Bentley Systems

Immersive Digital Twins Help Hubei Engineers Virtualize the Design of a 220-kilovolt Transmission Line

15.10.2018 2:00  

The Cha’anling-Ziaojiazhou region in China’s Zianning District is a highly developed region and home to 350,000 consumers of electricity. Historically, the region has experienced unreliable power supply, making consumer delivery unstable. Cha’anling-Ziaojiazhou is highly urban, with complex topology complicating the task of adding new power lines. Moreover, major highways that cross the region complicate the ability to add new transmission lines without impacting commercial and residential traffic. Further complicating potential improvements, the region borders the flood diversion area of the Yangtze River, meaning that potential flooding around future towers must be accounted for from the beginning. These factors mean that finding a solution to deliver improved power requires a new approach.

The Hubei Provincial Electric Power Survey and Design Institute was tasked with designing and delivering a new 220-kilovolt transmission line to provide power for a newly constructed substation in Xiaojiazhou. This transmission line is a significant step for improving the lives of the 350,000 daily users in Jiayu County. However, the obstacles that faced the Design Institute are significant. To solve these challenges, the engineering teams began by creating a fully immersive digital twin of the affected regions using ContextCapture. Modeling the entire region, including multiple cities and highways, established an immersive digital baseline from which the design studies could be made. Leveraging Bentley’s OpenBuildings Designer, Bentley Substation, and STAAD.Pro, Hubei’s engineers created a digital engineering model of the transmission line, which could be added to and combined with the immersive digital twin to visualize the new line and identify potential obstacles and issues. Analyses of the design could be performed and optimized to ensure that the new towers were structurally sound, to minimize interference with the urban and traffic areas, and to reduce design time compared to previous methods. The resulting design, leveraging Bentley’s iModel technology, was fully deployable into a three-dimensional earth view, ensuring that multiple stakeholders could review the planned route and design.

Implementing a completely digital workflow combined with immersive models has paid significant dividends during the design phase. In addition to increasing online collaboration, planned design time was reduced by 12 percent, checking time by 16 percent, and planned field work by five days. The design saved six houses in the region from being demolished, while ensuring that each of the major crossing areas were optimally designed. Design optimizations resulted in savings of material costs, with the new tower designs reducing weights by 1.2 percent and the total route length decreasing by half of a kilometer.

Through increased collaboration with contractors and design departments, design reviews to reduce conflicts between towers, lines, and the environment were optimized, reducing future rework and in-field problems. Using a digital design and collaboration model, the Hubei Provincial Electric Power Survey and Design Institute realized savings of more than CNY 6 million on a CNY 32.21 million project. The Hubei Provincial Electric Power Survey and Design Institute’s transformation to a digital environment has resulted in a design that not only saves money but also improves the lives of the residents in the Xianning District while preserving the environment.

Liang Zhang, an engineer with POWERCHINA Hubei Electric Engineering Corporation Limited, said, “The innovative use of Bentley software for the design of overhead electric transmission lines reduced design time by approximately 40 hours through multidiscipline collaboration. The full electric transmission line pole tower layout model, supported by the reality model, reduced the checking and auditing time by 32 hours. About 12 percent of the total design time and 16 percent of the checking time were reduced.”

OpenRail Enables Skanska Costain STRABAG JV To Reduce Costs of HS2 Southern Main

15.10.2018 2:00  

High Speed 2 (HS2), the new high-speed rail network that will run between London in the south and Manchester and Leeds to the north, is one of the most challenging and complex projects that the United Kingdom has undertaken. With trains eventually operating at speeds of up to 250 mph – faster than any other network in Europe – the entire scheme is priced at GBP 56 billion and is the most expensive construction project in Europe to date.

The Skanska Costain STRABAG (SCS) JV brings together the combination of tried, tested, and successful partnerships and worldwide high-speed rail experience for phase 1 between London and Birmingham. This phase includes approximately 200 kilometers of new high-speed rail and four new stations across seven main works civil contracts, three separate enabling works contracts, and six route-wide systems contracts in addition to new rolling stock.

Bentley’s OpenRail solution, comprising applications and services for the comprehensive planning, engineering, project delivery, and operations of rail and transit infrastructure, is enabling SCS to meet the timescales it has set. OpenRail’s foundation, Bentley’s Connected Data Environment (CDE), which leverages digital workflows including those outlined in the PAS 1192 suite of British Standards, is providing the project team with access to trusted information wherever and whenever it is needed. In combination with Bentley’s integrated applications that include OpenRail Designer, OpenRoads, and OpenBuildings Designer, the solution is streamlining the detailed engineering and design of portals, tunnels, ventilation shafts, retaining structures, and earthworks through the automation of previously manual processes. In this way, OpenRail is helping the digital advancement of SCS’s team and work on this complex project in many areas, a few of which include:

• Deliverables management – enabling the coordination of files and data within the team and with other stakeholders, including Network Rail, London Underground, and Crossrail.
• Clash resolution – crucial to the successful detection and resolution of major interface areas early enough to avoid them becoming an issue on-site and saving an estimated GBP 1 million to date.
• Design review – leveraging Bentley’s iModel technology to reduce the time needed for design review by 20 percent, resulting in estimated savings of GBP 500,000.
• Estimating – direct use of engineering models for the estimating process has more than halved the time needed and used 75-percent less resources than planned versus traditional methods, leading to a saving of more than GBP 300,000.

With OpenBuildings Designer being used as the principal modeling application due to its data group and information management properties, the team is thinking about the future operation and maintenance of the railway. By linking asset information directly to the design model, SCS is enabling discussions with operators and maintainers to happen much earlier on with a project of HS2’s size and complexity, allowing different stakeholders to comment on the design and change elements that they feel will make a tangible contribution to the safe and efficient running of the network.

“Using Bentley solutions has allowed us at SCS to realize our mission statement of creating a project that will be seen as the ‘Digital Blueprint of Future Infrastructure Projects,’” said Peter Ruff, head of BIM for SCS. “They have allowed us to create, manage, and leverage intelligent BIM models and the data housed within them on a complex project, and see a significant increase in productivity, efficiencies, and collaboration between a large team and a multi-staged contract.”

Bentley Acquires Agency9 to Realize Digital Twins for Every City

15.10.2018 2:00  

OpenCities Planner takes advantage of city-scale reality modeling to span GIS and BIM   

LONDON, U.K. – The Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference – 15 October 2018 – Bentley Systems Incorporated, the leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, today announced the acquisition of Agency9, based in Stockholm. Agency9 has already provided nearly half of Sweden’s larger municipalities with city-scale digital twin cloud services for city planning and related web-based 3D visualization. Since 2012, Agency9 has taken advantage of reality meshes created by Bentley’s ContextCapture reality modeling software as the digital context for visualizing urban infrastructure assets represented in GIS data, terrain surveys, and BIM models. Bentley’s new iTwin™ cloud services, introduced at the conference, add digital alignment and change synchronization for infrastructure engineering digital twins, and will enable OpenCities Planner (formerly Agency9 CityPlanner)to uniquely serve urban planning requirements at fuller levels of detail.

Phil Christensen, Bentley’s senior vice president, reality modeling said, “Our many city users globally have been asking for the useful capabilities which Agency9 has successfully implemented throughout Sweden, to take further advantage of their reality modeling programs. In fact, when we combine Bentley ContextCapture’s 3D surveying advancements (based on hybrid aerial, UAV, and ground-based imagery) with our Connected Data Environment (CDE) technologies for geospatial-to-BIM integration, we make city-scale digital twins as a cloud service broadly accessible. Ultimately synchronizing reality and ‘virtuality,’ OpenCities Planner offers the perfect web solution to enable every city in going digital.”

Håkan Engman, CEO of Agency9, said, “Now that we’re part of Bentley, we’re confident about achieving the full global potential of Agency9’s innovations. My colleagues and I, and our forward-thinking users in the Nordics, have been noted for pushing the envelope of geospatial integration and visual performance to new levels of detail. Now, as contributors toward unique city-scale digital twin cloud services from Bentley, we can foresee the realization of our users’ vision to advance from urban planning to improving cities’ asset performance.”

About Agency9
Agency9 is a leading provider of web and mobile solutions for 3D visualization of geographic information and maps for collaboration and communication. The company was established in 2003 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. www.agency9.com

About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems is the leading global provider of software solutions to engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators for the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley’s MicroStation-based engineering and BIM applications, and its digital twin cloud services, advance the project delivery (ProjectWise) and the asset performance (AssetWise) of transportation and other public works, utilities, industrial and resources plants, and commercial and institutional facilities.

Bentley Systems employs more than 3,500 colleagues, generates annual revenues of $700 million in 170 countries, and has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions since 2012. From inception in 1984, the company has remained majority-owned by its five founding Bentley brothers. Bentley shares transact by invitation on the NASDAQ Private Market; strategic partner Siemens AG has accumulated a non-voting minority stake.

###

Bentley, the Bentley logo, Agency9, AssetWise, MicroStation, ContextCapture, iTwin, OpenCities Planner, and ProjectWise are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Andeavor Increases Time on Tools to 40%, Validates Advanced Work Packaging as Its Company Standard

15.10.2018 2:00  

Founded in 1968, Andeavor is a highly integrated marketing, logistics, and refining company, operating in 18 states in the United States and employing more than 14,000 employees. The company operates 10 refineries and 7,500 miles of pipeline in the mid-continent and western United States with a combined capacity of about 1.2 million barrels per day. Andeavor works to create a safer and cleaner future with reliable transportation fuel solutions.

As an owner of many refineries with an ongoing portfolio of capital projects, Andeavor used a brownfield environmental upgrade and expansion project of an oil refinery located in the state of Washington to understand how to benefit from Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) to achieve real benefits. AWP has been published as a best practice by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) since 2015, and the construction industry is gradually beginning to adopt this approach.

