforms into a powerful facility management tool, seamlessly supporting asset lifecycle strategies. A detailed BIM–FM ROI study revealed:

5% average reduction in annual operating costs

Up to 83% faster information retrieval post-handover, eliminating “data blindspots” that can cost a lot.

Thanks to this digitized asset intelligence, operators reduce downtime, streamline preventative maintenance, and compress facility management cycles substantially.

Conclusion:

For plant owners and EPCs, BIM isn’t a cost center, it’s a business multiplier. From preventing midstream rework and ensuring safer designs to enabling smarter maintenance and tighter coordination with vendors, BIM drives quantifiable ROI and elevates performance across capital and operational phases.

Looking to optimize your offshore or refinery project with precision BIM modeling and coordination? Contact Tejjy Inc today for a customized BEP, clash-free execution, and lifecycle-ready digital twins!