Asset Intelligence Report

A PRIMER ON
DIGITAL TWINS
OCTOBER 2021

A Higher Level of Asset Integrity Intelligence

Sponsored by
 Copyright © 2021 by
Inspectioneering, LLC
701 Sawdust Road, Suite 4
The Woodlands, TX 77380 USA
www.inspectioneering.com

Wri en by Floyd Baker

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CONTENTS
Overview 4

Digital Twin Types 4

History and Development 5

Industry Application 5

The Cost Factor 9

Future Applications 9

About the Author 10

References 10

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 Overview
A digital twin is a digital representation or virtual
replica of a physical object, person, or process. It is the
result of a so ware algorithm that harnesses real
world data captured via sensors, laser mapping, or
other internet of things (IoT) technologies that are
a ached to the source object or reference material.
Ideally, any information that can be obtained by
examining the physical object can, in theory, also be
obtained from its digital “twin.” The virtual twin of the
object is usually hosted in the cloud, where it connects
to and mirrors the physical asset’s data – historical,
current, and changes as they occur – enabling near
real-time, remote access to the physical object’s actual
conditions at all times.
In the world of predictive maintenance and
mechanical integrity management, digital twin
technology can be used to create an exact virtual
replica of an entire plant or facility, each individual
asset within it, and each component of those assets.
This enables real-time visualization of an asset’s
condition and historical data, as well as simulations
that can support decision-making about how an asset
or system is performing. Regarding future asset
intelligence, digital twin technology also lays the
groundwork to enable arti cial intelligence and
machine learning.
This technology can also be used in conjunction with
other modeling techniques to create simulations and
scenarios for a given asset to test what the results of
changes might be before actually pu ing them in
motion.
Until the very recent advent of digital and IoT
technology, the task of managing the mechanical
integrity of a physical asset has been time consuming
and expensive, and the ability to predict or prevent
failure events has been limited. The objective of
Asset Intelligence Report: A Primer on Digital Twins
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having a digital twin is to be able to visualize, access,
and simulate all information on the physical asset.
This enables one-click, real time access to actionable
intelligence on the asset’s health for more rapid
insight and prudent decision-making.
Although digital twins exist today in many di erent
categories, the conceptual model itself consists of a
physical product in physical space, a digital
representation of a physical product in a virtual
environment, and the digital connection between the
two in the form of IoT data and information. The
digital twin can then mimic and simulate the
performance of the asset, or assets, in a virtual world.
A digital twin is not:
• a 3D model.
• a 2D diagram.
• dashboard analytics.
• a picture.
• a blueprint.
Digital Twin Types
There are two types of digital twin – digital twin
prototype (DTP) and digital twin instance (DTI)[1].
Essentially, DTP involves creating the digital
prototype rst, and then creating the physical asset
according to the information sets of the prototype.
DTI is the opposite of this – it begins with the physical
asset and involves mapping that asset’s current and
historical data to build its virtual “twin.” From there,
the two are kept connected via cloud technology to
ensure that all updates to one are replicated virtually
in the other, allowing for the same power of decision
making without necessarily ever having to physically
access the asset.
The type of digital twin utilized for predictive
maintenance and reliability purposes is typically DTI.
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 For re neries, plants and facilities, the physical assets
have existed and been in operations for years already,
so the intent of harnessing digital twin technology is
to take those physical assets and create virtual
connected twins to enhance decision making and data
access. An important facet of this technology is that it
is not static; it is intended to be a dynamic connection
between the physical and the virtual as changes occur
for the entirety of the asset lifecycle.
History and Development
The first recorded concept of digital twins was claimed
by David Gelernter in the 1991 book Mirror Worlds, which
suggests that the ultimate progression of software
computing will result in a “digital mirror” of the physical
world [2]. However, the concept of digital twin
technology for practical use in product lifecycle
management and manufacturing actually originated
with Michael Grieves of the Florida Institute of
Technology.
The concept was first introduced in 2002 during a
presentation called “Conceptual Ideal for PLM [Process
Life Management]” which was given at the University of