The three-phase refinery upgrade project on which Andeavor is using AWP will expand the NHT reactor to process 46,000 barrels of naphtha per day and involves the installation of a new isomerization unit to increase the amount of octane available in the refinery. The project will also include installing underground pipes, earthworks, and foundations, as well as nine modules fabricated overseas and all the interconnecting and tie-in components.

Andeavor used ConstructSim and Navigator with Bentley’s outcome-based AWP best practices, and Team Builder Solutions, a Bentley Channel Partner, customized on-site implementation to ensure data reliability for project controls and transparency regarding installation work packages (IWPs). ConstructSim enabled progress audits to help keep contractors focused on key deliverables and maintain schedule adherence, avoiding progress over-reporting.

Not only did the project team overcome many challenges (most of them cultural) with sustainable and practical work processes, it was able to measure and show tangible business benefits. For example, increasing time on tools from the industry average of 34 percent to over 40 percent saved 4,000 craft labor resource hours. Significant cost savings were also achieved by reducing the cost of construction planners building the IWPs manually, dropping from an average of 10 hours per IWP to three hours per IWP using ConstructSim, saving more than 1,000 resource hours in construction planning alone. The time that was saved also led to savings in material handling and crew mobilization costs. Other outcomes included improvements in safety, measurement, communication, and productivity.

Douglas Hill, CEO and principal project consultant, Team Builder Solutions, said, “This project proved the value of Advanced Work Packaging for supporting Andeavor’s desire to improve their capital projects program. Andeavor’s Project Management Team embraced the best practice paired with a customized implementation process. Together with Bentley’s expertise in its solutions and education through the Construction Academy, the team was able to develop an approach that will enable them to replicate this success.”

 

This project won the 2018 Construction Industry Institute Implementation Award (https://www.construction-institute.org/blog/2018/july-2018/andeavor-receives-cii-implementation-award).

Xinjiang Substation Project Leverages Digital Twins to Improve Collaboration Between Design Partners

15.10.2018 2:00  

The Xinjiang 750-kilovolt substation project is in the Bortala Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. New energy in this region has developed rapidly. The installed capacity of domestic wind power is 445.5 megawatts, and the installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation is 530 megawatts. Accelerating the delivery of photovoltaic power and wind power in the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture will require strong grid support and high-voltage, large capacity outbound channels. The completion of the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture 750-kilovolt transmission and transformation project will add a new way of delivering energy sources that not only increases the safety and reliability of power supply in the region, but also significantly improves the living standards of local people.

Using a variety of Bentley applications, including OpenBuildings Designer, LumenRT, MicroStation, STAAD, and Bentley Substation, the Northeast Electric Power Design Institute was tasked with delivering a new 750-kilovolt substation. The organization established a connected data environment based on Bentley’s ProjectWise for seamless collaboration among project participants. This CNY 500 million project was only possible by adopting a true design and analytical modeling approach, fully leveraging the power of digital twins to optimize the design work, improve collaboration between design partners, and realize substation savings for the total cost of the project. Leveraging a fully digital design philosophy resulted in reductions in occupied area within the fence region by 30 percent, earth volume by 70 percent, and reduced building footprint by 60 percent, resulting in significant savings in design time, total design costs (30 percent), and schedule (completed three days early).

Yuhang Zu, the lead for 3D designs for new construction, stated, “More applications of 3D designs in transformer substation projects can help us complete more designs better and more efficiently. In real 3D designs, we can express, analyze, and exchange designs and deliver our design in a 2D or 3D manner. 3D collaborative design gets much closer to the nature of design: design from scratch. During this process, a real ‘3D space’ is available for fulfilling our designs, that is, representing and extending ‘3D imagination’ in the minds of the designers. Additionally, 3D collaborative designs place more emphasis on the efficiency of the team than on the efficiency of certain individuals or disciplines.”

OpenRail’s Operational Analytics Improves Decision Making on CSX Corporation’s Annual Patch Rail Program

15.10.2018 2:00  

CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of North America’s leading transportation suppliers. With a transportation network that encompasses 21,000 route miles of track in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, it operates an average of 1,300 trains per day, and transports more than 6.5 million carloads of products and raw materials a year.

Each year, its capital planning team receives more than 5,000 requests to replace worn rail in curves from its track supervisors. Prior to its utilization of OpenRail’s Operational Analytics, the team utilized data from multiple sources, including Rail Wear Measures, Sperry Car Defects, Rail History, and Tonnage to research and validate existing conditions before performing a manual review of each request to identify those that show evidence of poor condition. This onerous process was time consuming, tedious, and had the potential for human error.

In response to this challenge, CSX deployed OpenRail’s Operational Analytics to integrate data that previously existed across multiple silos into one interactive and graphical view. The simplification of this important first step, enabling timely access to trusted information wherever and whenever it is needed, provides CSX with the platform to deliver improved accuracy and efficiency from the word go.

The systems’ ability to link data visualization in OpenRail’s Operational Analytics with CSX’s legacy Patch Rail Request system allows team members to drill down into all data relating to a selected asset or work request, plus the ability to review embedded information including supporting photos and documentation. This seamless user experience provides the ability to approve of Patch Rail requests in real-time, has allowed CSX to reduce its annual patch rail planning program by more than a month, and is enabling more informed decisions at every step of the process. Building on the success of this digital advancement project, CSX is already looking at ways to replicate it for other work types, such as gauging and concrete pad repair.

CSX’s Jennifer Hollar, manager of engineering systems, explained, “OpenRail’s Operational Analytics has significantly reduced the time and effort involved in performing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of annual capital planning reviews for the CSX Patch Rail Program.”

Atos and Bentley Systems Announce Strategic Partnership to Create Digital Twins for Owner-operators of Industrial and Infrastructure Assets

15.10.2018 2:00  

LONDON, U.K. – The Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference – 15 October 2018 – Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, and Bentley Systems, the leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, today announced a strategic partnership through which they will offer a complete solution to create and operate Digital Twins on behalf of industry and infrastructure asset owners.

Atos’ global experience and expertise in digital transformation together with Bentley’s infrastructure, engineering, reality modeling and asset performance software portfolio will enable businesses to take advantage of fully-integrated and managed Digital Twins as a cloud-based service.

This new offering will support owner-operators meet their business KPIs through the following features and benefits:

• Full immersive visibility of assets – with up-to-date 3D models of assets via drone-enabled scans
• Real-time monitoring – to predict asset performance and avoid failures
• Performance analysis – to maximize asset availability, increase productivity, ensure optimum performance and ultimately extend life of asset in field
• Remote operation of assets – in the case of dangerous or inaccessible assets
• Operational training (for immersive VR environments)
• Supports decision-making on asset operational strategies

Markus Schaffhauser, Atos Global Business and Platform Solutions CTO, said, “We have been impressed at the capabilities of Bentley’s software and how well it meshes with our expertise in digital transformation, to now deliver innovative services for industrial and infrastructure asset owners. The Atos-Bentley partnership has gotten off to a faststart, and I am convinced that our digital twin services will be of tremendous value to owners.”

CEO of Bentley Systems, Greg Bentley, said, “I believe that our collaboration with Atos can help owner-operators to really jump-start their ‘going digital’ ambitions, enabling and taking advantage of both immersive visualization and analytical visibility. Atos’ vast expertise in digital data integration, along with their global reach, make them the ideal partner for digital twin cloud services.”

Bentley and Atos have previously worked together on several manufacturing client projects, which brought together Atos’ expertise in system integration and data capture and analytics with Bentley’s reality modelling software.

This partnership was initiated through the Atos and Siemens Global Strategic Alliance, which maximizes the combined strength of Siemens’ products and solutions with Atos’ experience and expertise in enabling IT services to support their digital transformation, notably in the field of IoT services, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. In 2016, Bentley Systems also entered into a Strategic Alliance with Siemens to enlarge their respective offerings for infrastructure and industry to the benefit of the end-customers. Since that time, Bentley and Siemens have jointly invested in the development of new solutions including for digitalization of discrete and process manufacturing, power transmission and distribution, railway engineering, and power generation.

About Atos
Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with approximately 100,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of around € 12 billion. European number one in Big Data, Cybersecurity, High Performance Computing and Digital Workplace, the Group provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across various business sectors: Defence, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Energy & Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. More about Atos

About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems is the leading global provider of software solutions to engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators for the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley’s MicroStation-based engineering and BIM applications, and its digital twin cloud services, advance the project delivery (ProjectWise) and the asset performance (AssetWise) of transportation and other public works, utilities, industrial and resources plants, and commercial and institutional facilities.

Bentley Systems employs more than 3,500 colleagues, generates annual revenues of $700 million in 170 countries, and has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions since 2012. From inception in 1984, the company has remained majority-owned by its five founding Bentley brothers. Bentley shares transact by invitation on the NASDAQ Private Market; strategic partner Siemens AG has accumulated a non-voting minority stake.

###

Bentley, the Bentley logo, AssetWise, MicroStation, and ProjectWise are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. 

Contacts for journalists:

Bentley Systems
Jennifer Maguire
Phone: +1 610 458 2695
Email: jennifer.maguire@bentley.com

Atos
Laura Fau
Phone: +33 (0) 6 73 64 04 18
Email: laura.fau@atos.net

Oman Gas Leverages Digital DNA to Increase Reliability Performance by 9% with AssetWise Asset Reliability

15.10.2018 2:00  

Oman Gas Company (OGC) is the principal gas transportation company of the Sultanate of Oman established in 2000. OGC operates a 2,500-kilometer high-pressure gas transmission network that runs the length and breadth of the Sultanate with annual gas transmission volumes of around 21.549 billion cubic meters. Other facilities include three compressor stations and 38 gas supply stations. The majority of the Sultanate’s industrial sectors, from power and desalination plants to fertilizer, methanol, petrochemicals, refineries, steel, and cement plants, rely on OGC to deliver the gas for their operations.

