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In our “Future Digital Innovators” blog series, we will look at how higher education leverages Hexagon solutions as part of students’ coursework, projects and research. Hexagon’s free education licenses lets universities and colleges provide global students first-hand experience of industry-leading solutions. Students discover the power of digital solutions, their impact in this ever-evolving digital world and the knowledge of how to use them.

At the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, students from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering have been discovering the importance of pipe stress analysis through the use of Hexagon’s PPM division CAESAR II software. This solution gives engineers and designers the ability to build, assess and report on piping systems of any size or complexity in accordance with more than 35 international piping code standards and many environmental and equipment guidelines.

NTNU Professor Viggo Gabriel Borg Pedersen said, “CAESAR II can save the engineers time, increase productivity and has interoperability and interconnectivity with other Hexagon and third-party solutions, making it a key solution for engineers to understand and utilize throughout their career.”

The pandemic forced the switch towards digital education in most countries in 2020, and this continues in 2021. With lectures and education being online, the solutions used by the students had to be flexible and online, too. Hexagon and the IT department at NTNU worked together to facilitate integration and use, on and off campus. The students benefited from remote working capabilities, the flexibility of re-watching lectures and working with the CAESAR II solution in a visual, hands-on learning way. When talking about the future of learning, Pedersen sees digital environments playing a crucial role.

“With the internet and digital tools available, we no longer need to rely on face-to-face interaction,” Pedersen said. “Online solutions will also be an important factor in becoming greener. We need solutions with flexibility and accuracy that enable smarter designs and decisions to reduce our environmental impact.”

When discussing the use of CAESAR II at the university, Pedersen said that having access to the software enabled him to elevate the quality of teaching and the hands-on experience NTNU offers students.

“Students who have been working with CAESAR II have expressed that they learn more through this hands-on approach,” he said.

Projects are one of the ways students can learn about piping systems, with CAESAR II playing a vital role in the projects and the development of students engineering skills.

“The software enables the user to visualize the direct consequence of making changes to the piping system in 3D, changes such as moving pipe supports and increasing the operating temperature of the medium in the pipe, etc., are immediately visible,” he said. “The visualization of consequences resulting from changes in the piping system provides better learning than simply using numbers and formulas.”

Employability is also a key factor for students, graduates and universities. NTNU is known for equipping students with a strong engineering education, with employers reaching out to the university to find candidates for positions. Having a CAESAR II skill base is seen as a major plus, as it is a preferred pipe stress analysis solution in the industry. One of the key reasons NTNU uses CAESAR II is the employment opportunities.

“CAESAR II is the favored solution of many companies,” Pedersen said. “Giving our students CAESAR II skills and experience as part of their studies is attractive to potential employers. Having this knowledge is a major advantage for NTNU students.”

Reach out today to learn more about how your educational institution can apply for Hexagon educational licenses.