Michigan [1]. It proposed a dynamic linking of data
between a physical system and a virtual system that
contained all of the same information, in essence,
“mirroring” or “twinning” each other.
At the time it was introduced in 2002, it seemed unlikely
that it would ever come to fruition – as computer
technology needed to catch up to the visionary idea –
and it hadn’t yet been labelled as “digital twin.”
Eventually, however, NASA found purposes for the
concept to create digital replicas of spacecraft for
simulation testing which got it off the ground.
Ultimately, it would be John Vickers who would give it
the moniker “digital twin,” which it still goes by today [3].
More recently, it gained significant traction when
Asset Intelligence Report: A Primer on Digital Twins
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Gartner named digital twins in its “Top 10 Strategic
Technology Trends for 2017” and has kept focus on the
technology in recent years [4].
In fact, Deloitte observes that “the technologies that
enable digital twins are proliferating,” and that “the
global market for digital twins is expected to grow 38%
annually to reach $16 billion by 2023.” Additionally, they
note that “a growing number of enterprises in asset-
heavy sectors, such as oil and gas, aerospace, automotive
and digital products are leveraging digital twins [5].”
Industry Application
Digital twin technology has applications in numerous
industries including refining, chemicals, manufacturing,
aerospace, automotive, design, and utilities.
Within those industries, the technology itself also
has a multitude of different uses. According to the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),
digital twin technology is prevalently used in the
following applications [4]:
• Product design
• Process optimization
• Quality management
• Supply chain management
• Predictive maintenance
• Cross-discipline collaboration
• Analyzing end-user experience
Plants can gain significant value from application of the
technology in predictive maintenance, where it provides
transformative benefits to asset integrity management,
plant reliability, maintenance spending, inspection data
management, and risk-based inspection (RBI).
An example of how it works in practical sense in
refinery and plant assets is by taking point cloud data
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 (i.e., the output of the 3D laser scanning process) from
the physical asset and applying an overlay of the 3D
model in that same point cloud, combining them into a
virtual replica. This allows operators to visualize what
the 3D model looks like, and any data points that might
be on it, from right within that digital twin. All data
from disparate sources (P&IDs, PFDs, laser scan point
cloud, 3D model, etc.) is bi-directionally linked within
the virtual twin. With the ability to connect that way
with the edge environment, operators can then
examine and monitor live readings from any asset – be
it temperature, pressure, flow, etc. – right within the
digital twin.
Whom does this impact and how? It impacts virtually
everyone involved in decision-making for the assets.
Whether it's maintenance personnel performing
repairs on a pump, or a mechanical engineer
performing a re-rate on a pressure vessel, everyone
needs e cient access to information for optimal
performance. Digital twin technology is the di erence
between accessing that information via mobile device
Figure 1. Point Cloud Data of a Chemical Plant
Asset Intelligence Report: A Primer on Digital Twins
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or desktop screen instantly versus having to head to
an operations or inspections department to gather all
of the information.
This becomes readily apparent when considering
something as basic as the extra time it takes to inspect
a physical asset and communicate that physical data
up the chain of command. How much more e cient
are inspections when a virtual replica of the entire
facility can be accessed to quickly locate the asset in
question? How much quicker are collaborative
decision meetings when all interested parties can
access the same visual context of the physical asset in
question, each from a di erent electronic device in
their own corner of the world?
A recent study Antea performed with a number of
operating facilities sought to discover how access to
information through a digital twin reduces time to
nd (TTF). Assuming a fully loaded cost of $55 per
hour, the research determined that a typical process
employee costs the plant $2,750 annually searching for
Figure 2. 3D Model of Figure 1’s Tower
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 data and documents. When considering a plant
workforce of 200 employees, the cost of searching for
data and documents is equivalent to $550,000
annually. Digital twin reduces the time searching for
documents to minutes or even seconds. This amount
does not re ect the savings from an unknown risk
related to delayed information that leads to injury,
damage, or an unplanned shutdown – which can be in
the tens of millions of dollars.
This research also found that an estimated 42% of