OGC adopted an advanced reliability and integrity program that ensures production availability to meet its customer demands and achieve its goal of becoming “a world-class midstream gas value chain company.” The organization has digitized its reliability and maintenance program by implementing Bentley’s AssetWise Asset Reliability solution. To reduce human intervention and avoid human fault analysis, the system leverages the inherent capabilities of AssetWise Asset Reliability to automate several processes including:

• Ensuring the reliability, availability, and maintainability of the facilities down to the equipment level
• Bad-actor analysis
• Alert and email notification of equipment condition
• Follow up reminder of RCA recommendation
• Approval route for bad actor, RCA, RCM, and RBI
• Automatic analysis and notifications for operator routine duties using handheld devices

The software utilizes these inputs to calculate reliability and availability of an individual asset based on an exponential reliability model. The weekly calculations are based on series and parallel configurations, which were previously performed monthly by a dedicated reliability engineer using Excel spreadsheets.

The system introduces digital workflows using handheld devices for routine operator duties to bridge the disconnect between engineers and field operators by mapping trends, monitoring operational parameters, and providing necessary technical support remotely. It also ensures that operational key performance indicators (KPIs) are achieved by monitoring the compliance status regularly.

Bentley’s AssetWise Asset Reliability solution triggers an alert and email notification as soon as any value is out of range. With this technology, OGC has calculated a significant increase in reliability performance. This calculation is based on failure reduction against Mean Time to Repair and Cost of Lost Production Opportunity, which greatly impacts revenues and profits.

Fahmi Reza, head of reliability and condition monitoring, Oman Gas Company, said, “The auto-alert and email notification features of Bentley’s AssetWise Asset Reliability are enabling us to improve our reliability growth at a significant rate of about 9 percent in a year.”

Pestech International Uses Digital Twins to Help Improve Workflows on Malaysia Substation Project

15.10.2018 2:00  

Olak Lempit is located within the district of Banting, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Most of the population of Olak Lempit is of Javanese origin who migrated from Indonesia. Olak Lempit is located near the Lempit River, from which the town’s name derives. With its strategic location 30 minutes from Malaysia’s largest international airport, KLIA, and 45 minutes from the country’s busiest shipping port of Klang, the village rapidly developed into an industrial zone with various plants and manufacturing factories, commercial offices, shops, residential houses, and international schools. This growth has resulted in the need to expand the power supply in the region. The Olak Lempit substation will be expanded from a 275/132-kilovolt substation to a 500-kilovolt substation. The owner, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), expects the work to be done using the latest substation technology.

TNB awarded Pestech International Berhad an RM 79.5 million contract to build this next-generation substation in Olak Lempit. Facing a tight 15-month schedule and knowing the significant benefit that this project will have on the region for generating additional power, Pestech undertook a digital approach to deliver a very challenging project. Complicating this project are a number of topological, environmental, and economic considerations. The existing and planned sites are surrounded by palm oil plantations and villages. Multiple contractors will be working on the site to deliver both the new transmission lines as well as other expansions to the substation facility. Utilizing existing infrastructure where possible, while minimizing raw material and equipment costs, places an additional economic and logistical challenge on the project. Lastly, the existing design must be future-proof for future expansion, including the addition of a new power generation plant that is expected to enter the grid in 2023.

To meet the challenges of this complicated project and its environment, Pestech needed a very robust, collaborative, efficient, and digital approach. Using iModels and a host of Bentley applications, including OpenBuildings Designer, ContextCapture, MicroStation, ProjectWise, and Bentley Substation, Pestech created a digital twin of the existing site and leveraged the power of the solutions’ integration to create a new substation design. From creating 3D models of the existing region to checking for obstructions, obstacles, and clashes, to using intelligent modeling to optimize the substation design, this digital approach enabled Pestech to realize a more complete and cost-effective design. Enabling seamless collaboration between previously disconnected disciplines, while also implementing a connected data environment that maintained engineering information accurately, allowed virtual models of the design to be realized.

Because of Pestech’s digital workflows, numerous benefits to the project have been realized. These include a 50 percent reduction in drawing creation time, a 60 percent reduction in revisions due to clashes and interferences, a reduction of cable schedule reviews from days to hours, and a 10 to 20 percent reduction in cable and electrical component waste. These savings have helped Pestech realize an RM 200,000 savings compared to similar projects. Pestech’s digital advancement has realized savings not only for this project, but also contributed to realizing the continued future growth of Olak Lempit.

Sean Lee, an assistant manager with Pestech, said, “[We] implemented Bentley Substation throughout the project [on the] primary and secondary design: Bentley Raceway and Cable Management for cable routing design; Navigator for walk-throughs and clash detections; ProjectWise for document management; and MicroStation for 3D modeling. Using symbol libraries and report templates developed in 2D and 3D are easily produced with reports automatically generated. This had reduced the design time by an average of 50 percent out of the different functions implemented.”

China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Sets Benchmark on High-speed Rail Project for Beijing 2022 Winter Games

15.10.2018 2:00  

The Beijing to Zhangjiakou High-speed Rail Project will become the world’s first high-speed railway with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour and is being constructed at a total cost of CNY 53.5 billion in the Hebei province of Northeast China.
China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd. (CRECG), established as a subsidiary to China Railway Group Limited, is responsible for design and construction consulting of the 171-kilometer project. Using Bentley’s comprehensive modeling environment, CRECG’s design team significantly improved efficiency, saving around three months of design time and CNY 3 million in labor costs. Moreover, Bentley’s software is helping the company to set new benchmarks for rail in China and around the world.
The line, which forms part of China’s preparations for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, is highly complex and includes many firsts. With 71 subsurface sections, 64 bridges, 10 tunnels, and 10 stations, the new high-speed line will be the first in China to adopt a full-lifecycle BIM approach for all disciplines involved on the project. The Badaling Tunnel at 1.2 kilometers in length is the longest tunnel on the line and includes the new Badaling Great Wall Station, which, at 470-meters long and a maximum depth of 102 meters, with passengers traveling at 62 meters below the surface, is the largest underground station in China.

Facing collaboration and coordination challenges among the many disciplines involved, the project group chose to adopt technology that would enable Bentley’s Connected Data Environment, based on ProjectWise, and integrated applications to advance the “industrialization of BIM” – establishing logical links between and within disciplines working on the project, providing ready access to trusted information wherever and whenever required, and achieving the following outcomes:

• Centralized and effective information management across the lifecycle
• Enriched BIM technical standards for railways across all disciplines
• Improved modeling efficiency through standardized and intelligent components
• Optimized land use during construction through 3D design and modeling
• Reduced environmental impact while meeting the railway’s technical requirements

CRECG’s project team is paying close attention to BIM advancements on the project, creating a unified environment for multidiscipline design, collaboration, and coordination that enables improved quality of deliverables and “right first time” construction. Together with verification of, and improvements to, China’s Railway BIM Standards, CRECG’s approach is benefiting the entire Chinese rail industry, and the organization is taking responsibility for its part in empowering the China dream.

Zhang Zhongliang, director of CRECG’s BIM Center, said, “The Beijing-Zhangjiakou intercity railway is of great guiding significance to other BIM projects in the railway industry’s future. By using Bentley’s technology, China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd. is working toward realizing its vision of intelligent construction, equipment, and operation and is the start of a new era for the world’s intelligent railway.”

Immersive Digital Twins Helps China Shanghai Railway Engineering Establish New Practices to Deliver Sewage Treatment Plant

15.10.2018 2:00  

The Beihu Sewage Treatment Plant project is located on the east side of the intersection of Tengfei Avenue and Bajifu Road in the Wuhan Chemical New Area. Its coverage area includes about 130 square kilometers of the Shahu, Erlang Temple, Luobuzui, and Baiyushan sewage systems and serves 2.48 million people. Covering 532,000 square meters, the Beihu sewage treatment plant will initially treat 800,000 tons of sewage daily and eventually reach a final production rate of 1.5 million tons per day. The new plant is the largest scale sewage treatment plant ever built in China and in greater Asia.

China Railway Shanghai Engineering Bureau (CRSEB) is responsible for constructing the main structure of each unit and the pipeline installation work in the factory. This scope includes civil design of more than 31 buildings, ranging from pump rooms to distribution wells, multiple tanks, and other related treatment equipment. Eleven major categories of electromechanical pipelines are covered by the project engineering requirements. There are major challenges in this project that require highly efficient and controlled design and project management practices to deliver it successfully. Some of the requirements include managing the deformation, shrinkage, and cracking of highly sensitive biological and membrane pools, while accounting for the difficulty of controlling the impermeability of concrete. Minimizing field rework to place the numerous reserved holes and pre-embedded bushings across multiple structures is a monumental challenge requiring robust methods and standards.

To achieve the stringent requirements of the project, CRSEB turned to BIM methodologies to establish a digital twin of the sewage treatment plant. Incorporating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to capture photos of the existing site extended the information-based digital twin to an immersive one. Leveraging the immersive digital twin establishes more reliable engineering workflows, such as rebar modeling. Using the graphical representation of the digital twin helped improve methods for managing project progress and cost and enhance the execution and safety of on-site construction.

CRSEB’s implementation of BIM methodologies combined with Bentley’s OpenBuildings Designer, ContextCapture, ProStructures, and LumenRT resulted in tremendous ROI for this project. Construction durations were shortened by using UAVs and ContextCapture to support calculating the number of earthworks required by seven-to-10 days per square kilometer, resulting in a RMB 310,000 savings for this calculation alone. Likewise, the immersive digital twin, used with ProStructures for advanced calculations, helped ensure that the delicate and highly sensitive pool walls were more easily constructed, saving the project an estimated RMB 2.3 million. Changing the mode of design and construction of rebar saved an additional RMB 1.71 million, while also shortening the construction schedule by 25 days. And, in construction, the immersive digital twin was used to educate the on-site teams, shortening construction by an additional 121 days due to improvements in efficiency, saving another RMB 1.27 million.

The success of this project has enabled CRSEB to transform the way it does business. Lei Huang, a senior executive with CRESB, said, “Based on the way we applied Bentley software, certain technological advancements in this corporate water environment protection project have been obtained. By combining project features in the current phase, our company will further promote the application of BIM technology.”

The results CRSEB achieved on this project have laid the groundwork for the engineering bureau to look for more opportunities to advance their digital maturity. This includes research and development in areas such as structural live-action modeling technologies to build intelligent construction sites, making multi-aspect data acquisition by combining various sensors and sharing information and realizing application of digital construction sites. By adopting BIM methodologies and industrializing their project delivery methods using immersive digital twins and Bentley technology, CSREB has built a foundation for future success.

SiteSee Deploys ContextCapture to Model Communication Towers, and Achieves 98% Recognition Accuracy

15.10.2018 2:00  

Telecommunication infrastructure owners have some of the most widely distributed and remote assets to build, maintain, and repair. With approximately 27,000 distributed sites and 6,000 communication towers under management, Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunication service provider. Traditional inspection methods of towers involve manually taking photographs and measurements. This requires workers climbing on the towers, usually in remote areas, making the process dangerous, inefficient, costly, and time-consuming.

In 2017, Telstra engaged SiteSee to perform automated as-built and condition assessment reports by applying machine learning and object recognition technology to 3D reality meshes. The objective of the AUD 66,000 project was to assess the suitability and accuracy of SiteSee’s technology and provide a business benefits analysis for performing a portfolio-wide rollout.

Creating 3D models of communication towers using reality modeling applications is a challenging task and requires specific workflows, camera settings, flight plans, and a sound understanding of photogrammetry principles. As a recognized reality modeling solutions provider of Bentley Systems, SiteSee provided reality modeling training and support to Telstra’s UAV teams and preferred contractors tasked with performing data capture. Captured imagery was then uploaded to SiteSee’s platform for processing and analysis. SiteSee’s web-accessible solution achieved 98 percent object recognition accuracy of all installed equipment with a dimensional accuracy of +-10 millimeters over 50 meters. As-built information was then automatically assessed against Telstra’s database of records to deliver actionable information for multiple department groups and third-party stakeholders.

To enable SiteSee’s object recognition technology and position elements accurately within a 3D environment, SiteSee utilized Bentley’s ContextCapture. Previous attempts using other photogrammetry solutions had resulted in low-quality 3D meshes. However, Bentley’s ContextCapture produced highly accurate 3D reality meshes when flown using SiteSee’s proprietary capture methodology. From an environmental perspective, SiteSee’s technology is minimizing site visits, mobilization of access equipment, and the need for tower climbs by up to 60 percent. From a safety perspective, SiteSee’s additional value-add electromagnetic energy (EME) simulation is improving radiation compliance for carriers with cellular installations on towers in populated areas. Using Bentley’s reality modeling technology, SiteSee’s EME assessments provide as-built transparency on antenna placements, which allows engineers to make accurate EME assessments without physically climbing towers.

For wireless network engineering design teams, SiteSee’s web-accessible reality mesh and object recognition technology reduced travel and design time by a minimum of eight hours. Through development of an automated UAV application, data is captured in less than 20 minutes. SiteSee was also able to identify damaged equipment, which caused the tower to repeatedly drop coverage. By notifying the appropriate departments, SiteSee was instrumental in returning service to customers.

Utilizing off-the-shelf UAV equipment and cloud-based processing and hosting services, SiteSee’s condition assessment and tower auditing solution is highly scalable and easily reproducible. When compared against traditional tower assessment solutions requiring teams of engineers, climbers, or access equipment to lift assessors into place, SiteSee provides improved accuracy and transparency at less than 25 percent the cost of a standard inspection. Moreover, easily accessing up-to-date, as-built information and making more informed decisions allows clients to benefit from reduced site visits for planning and design works.

SiteSee’s unique application of machine learning has already been recognized by multiple third parties, including Spar3D. SiteSee’s globally applicable solution has also been recognized by TowerXchange, with SiteSee’s co-founder Lachlan Crane being awarded the under 35 Rising Star award for new technology. Crane summarized Bentley’s contribution to SiteSee’s success by saying, “Bentley’s ContextCapture provided the foundation technology stack for SiteSee to deliver premium web-accessible 3D mesh models.”

Bentley’s OpenRail, OpenBridge and Reality Modeling Technology Help Streamline the Design of Chenab Rail Bridge

15.10.2018 2:00  

The INR 11.98 billion Chenab Rail Bridge, which is under construction, is located between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India. At 359 meters above the river bed, the rail-arch bridge will be the highest in the world and, with an arch span of 467 meters and 1,315 meters in length, the longest span-exclusive, broad-gauge rail line and seventh longest single span bridge. The bridge is a part of the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line (JUSBRL) project being undertaken by the Indian Ministry of Railways, which consists of many tunnels and bridges in highly rugged and mountainous terrain with difficult Himalayan geology. The bridge will reduce the current 12 hours of travel time to six hours to help stimulate the local economy and provide weather connectivity between the summer and winter capitals of Jammu and Kashmir.

The alignment crosses the deep gorges of the Chenab River near Salal Hydro Power Dam, which necessitates the construction of a high, long-span bridge. A steel arch configuration was chosen for the aesthetics, economy, and availability of local expertise and construction materials. The bridge site selection was based on important technical and geological parameters, such as the narrow valley at the site, competent rock mass at each bank, favorable orientation of joint sets, straight reach, and river flow without cross-currents.

The project faced several challenges, such as slope stabilization, high-wind, extreme weather, seismic activity, and possible terrorist attacks, which required the bridge to be built to withstand 260-kilometers-per-hour wind forces, blast impact loads, and temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius. Sophisticated train control and bridge monitoring are also required to ensure train regulation for wind speeds, earthquake activity, and strain gauging of critical steel components. Construction must be done with cable cars, using the world’s longest span cable crane.

The organization used OpenRail Designer to meet the rigorous rail alignment demands, OpenBridge for bridge planning and analysis, and STAAD for structural behavior analysis of the massive bridge. ContextCapture was used for construction planning, monitoring, inspection, and surveying. The application was critical in managing the construction site progress and conducting inspection during construction to accelerate the project and ensure quality, repeatable documentation of the bridge inspection. ContextCapture helped save 225 days in surveying, equating to USD 40,000 in savings, and reduced construction inspection time by 80 percent, resulting in savings of more than USD 100,000.
B.P. Awasthi, executive director – Track at Indian Railways, noted, “Bentley’s ContextCapture solution empowered our project teams to efficiently and effectively carry out construction monitoring, ensuring immersive visibility, safety, and adherence to delivery schedules.”

As one of the first rail railway bridge projects in India to adopt the latest technology to traditional survey and construction work, the success of this iconic project will change traditional workflows and will trigger the use of modern tools in similar projects worldwide.

Infraero Pioneers the Use of Digital Twins to Increase the Safety and Efficiency of Brazil’s Airports

15.10.2018 2:00  

Infraero, Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária is one of the three largest airport operators in the world, managing 54 airports across Brazil. It facilitates more than 100 million passengers each year, accounting for nearly 60 percent of Brazil’s air traffic. Infraero is creating a parametric 3D model and database of Londrina Airport’s underground, land, and above-land information to improve its business intelligence and operations.

Londrina Airport will be the first in Brazil to have a digital twin. The final product will include 3D modeling of 20 buildings, one take-off-and-landing runway, two aircraft yards, taxiways, and access roads—a total airport surface area of 920,354 square meters. Infraero is going digital to improve its business intelligence and decision making.

By leveraging digital DNA to manage its assets, Infraero can take a more preventative approach to maintenance, effectively use airport space, and improve airport safety. Maintenance teams will be able to utilize real-time monitoring and control of assets for improved efficiency of remote asset management. The model will serve as a large-scale information repository to improve performance and obtain data more efficiently.

The digital engineering information, or digital DNA, of the project was modeled using Bentley’s design software. MicroStation’s point-cloud import feature enabled the team to model the entire airport via point clouds and conduct point-cloud studies to verify the existing facilities. OpenBuildings Designer was used to model existing buildings, such as the passenger terminal, cargo terminal, and fire station. OpenRoads was used to create the geometric project and runway system surfaces map: a comprehensive model of take-off and landing runways, taxiways, and service roads. When complete, the comprehensive building and infrastructure model will serve as a basis for future airport expansion projects, enable effective maintenance, cut maintenance costs, and increase asset availability. The live model will also facilitate a range of studies: passenger flow, demand and capacity, layout changes, and launch studies for new commercial areas.

Infraero has already experienced savings of BRL 540,000 per year with improved information management. The company plans to expand its use of BIM methods in the operation and maintenance phase of its other assets. The Digital Airport Pilot Project at Londrina Airport will serve as a model as the other 53 airports managed by Infraero seek to effectively leverage their digital DNA.

Patrícia Oliveira, BIM champion, Infraero, said, “[Bentley’s software enabled] comprehensive digital modeling [to] promote integration and collaboration across different areas of the company. [This will] benefit all business sectors [and offer] consistent and up-to-date information to all stakeholders.”
Londrina Airport is the first airport in the region to effectively leverage its digital DNA to improve business intelligence, asset management, and operations; it serves as an example for other airport owner-operators in the region that seek to promote safe and high-quality airport infrastructure.