process employees use incorrect or out-of-date
information at least once per week. Assuming a per
incident cost of $300 for meetings and/or corrective
actions, the estimated waste for a plant of 200
employees is over 1.3 million dollars per year.
The costs for nding information that will eventually
prove to be untraceable, missing, or duplicated are
di cult to quantify, but on average, 38% of the
documents will have three or four copies or versions.
In contrast, digital twin technology reduces the time
to access the same asset data down to minutes – and
given its consolidation of both historical and current
data into one digital access point, and the fact that it
remains an evergreen, dynamic link to the live
condition of the physical asset, the accuracy of
information is substantially more reliable. Thus, it
becomes easy to evaluate the time- and cost-savings
potential of implementation.
The application of digital twin does not end there.
Improvement to e ciency is one side of the coin, and
reduction in failure is another.
It is the nature of complex systems such as asset-
intensive re neries, plants, and facilities that when an
asset fails or when a shutdown occurs, the results can
be catastrophic from a nancial standpoint as well as
Asset Intelligence Report: A Primer on Digital Twins
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a safety and environmental impact standpoint. With
streamlined virtual access to a single version of the
truth, it becomes easier to anticipate issues before
they reach critical levels and act upon them more
rapidly. This is not just for the live condition of each
asset, but for the complex system as a whole and how
the linked assets impact one another.
With all data being updated into the digital twin and
referenced there by all parties – especially when the
so ware being utilized integrates with ERPs, CMMSs,
and other legacy systems – companies can remain
con dent that all interested parties are always
accessing the latest, most accurate data. This reduces
information silos, communication errors, or costly
repair mistakes based on outdated information. It
improves a facility’s ability to operate from a modus
operandi of predictive maintenance; with constant
visual access to the asset’s condition, it becomes easier
to make intelligent decisions around inspection and
maintenance to prevent an incident before it occurs,
and avoid the costly a ermath altogether.
Of further application to prevention is the ability to
perform simulations of di erent scenarios on the
virtual twin in order to anticipate how real-time
decisions might play out on the physical asset. This
helps operators visualize various outcomes for
di erent scenarios in order to opt for the best path.
When utilized as part of an asset integrity management
software, the digital twin also includes crucial risk
information. RBI models can be utilized and coupled
with the twin’s data, providing a visual representation
of where an asset’s condition lies on the risk matrix
via color-coded risk levels on the virtual asset. Tools
like integrity operating windows (IOWs) can also be
accessed via the virtual twin for instant noti cation
when the asset’s operating conditions are exceeding
prede ned limits. Being able to monitor, trend, and
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 visualize all of this data is integral to smarter decision
making and reduced downtime.
Then enters another value add of the technology: the
substantial improvements to an organization’s safety
and environmental impact. When data must be
accessed from the physical asset, the requirement is
for more personnel to put themselves into hazardous
or dangerous situations in order to access that
information. With virtual access to the same asset,
personnel are able to avoid hazardous circumstances
and exposure, and by digitizing most of the asset’s
data retrieval and maintenance processes, the
environmental impact is reduced as well.
The bene ts of digital twins may di er from industry
to industry, but overall value-adding bene ts to asset
management include:
• Visualize and monitor asset integrity data from
anywhere, anytime, via one-click
• Optimize asset lifecycle and make instant decisions
based on actionable intelligence in real-time
• Increase e ciency by reducing risk and minimizing
wait time
• Improve organizational productivity
• Streamline connected operations and intelligent
assets
• Reduce downtime and unplanned shutdowns
• Reduce inspection frequency and maintenance
costs
• Remove data silos and ine cient data sets
• Access continuous data-driven optimization
Managing complex process systems with traditional
“ at” data sources such as relational databases,
spreadsheets, or interactive retrieval systems are at
best faster than using a le cabinet. Data becomes
trapped in silos, outdated, and untrusted. O en the
same part or equipment will have di erent key names
across multiple systems and the retrieval of needed
information is very cumbersome.
By using the digital twin’s speci c coordinates (such as
an element’s xyz position) in a geo-referenced space as