Topcon and Bentley strengthen constructioneering initiatives and programs

15.10.2018 2:00  

Constructioneering Academies expand insights, create change 

LONDON – The Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference – October 15, 2018 – Topcon Positioning Group, a world leader in positioning technology for the survey and construction industries, and Bentley Systems, the leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, announce new developments in the constructioneering workflow initiative.

Constructioneering Academy
The Bentley Year in Infrastructure Conference 2018 (YII) marks the first anniversary of the launch of the Constructioneering Academy initiative of Topcon and the Bentley Institute. The program has been held in multiple locations across North America and Australia throughout the first year and now expands into Europe with the first London-based Constructioneering Academy, part of the YII.

“The Constructioneering Academies are filled with a mix of professionals from companies, governmental agencies and organizations who are involved in putting important infrastructure projects into motion and seeing them through to completion. The uniqueness of the dialogue taking place among participants, representing more than 80 organizations in the first year, cannot be overstated,” said Ewout Korpershoek, executive vice president of Topcon Positioning Group. “The program’s educational and collaborative atmosphere is creating awareness of potential productivity gaps that can be encountered on a project, and how those gaps can be filled, resulting in a paradigm shift in how work can be accomplished.”

Alan Lamont, Bentley Systems’ vice president for Digital Advancement Academies, said, “The active participation and feedback that we have experienced during the various Constructioneering Academy events have been very informative and encouraging. The level of interest and feedback demonstrate that there is a clear need for automated digital workflows between design and construction to help project teams be more efficient and avoid mistakes. We look forward to expanding the reach of Constructioneering Academies to other geographic locations.”

“We are looking forward to building upon the success of the inaugural year of the Constructioneering Academy,” said Ron Oberlander, vice president of Global Professional Services for Topcon Positioning Group. “The industry needs these types of programs as a catalyst to drive digital automation adoption. A key part of the initiative is the interaction of field and office professionals from the ‘front lines’ and we are excited to provide this opportunity to professionals around the world.

“We believe the Constructioneering Academies are truly fostering progress. For the industry to be successful in meeting future infrastructure demands, we have to change the mindsets and processes on how we approach construction. What Topcon and Bentley have initiated and will continue to evolve is an exciting journey to help shape that change,” Oberlander said.

As additional dates and locations for the Constructioneering Academy become available, they will be provided at constructioneering.com/academy.

Integration agreement
As part of the ongoing constructioneering initiative, the companies have signed an agreement that will integrate the Topcon point cloud and 3D mesh service, MAGNET Collage Web, with the Bentley ContextCapture Cloud Processing Service. The Bentley cloud service enables operators to upload UAV imagery direct-to-web without the need for high-end hardware requirements or IT constraints. Topcon instrument, control systems and software users will benefit from an industry-leading, cloud-based photogrammetric engine for fast generation of 3D engineering-ready reality meshes and digital surface models.

Ted Lamboo, senior vice president of Bentley’s strategic partnerships, said, “We are very pleased with Topcon’s expanded commitment, through MAGNET Collage Web integration, to Bentley’s ContextCapture reality modeling cloud services. Now, all of Topcon’s positioning technologies can help to continuously survey a site’s digital context, synchronizing project digital twins to make constructioneering even more compelling.”

“The agreement for a web-based integrated workflow solution is an excellent example of the ongoing collaboration of Topcon and Bentley to simplify and speed up digital construction workflows,” Korpershoek said. “Through our partnership, we are continuously working together to create new solutions to improve survey, engineering, and construction processes.”

About Topcon Positioning Group
Topcon Positioning Group is headquartered in Livermore, California, U.S. (topconpositioning.com). Its European head office is in Capelle a/d IJssel, the Netherlands. Topcon Positioning Group designs, manufactures and distributes precision measurement and workflow solutions for the global construction, geospatial and agriculture markets. Its brands include Topcon, Sokkia, Tierra, Digi-Star, RDS Technology, and NORAC. Topcon Corporation (topcon.com), founded in 1932, is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732). 

About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems is the leading global provider of software solutions to engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators for the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley’s MicroStation-based engineering and BIM applications, and its digital twin cloud services, advance the project delivery (ProjectWise) and the asset performance (AssetWise) of transportation and other public works, utilities, industrial and resources plants, and commercial and institutional facilities.

Bentley Systems employs more than 3,500 colleagues, generates annual revenues of $700 million in 170 countries, and has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions since 2012. From inception in 1984, the company has remained majority-owned by its five founding Bentley brothers. Bentley shares transact by invitation on the NASDAQ Private Market; strategic partner Siemens AG has accumulated a non-voting minority stake.

About Constructioneering
Constructioneering automates digital construction processes through surveying, engineering design, constructible model development, and as-built data collection within a connected data environment to improve construction execution and reduce project costs.

About Constructioneering Academy
The Constructioneering Academy is designed to educate civil design build professionals on the digital construction process. Attendees will learn how they can leverage mass data, digital cameras, design models, and automated machine control to win more work and execute their next project more efficiently.

# # #

Press Contact:
Topcon Positioning Group
CorpComm@topcon.com
Staci Fitzgerald, +1 925-245-8610

Suez Water Technologies & Solutions Leverages Digital DNA to Meet India’s Energy Production Requirements

15.10.2018 2:00  

Greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants have been a critical challenge for India and it is a challenge that needs to be addressed head on given the country’s increasing demand for electricity. For example, electricity consumption grew from 375.39 billion kilowatt hours in 2000 to 1.108 trillion kilowatt hours in 2018. Additionally, electric power generation grew from 529.12 billion kilowatt hours in 2000 to 1.311 trillion kilowatt hours in 2018. The aspiration for rapid economic growth leading to industrialization, accelerated urbanization, and mechanization of agriculture is responsible for this growth in demand.

As part of India’s growth in solar energy, Adani Mundra Solar PV Limited manufactures solar cells for the Indian market. To obtain successful operational and financial performance, Adani Mundra Solar PV’s 1-gigawatt solar PV cell manufacturing project requires the continuous and reliable production of ultra-pure water 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Ultra-pure water (UPW) systems are often referred to as the “life blood” of modern solar cell production facilities. The cell products will encounter UPW on many occasions during their production cycle, and any disruption of service and/or “out-of-spec” water can seriously compromise their yield, costing perhaps millions of dollars in lost production.

Suez Water Technologies & Solutions (SWTS) is the worldwide industry leader in the UPW systems business to both the semiconductor and solar industries. SWTS’ patented UPW generation using membranes and filters produces 1-gigawatt-capacity PV cells and modules for solar power plants, enabling the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Adani Mundra Solar PV contracted SWTS to design, engineer, procure, supply, erect, commission, and performance test a new solar PV manufacturing facility. The facility was required to produce 1,560 cubic meters per day in UPW production, plus 2,280 cubic meters per day in the UPW loop. This was made more complicated for SWTS because of the need to take influent flow from an existing 20 milliliters-per-day seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant, which has a high total-organic-carbon (TOC) -5.9 ppm, very high chlorides (380 ppm), and very low hardness/alkalinity, which would cause severe corrosion in carbon-steel and stainless-steel materials. As a result, this project required innovative, one-of-a-kind thinking in both materials, manufacturing techniques, and in new, improved design modeling and project delivery methodologies.

Using a variety of Bentley applications, including OpenPlant, AutoPIPE, Navigator, ProSteel, and STAAD, SWTS created and implemented a digital model for managing this project. From performing structural analysis of polypropylene (PP) tanks to performing stress analysis, performing detailed civil, concrete, and tank design, managing multidiscipline design reviews, and producing detailed bills of materials directly from the digital model, SWTS was able to revolutionize their digital workflows and leverage the digital DNA they have created. Moreover, remote offices were connected via Bentley’s Connected Data Environment (CDE), based on ProjectWise, to ensure that the latest version of drawings and deliverables were always shared by the customer and site teams.

SWTS realized significant ROI by implementing these technologies and techniques. Savings include approximately USD 70,000 through optimized pipe routings and reduced field rework and 30-percent savings in resource hours during the design modeling phase (USD 35,000).
Utilizing Bentley software also lessened the civil, structural, piping, and cable tray site execution time by 60 days, resulting in a flawless construction of civil foundations, concrete and steel structures, equipment, piping plus allied supports, cable tray, and instrumentation within the stipulated project schedule.

A Suez Water Technologies & Solutions Engineering spokesperson said, “Bentley as a single solution provider successfully paved the way for analysis, modeling, designing, detailing, and documenting in a more prudent way, which met SWTS’s patented ultra-pure water generation using membranes and filters for solar power plant execution, on time and with high quality. SWTS’ efforts to industrialize their project delivery have enabled the company to reinforce its position as one of the world’s leading providers of UPW systems.”

Bentley’s Connected Data Environment Improves Collaboration on Thames Tideway Project

15.10.2018 2:00  

The London sewerage system was designed in the Victorian era to serve a population of 4 million people. There are now more than 8 million people in London, and this growth has put significant strain on the system, causing it to spill millions of tons of sewage into the tidal section of the River Thames each year. This happens about 50 times during a year. The Thames Tideway Project will reduce these occurrences to about four a year. The project has been divided into three contracts, East, Central, and West with a total value exceeding GBP 4 billion. There are many challenges facing a project of this scale, from marine construction works in the River Thames, creating a new profile to the river walls, to solving design issues where large gas mains are present in proximity to the existing rivers walls. Therefore, it is critical that such services are protected during construction works.

AECOM, part of a joint venture consisting of Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke (‘Flo’), is the main designer on the Central Contract to the Main Works Contractor. AECOM undertook to host the Central Contract on behalf of Flo using Bentley Systems’ Connected Data Environment based on ProjectWise for its ability to manage engineering data and its scalability from small to large projects. Using workflows, defined document coding, and managed workspaces, AECOM has delivered a controlled and secure CDE to manage this highly complex project. ProjectWise, as the hub of the CDE and leveraging the established project standards, provides a central repository for all project data produced by each stakeholder involved on this contract. This ensures that they are working to a common standard, including temporary and permanent works.

MicroStation and OpenBuildings Designer act as the deliverables format for drawings and models, as defined by the main client. AECOM adopted these applications because of their compatibility with each other and with ProjectWise. AECOM also used Bentley Rebar, Navigator, Pointools, Descartes, gINT, Bentley Facilities Manager, and ContextCapture. Using these interoperable applications ensured limited risk and avoided the need for additional processes.

AECOM has already realized numerous benefits and savings through the adoption of a digital twin and a CDE. iModels were produced from the Design Master Model on a weekly and monthly basis and available for all stakeholders to see the development of each site as it progressed. The project team used the iModels to carry out multidiscipline clash checks that were sent to the design and modeling teams to resolve. The project team also used iModels during the internal design review process. Using the project digital twin and CDE also resulted in “non-engineering” savings, including increased IT security and reliability, better access and editing control, improved automatic PDF generation, and reduced travel costs for project members by enabling real-time access anywhere, at any time.

Barry Jones, associate director and BIM manager with AECOM, said, “Bentley ProjectWise provided the controlled environment in which to build a virtual representation of the assets of eight individual sites, comprising multiple disciplines, producing more than 140,000 documents from more than 40 stakeholders, consisting of more than 1,000 users in a coordinated fashion through the design phase and into construction and as-constructed in preparation for a handback to the client.”

Innovative Bridge Maintenance System Uses Digital Twins on Hannam Bridge Rehabilitation Project

15.10.2018 2:00  

The Hannam Bridge was commission in 1976 and, at the time, it was considered the foundation of the infrastructure system in South Korea. After more than 40 years of operation, the bridge, as well as hundreds of other same-generation bridges, are aged and deteriorating and reaching the end of their design life. As a result, there is an urgent demand for bridge maintenance or rehabilitation across the country’s infrastructure while also ensuring that construction does not impede the flow of transportation. To ensure that there is a strict monitoring and inspection system and efficient rehabilitation, the Korean government developed a new bridge maintenance system (BMS).  

The ongoing deterioration of bridges is a serious concern for transportation agencies and emphasizes the need for a cost-effective, proactive strategy to provide preventive maintenance. Therefore, the establishment of a new generation BMS provides a more reliable decision-making process for bridge maintenance. Object-oriented 3D models were utilized to provide the level of detail, analysis, evaluation, and collaborative workflows needed during the design process and support BIM methodologies required for the new BMS system.

The bridge maintenance team created a digital twin to be paired with a physical entity and then represent its existence to help with monitoring and data analysis. First, a 3D geometry model was generated using the as-built document of the existing bridge using OpenBridge Modeler. Next, a “reversed” 3D surface model was created using ContextCapture and a 3D scanning procedure. Noteworthy in this 3D model is the combination of photo scanning using drones for the lateral and top surface model, and laser scanning cloud data for the bottom surface model. At the end of this task, the 3D models are overlapped based on predefined marks, which are included within the digital twin and attached to the real bridge before 3D scanning procedure. The overlapped model can be considered as the performance digital twin of the physical bridge, including damage records, and represents the as-is model at the beginning of the maintenance project.

Lastly, RM Bridge was used to derive an analysis model from the digital twin for assessing the future behavior of the bridge. Using the digital twin, inspection work can be implemented automatically with a camera and the aid of a damage detection framework, which uses image processing and image tracing methodology. Once the damage is detected, cracks, material degradation, corrosion of steel elements, or other issues are assessed to determine reduction of structural parameters. A chain of analysis cases is conducted according to different combined load cases. The results are then compared and discussed, and the future behavior of the bridge is analyzed. Using digital twins helps the bridge management team determine required repair/strengthening measures in the new bridge maintenance system to better manage the monitoring and inspection system for all Korean bridges.

ChangSu Shim, a professor at Chung-Ang University, said, “Modeling, specifically mesh partitioning, is the most time-consuming task related to the analysis procedure. However, [Bentley’s bridge applications] help engineers to directly achieve and optimize the 3D mesh, which significantly reduces modeling time on the project.”

Voyants Solutions Industrializes BIM Workflows to Design Iconic Station for Indian Railways

15.10.2018 2:00  

Voyants Solutions Private Limited was selected to design an iconic new Gwalior Railway Station that would complement the existing station and attract tourism. The firm used BIM models and workflows to optimize building design and incorporate existing structures. Voyants Solutions designed a structure and development plan that specifically accommodated the challenging requirement of keeping the existing station fully operational during construction.

Like the city of Gwalior, the railway station will be a combination of new and old. The station sits between the old city of Gwalior to the west and the new settlement to the east. The proposed design embraces the old heritage station, which remains a focal point, and adds a light-weight shell structure based on the arch of the existing building. These new modular three-dimensional arches will bring light and new life to the complex. The project designers faced unique constraints to their design since the station will remain fully operational with all platforms open during construction. Voyants Solutions determined that it could meet these specifications with a framed structure, where multiple components could be fabricated off-site and placed in position with the help of cranes. The construction team would cast the pile foundations in-situ, using auger boring and self-compacting concrete.

Voyants Solutions constructed a complete BIM model using Bentley software. They designed the structure in MicroStation and STAAD.Pro, then created a digital engineering model in OpenBuildings Designer. The design required parametric modeling, 3D modeling, and animation. Given the parametrically controlled model, a base component was generated and informed based on site constraints. The complete BIM model made it easy to understand design requirements and optimize project results. Sustainability was a key feature of the design. The team used building energy modeling technology to optimize natural light and minimize the heat gain of the building. By incorporating large overhangs, shading features, and natural ventilation, the firm reduced the heat gain of the building by 40 percent.

A team of five designers at Voyants Solutions prepared the plan set and 3D model for this project in one month. Voyants Solutions estimated labor-hour savings of 30 percent for this proposal and a 500 percent ROI for the project. Bentley software helped the organization industrialize its BIM workflows to quickly deliver a high-quality design with a cohesive scheme.

Upendar Rao Kollu, managing director at Voyants Solutions, said, “Innovative designs need innovative applications. Bentley applications have allowed the multidiscipline team to work on a single platform and create iconic designs.” The Voyants Solutions team succeeded in creating a visually stunning and functional design for the Gwalior Railway Station that will improve passenger-related amenities, serve as a community hub, and contribute to the economic development of the local community.

Siemens and Bentley Systems announce PlantSight digital twin cloud services

15.10.2018 2:00  

• Solution enables up-to-date, as-operated digital twins − synchronizing the real plant and its engineering representations − for more efficient process plant operations
• Integration of different kinds of data sources to create holistic digital context for aligned digital components

LONDON, U.K. – The Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference – 15 October 2018 – Siemens and Bentley Systems announced today the introduction of PlantSight, resulting from development together based on their highly complementary software portfolios. PlantSight is a digital solution to benefit customers through more efficient plant operations. PlantSight enables as-operated and up-to-date digital twins which synchronize with both physical reality and engineering data, creating a holistic digital context for consistently understood digital components across disparate data sources, for any operating plant. Plant operators benefit from high trustworthiness and quality of information for continuous operational readiness and more reliability.

Every real-world operating plant is characterized by cumulative evolution, both to its brownfield physical condition and to the varied types and formats of theoretically corresponding engineering data. Accordingly, as-operated digital twins must reliably synchronize reflections of both the physical reality and its virtual engineering representations, comprehensively and accurately. Moreover, further frequent changes are inevitable. With PlantSight, every process plant owner-operator can realize the benefits of as-operated digital twins – without disruption to their existing physical or virtual environment.

For process industries, characterized by ongoing capital projects, the effectiveness of digital twins depends upon the integrity and accessibility of as-operated information presented and continuously updated in trusted 2D schematic and 3D model formats. PlantSight provides all stakeholders with cloud/web-enabled visibility and access into existing data and tool interfaces, assuring that changes are timely and accurately captured and managed.

With PlantSight as-operated digital twin cloud services, operational and project-related engineering data is aligned seamlessly. All disciplines and stakeholders have immediate access to consistent representations. Especially for brownfield installations, the time and effort to federate and complete asset information will be significantly reduced, with plant documentation kept up to date, and its quality accordingly improved.

Greg Bentley, CEO for Bentley Systems, said, “From the start of Bentley Systems’ strategic alliance with Siemens, we have together seen our development of PlantSight as having perhaps the most significance for our marketplace. Siemens’ announced combination of its digital offerings for discrete and process plants enables our bringing together, through a cloud service, the complementary elements of COMOS, OpenPlant, MindSphere, and Teamcenter. PlantSight can now realize the process industries’ top priority in ‘going digital’— the digital twin enablement of their operating plant engineering!”

“With PlantSight, we’re stepping up our cooperation with Bentley and extending the possibilities offered by data utilization for the process industry. This joint solution based on the complementary know-how of Bentley and Siemens represents a key step towards making digital twins even more efficient and creating a digitally integrated value chain, which offers even greater consistency. In this way, we’re continuously enlarging our Digital Enterprise portfolio by embracing future technologies,” said Klaus Helmrich, Member of the Management Board of Siemens AG.

Valentijn de Leeuw, Vice President ARC Advisory Group, said, “I believe that Siemens’ and Bentley’s newly-developed PlantSight services will establish a foundation for next-generation asset information and performance management. For as-operated digital twins, this augments the actual plant by integrating operational data with operational intelligence dashboards, immersive operator training simulation, and links with applications such as process simulation, asset strategy, and reliability. The benefits of the environment will increase with the number of microservices provided.”