Figure 3. Color-Coded Risk Matrix Identifying Where the Risk Is in a Facility

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 its index, it is no longer necessary to know what
something is, only where it is in order to quickly nd
and retrieve any pertinent data related to it. One can
literally become “one-click” away from accessing data
related to a given point of interest through the twin.
The inverse is also true: with geo-spatially indexed
data, information from a given part or equipment can
be related visually to that item, for example, displaying
things like pressure, ow rates, or temperature of a
vessel directly on an interactive digital twin.
The Cost Factor
A er the global pandemic of 2020, more and more
processes have already become remote, simply by
necessity. As the industry continues to trend in
increasingly digital directions, digital twin technology
isn’t just a value add, it will eventually become
essential.
Until recently, the digital twin o en remained elusive
to enterprises due to simple digital infrastructure
limitations such as prohibitive computer, storage, and
bandwidth costs. As technology has evolved, these
obstacles have diminished dramatically. Lowered
costs, increased availability, and improved power and
capabilities have led to exponential changes that
enable engineers to connect information technology
(IT) with operations technology (OT). Essentially, the
cost of entry is no longer the barrier it once was.
The savings apply to projected future ongoing
expenditure as well. The cost of working with virtual
material to the same end as working with physical
material is cheaper over time. This is because, as per
Grieves, when projecting future physical and virtual
costs (assuming they are equal today), physical costs
will increase at the rate of in ation, while virtual costs
will decrease on an exponential basis [1].
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Future Applications
The trajectory of digital twin technology ultimately
ends at arti cial intelligence and machine learning.
The technology can already be utilized to perform
predictive simulations to aid in “what if” scenario
modeling, even if those capabilities are in their
infancy.
As the industry catches up and more data becomes
digitized, the simulation capabilities will evolve
rapidly. Digital twin technology as currently applied to
predictive maintenance already achieves the visual
component of any sensory replication; that is, we can
visually see the asset as though it was physically in
front of us. Technologies are currently in development
(and in some industries, in use) that also apply other
senses to the virtual twin: auditory, for example, via
sensory audio test. Haptics technology is also evolving,
where the use of special gloves can allow one to
“actually feel virtual surfaces, with the gloves
providing the necessary feedback to convince us that
we have touched a solid object. We can grasp a virtual
steering wheel. We can turn a virtual wrench and feel
the resistance of the virtual bolt [1].” Such facets of
digital twin technology are not yet in use for the
industry application of predictive maintenance, but
they are indicative of just how advanced the
potentials for this space are as they evolve,
culminating ultimately in arti cial intelligence and
machine learning.
Imagine a world where every conceivable repair or
prevention scenario can be performed and tested on a
virtual complex facility, the e cacy of which is then
analyzed by arti cially intelligent algorithms, which
then deliver the most optimal maintenance actions to
you on a virtual, digital silver pla er. That’s the future
of digital twin.
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 About the Author What It Will Mean by David Gelernter. Published
January 1st 1993 by Oxford University Press, USA
Floyd Baker is the Vice President for Antea USA.
(first published 1991).
With over 39 years of experience, Floyd provides
3. DRAFT Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems,
valuable insight and perspective on the digital assets
and Manufacturing Roadmap Technology https://
and industrial internet of things. He is an Asset
www.nasa.gov/pdf/501625main_TA12-MSMSM-
Integrity and Digital Strategies advisor in global
DRAFT-Nov2010-A.pdf
communities.
4. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-
Throughout his career, Floyd has developed a releases/2016-10-18-gartner-identifies-the-top-10-
unique ability to explain complex digitalization strategic-technology-trends-for-2017
strategies and AIM/RBI issues in a language that
5. Industry 4.0 and the Digital Twin https://
industry professionals can use to communicate to www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/
their peers. He is a keynote speaker and host at industry-4-0/digital-twin-technology-smart-
many national and international conferences and factory.html
webinars on topics of AIM, RBI, Digital Twin, IIoT,
and digitalization.
Prior to joining Antea, Floyd served at senior levels
for end users of asset integrity management
platforms. He has also served about half of his
career at executive levels as a strategist/technology
driver at companies providing AIM/RBI/Technology
services.
His background and education are focused on
emerging technologies in inspection, mechanical
engineering, and materials science while his
personal interests are agriculturally bound around
team roping, competitive horses, and cattle

References
1. Digital Twin: Mitigating Unpredictable, Undesirable
Emergent Behavior in Complex Systems. August 2017.
DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-38756-7_4 In book: Transdisciplinary
Perspectives on Complex Systems (pp.85-113). Michael
Grieves, John Vickers. https://www.researchgate.net/
publication/
306223791_Digital_Twin_Mitigating_Unpredictable_Und
esirable_Emergent_Behavior_in_Complex_Systems
2. Mirror Worlds: Or the Day Software Puts the
Universe in a Shoebox...How It Will Happen and

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