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitization. One of the world's largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company with its listed subsidiary Siemens Healthineers AG is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017, Siemens generated revenue of €83.0 billion and net income of €6.2 billion. At the end of September 2017, Siemens had around 377,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems is the leading global provider of software solutions to engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators for the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley’s MicroStation-based engineering and BIM applications, and its digital twin cloud services, advance the project delivery (ProjectWise) and the asset performance (AssetWise) of transportation and other public works, utilities, industrial and resources plants, and commercial and institutional facilities.

Bentley Systems employs more than 3,500 colleagues, generates annual revenues of $700 million in 170 countries, and has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions since 2012. From inception in 1984, the company has remained majority-owned by its five founding Bentley brothers. Bentley shares transact by invitation on the NASDAQ Private Market; strategic partner Siemens AG has accumulated a non-voting minority stake.

About the PlantSight Vision
PlantSight coalesces project digital twins, and control systems digital twins, and will soon extend to performance digital twins, and component product digital twins.

PlantSight mirrors the physical plant through “continuous” surveys and reality modeling cloud services. Overlapping photographs and (as needed) supplemental laser scans, from UAVs and ground-level imagery, are processed to generate spatially-classified and engineering-ready reality meshes—the plant’s digital context, within which can be geospatially located each tagged component.

To synchronize with the plant’s evolving engineering data, Bentley and Siemens COMOS teams worked together to create PlantSight’sConnected Data Environment (CDE). It includes information bridges from engineering models and an integration hub to accomplish the required semantic alignment for digital components (including their tag designations). PlantSight’s CDE is also populated by pertinent data from other sources, such as project deliverables and control systems inputs, to the degree referenced through digital component tags. 

For engineers in operating plants, the value of an as-operated digital twin is determined by the accessibility and integrity of information that can be presented, and edited, in trusted formats of schematics and 3D models. PlantSight, through its new cloud service and web interface, takes advantage of the complementarity, proven engineering robustness and intelligence of COMOS and OpenPlant, fully integrating functional and spatial modeling. For the first time, engineers on site can have both accessible existing data, and accessible tool interfaces, to assure that as-operated changes are timely and accurately captured and managed through PlantSight’s ledger of changes, for assured fidelity.

Just as significantly, the as-operated digital twin, through the cloud accessibility and securely open architecture of its CDE, provides immersive visibility throughout the operating plant lifecycle, including mixed-reality visualization of all information, and even more importantly, digital visibility for machine learning and analytics.

PlantSight digital twin cloud services will be marketed separately by both Siemens and Bentley, and early adopters are now being selected. The companies are now working to add to PlantSight state-of-the-art asset performance modeling (APM) capabilities, to make the most of services based on Siemens’ MindSphere IoT operating system. For manufactured digital components, Siemens’ Teamcenter PLM will provide immersive access to product digital twins for simulation and remediation.

###

Bentley, the Bentley logo, AssetWise, MicroStation, OpenPlant, and ProjectWise are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. PlantSight is a trademark of Siemens AG and Siemens PLMS Inc. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Collaborative Design and Advanced Construction Management Results in Significant Savings on Large-scale Expressway Project

15.10.2018 2:00  

The CNY 23.6 billion Lipu-Yulin Expressway will run through Guilin, Guigang, and Yulin in Guangxi province and is an important section of G59, China’s national expressway network. Guangxi Transportation Design Group Co., Ltd., is responsible for the overall design and coordination of the project, as well as providing technical support for the construction unit. The large-scale project, which requires complex and comprehensive management, faces many challenges including long distances, large amounts of land requisition and demolition, and citizen-control factors that need to be considered in the planning phase. The main line of the project is 263.1 kilometers long and requires exceptional communication and coordination among teams, multiple disciplines, and public entities.

The expressway design includes several technically complex bridges, such as the Xiangsizhou Bridge, with a span of 450 meters and the largest-span, cable-stayed bridge in Guangxi province, and the Pingnansan Bridge, the largest span-arch bridge in the world under construction, with a span of 575 meters. The expressway also includes super-long tunnels, such as the Wenwei Tunnel, which runs 4,705 meters and is located in mountainous regions with rough terrain and poor geological conditions.

The BIM design team was required to determine how to build a full-factor scenario project model quickly and optimize the route plan. The team depended on Bentley software to enable the design, collaboration, and management across all teams while meeting contractual-scheduled requirements. Project goals include saving design time by 20 percent, limiting deviation between target cost and actual cost to 2 percent, and achieving a profit margin of 5 percent.

The BIM team used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in combination with ContextCapture to create large-scale, reality meshes for the project. The models were used to perform 3D analysis to ensure the safety clearance of equipment and structures and conduct site planning and optimize construction site space utilization to reach 95 percent optimization. Using OpenRoads, the team created 3D models for planning construction sites and temporary sites, arranging service areas, and selecting spoil ground to avoid wasting land resources, which saved land use by 5 percent and avoided 4,100 square meters of building demolition.

MicroStation was used to perform 3D parametric modeling, with ProStructures used to accurately model the steel structures; these applications identified problems and reduced design errors design rework to save 15 working days. OpenRoads and OpenBridge were used to perform 3D design of roads, bridges, and tunnels to quickly and accurately locate the structures, perform parametric modeling, and improve design efficiency by more than 200 percent. BIM 5D construction management was achieved using the project’s electronic sandbox system based on MicroStation to manage 3D content while combining the data with a web GIS to provide information browsing and sharing. ProjectWise was used to provide collaborative design across all parties and professions and reduced communication costs by CNY 400,000.

Combining Bentley technology with BIM methodologies, the design team was able to achieve economic savings as well as reduce staff input of design and construction management by 10 percent, which reduced resource hours by 30 percent and greatly improved the quality of construction, laying the foundation for timely and high-quality project completion.

Changhai Wang, BIM center director, Guangxi Communications Design Group Co., Ltd., said, “Using Bentley’s project team collaboration system leveraging ProjectWise, improved information sharing and communication among team members. Having the most updated information at our fingertips helped us reduce the number of meeting by 15 times

and communication and collaboration costs by more than CNY 400,000.”

Bentley Applications Produce Comprehensive Network Model To Help Revitalize Water Distribution for Agra, India

15.10.2018 2:00  

The City of Agra is an International Heritage City and a major tourist destination. It is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River, which is fed perennially by Himalayan glaciers and has been a source of Agra’s drinking water for centuries. However, rapid growth in urbanization and construction of irrigation networks has substantially reduced fresh water inflow into the downstream stretches of the river.

Cities situated along the river, including Delhi, discharge a large quantity of partially treated and untreated sewage and industrial waste into the river throughout the year. The Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam is a government corporation under the Uttar Pradesh state government that provides statewide water supply services. Realizing the social and economic significance of providing an adequate potable water supply to the populace and to industries, U.P. Jal Nigam initiated an improvement scheme for water supply in Agra City.

The Agra Water Supply System draws water from the Yamuna River to supply the city. It serves about 65 percent of the present population with potable water through a complex water supply system network. The distribution system is considerably old, as evidenced by high Unaccounted for Water (UFW), which is suspected to be mainly caused by physical losses due to the system’s poor condition. The operation of the existing system is considered intermittent supply, running six-to-eight hours per day on average. Using Bentley’s WaterGEMS and STAAD.Pro applications, NJS Engineers India P Limited created and analyzed a comprehensive model of the entire water network. The target outcome was to identify gaps in the current system and to create a forward-looking performance model that would enable U.P. Jal Nigam to predict water supply for decades to come, while moving from an intermittent supply system to a 24x7 system.

Using Bentley’s WaterGEMS and STAAD.Pro applications, the NJS team conducted numerous studies and analyses of the existing and future network upgrades. Creating a real-time, shareable GIS-enabled model of the network, U.P. Jal Nigam’s operations teams can now monitor inventory in real-time, instantly reducing operating and production costs. Through the detailed analysis model, future upgrades to the water network will ensure 100 percent water supply to the region by 2030, 24 hours a day. Studies also found several undersized pipes in the existing network, which can now be prioritized for replacement to ensure the future network is fully capable of meeting the increased demand, while covering 100 percent of Agra City and regional inhabitants. Using the GIS-enabled model into operations will identify problems in the network faster and shorten the time to make decisions on new connections or maintenance via a single collaboration platform. These benefits are in addition to the INR 360 million saved in the design and construction phases of the projects as a result of having more accurate models.

The City of Agra, now celebrating the 350th year of the Taj Mahal, faces a wide range of urban physical and social problems that threaten to irreparably damage its valuable tourist trade as well as the health and welfare of its citizens. The project, when completed, will provide safe and reliable water supply 24x7 in Agra and improve the living conditions of all residents in the concerned areas.

“The measurable or projected results achieved using Bentley technology included reducing the number of large-scale drawings by 35 percent, saving 300 resource hours, and 60 resource months during construction,” said Rohit Dembi, ITES Head at NJS Engineers.

Collaborative BIM Workflows Help Lower Cost of the Zhengzhou-Xixia Expressway Project

15.10.2018 2:00  

The CNY 10.5 billion Yaoshan-Luanchuan section of the Zhengzhou-Xixia Expressway is 78.8-kilometers long and is a bi-directional and four-lane expressway, which includes 88 bridges, four interchanges, two interoperability hubs, and two super-long tunnels. The bridge and tunnel ratio is 59.8 percent of the project. The project is critical for developing an efficient transportation network to support the region’s economic development strategy and promote social economic development.

Henan Provincial Communications Planning Survey & Design Institute Co. Ltd. is a one-stop engineering technical service and provides construction, surveying, design, and technical consultancy on highway engineering on projects in China, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The company employs BIM methodologies to improve design quality and efficiency, cultivate BIM expertise, innovate employing BIM data in the highway industry, and reduce the time and capital cost in the design, construction, and operation lifecycle.

The expressway project team faced a variety of challenges to ensure the accurate design of the model and used Bentley’s civil applications to include subgrade roads, bridges, tunnels, and culverts within one model and ensure collaboration across all disciplines in highway design. OpenRoads was used to build a 3D model defining the cross sections of roads and importing data related to horizontal and vertical sections. The project team also used the model for bidding. OpenBridge Modeler was used to build parametric models for bridges with higher efficiency than past work processes. ProStructures was used for models for steel bars in bridges and to detect collisions and errors in design, decreasing the number of errors in construction drawings by 1,350. OpenRoads and MicroStation were used to streamline section drawings of tunnels, set up stations for different tunnel sections, and automatically generate tunnel models. The team developed plug-ins for automatic coding of components, increasing coding efficiency by 90 percent compared to traditional methods. LumenRT was used to produce 3D animation and videos for visualization deliverables. The model was also used to integrate PDF documents and design drawings; and iModels were imported into Navigator to communicate information to construction sites.

The team also addressed how to combine a GIS-based, BIM project management platform with construction management and meet the owner’s requirements for BIM model accuracy, model separation, and member information coding. Using these innovative applications, the project team reduced design errors and changes, provided design feedback, and improved quality optimization of the drawings by 97 percent. In addition, BIM methodologies helped to improve efficiencies in the lifecycle of the project and provide reference for future projects. Reducing the usual design and construction errors resulted in lower construction costs and increased economic efficiency.

Guiting Zhang, director of research and development center for engineering BIM-applied technology, said, “Bentley’s infrastructure products helped us take important steps toward realizing BIM practices for this highway project. In terms of roads, bridges, and tunnels, we improved the drawing quality, reduced construction drawing errors by over 1,350 items and human costs by CNY 200,000, raised modeling efficiency by 50 percent, and created substantial benefits for the owner organization through multiple deliverables. The BIM project management platform combines codes with components, carries multistage data, and controls and manages project construction quality. At the same time, this platform offers a complete database for the later-period operation and management and will bring positive economic benefits to this region.”

Siemens and Bentley Systems Announce Integrated Asset Performance Management (APM) Solution for Power Plants

15.10.2018 2:00  

Combines Bentley’s advanced asset performance software capabilities and Siemens’ complementary power generation expertise to deliver enhanced equipment 
availability, reliability, and cost efficiency 

LONDON, U.K. – The Year in Infrastructure 2018 Conference – 15 October 2018 – Siemens and Bentley Systems have announced a joint technology and service solution, consisting of their complementary offerings, to speed up the digitalization of power plants and provide intelligent analytics with a range of innovative offerings and managed services solutions. The new service, to be hosted on Siemens’ cloud-based open IoT operating system, MindSphere, will combine Bentley’s advanced asset performance software capabilities with Siemens’ complementary technology and service expertise to empower power plant owners to take full advantage of digitalization, which helps improve maintenance operations and planning.

Siemens’ asset performance management (APM) solution, part of the company’s Omnivise digital solutions portfolio, covers the entire power plant, including the combustion and steam turbines as well as associated generators and pumps, motors, transformers, valves, switchgears, and other equipment that affects plant reliability and performance. Using intelligent models based on predictive analytics, the solution takes data from multiple sources, applies domain and analytical expertise, and then seamlessly integrates into a customer’s existing Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)/Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) environment to improve maintenance planning, reduce outages, and increase workforce efficiency.

APM service solutions are tailored to each organization’s unique needs, based on variable factors such as plant configuration, on-site resources, equipment expertise, and plant operations and maintenance strategy. The scope of options ranges from on-premises installation or cloud-based MindSphere hosting, to turnkey set-up of APM – complete with Siemens asset models – to APM as a service, with a fully integrated managed service solution set up and run remotely by Siemens power plant experts.

Laura Anderson, head of the Siemens Power Generation Services Controls and Digitalization business, said, “APM for Power Plants is evidence of the benefits this strategic alliance brings to our customers. By combining Siemens’ and Bentley’s complementary and proven areas of expertise, this innovative offering will help our customers manage costs, improve reliability, and increase the performance and availability of their thermal power infrastructure.”

Greg Bentley, CEO, Bentley, said, “We’re excited to be delivering, in this case for power plant owners, operational advantages made uniquely possible by our work with Siemens to leverage IoT and performance digital twins. In effect, we are together advancing APM towards asset performance modeling—where our engineering technologies (ET) compound the value of IT and operations technologies (OT).”

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017, Siemens generated revenue of €83.0 billion and net income of €6.2 billion. At the end of September 2017, the company had around 377,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems is the leading global provider of software solutions to engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators for the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley’s MicroStation-based engineering and BIM applications, and its digital twin cloud services, advance the project delivery (ProjectWise) and the asset performance (AssetWise) of transportation and other public works, utilities, industrial and resources plants, and commercial and institutional facilities.

Bentley Systems employs more than 3,500 colleagues, generates annual revenues of $700 million in 170 countries, and has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions since 2012. From inception in 1984, the company has remained majority-owned by its five founding Bentley brothers. Bentley shares transact by invitation on the NASDAQ Private Market; strategic partner Siemens AG has accumulated a non-voting minority stake.

###

Bentley, the Bentley logo, AssetWise, MicroStation, and ProjectWise are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. 

Maha Metro Leads the Way with OpenRail CDE, Introduces a New Culture for Delivery of Rail and Transit Projects in India

15.10.2018 2:00  

Nagpur, in the state of Maharashtra, India, is seeing growing economic activity. With motorized transport dominated by two-wheelers contributing to congestion, pollution, and accidents on its roads, Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) is working hard to deliver a safe, reliable, efficient, affordable, commuter-friendly, and environmentally-sustainable rapid public transport system for the region.

When complete the Nagpur Metro project will be 41.7 kilometers in length and include 40 stations and two depots. While the current public transportation system only accounts for 10 percent of total trips, Nagpur Metro will provide first- and last-mile connectivity via feeder services that will include shuttle buses, battery-operated vehicles, pedestrian facilities, and bicycle-sharing schemes, enhancing accessibility for all classes of commuter.
The Government of India’s Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation conducted a study that concluded that of 564 large infrastructure projects implemented in India, 42 percent were delayed, and 31 percent had no definite time of delivery. With railway projects reportedly experiencing more than 95 percent cost overruns and 118 percent time overruns, Maha Metro knew it would encounter many challenges and needed a different approach. Opting to follow international best practices on the metro project, it took an asset-centric approach, one that would incorporate a common set of standards, workflows, and objectives from the planning stage and consider the whole lifecycle of the railway, including operations and maintenance.

The team at Maha Metro began with the definition of standards, processes, and workflows for inclusion in its digital project management platform based on Bentley’s OpenRail CDE solution. Having developed Employers Information Requirements (EIR) that referenced the PAS 1192 suite of British Standards, and mandated their use in all supply chain contracts, Maha Metro decided to set up an owner’s support office to assist with successful implementation. With the help of Bentley Systems, Maha Metro created a BIM academy to encourage adoption of its CDE, BIM compliance, and aid onboarding of the supply chain.

At present, Maha Metro’s CDE is home to around 12,000 3D models, drawings, and project-related documents. It provides an ongoing source of trusted information for the 22 design consulting companies, 15 contractors, and a consortium of five organizations that make up its general consultants, enabling seamless collaboration across 30 disciplines on the project.

Anticipated savings because of Maha Metro’s adoption of OpenRail CDE and this pioneering approach for the Indian rail market during design and construction include:

• USD 540,000 during design review for distribution and review of information compared to manual processes.
• USD 280,000 through its adoption of automated CAD quality assurance and title block integration.
• USD 690,000 because of on-site validation of documents using QR codes.
• USD 85,000 by way of dynamic dashboard project progress reports.

Maha Metro also has its eye on operational expenditure during the capital expenditure phase and has configured its CDE to record all engineered components, systems, locations, properties, specifications, and drawings. The CDE also helped Maha Metro procure vendor data, vendor manual, vendor drawings, bills of materials, and specifications. Lastly, through the CDE, Maha Metro could install or construct assets, including test data and inspection reports, that cover all of the lifecycle stages. When completed, this trusted source of information residing in the CDE will form the operational backbone of Nagpur Metro’s infrastructure for years to come, and it is expected to generate savings of around USD 222 million over a 25-year period.

“We are happy that we chose Bentley as the partner to realize our digital project management approach in successfully executing our project from concept to operations. The team’s innovative use of Bentley technology to manage design, construction, and handover has already been acknowledged by other large infrastructure owner-operators as an important first step to introducing a new culture for delivering rail projects in India,” said Brijesh Kumar Dixit, managing director, Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited.

Conceptioneering Digital Workflow Helps Optimize Water Distribution for 1 Million Households in West Bengal, India

15.10.2018 2:00  

Bankura is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of Medinipur—one of the state’s five administrative divisions. The Damodar River flows in the northern part of the Bankura district and separates it from the major part of the Burdwan district. The district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and the Chota Nagpur plateau on the west.” West Bengal Bankura has been selected for this water distribution improvement project by the Public Health and Environmental Engineering Department (PHED) of West Bengal. PHED is headquartered at Kolkata for Multi-Village Bulk Water Supply Projects and is jointly funded by PHED and the Asian Development Bank.

This project was limited to four of the eight blocks in the Bankura District: Mejhia, Gangajalghati, Indpur, and Taldangra, and is of critical importance to the region, as less than 4 percent of the 359,172 habitants in the 600 villages contained within the four blocks have a piped drinking water supply. The aim of this project is to connect the remaining 96 percent of the population through developing new water systems to meet supply, while rehabilitating the existing, aged water system to continue supplying existing customers. The scope of the project calls for adding 4,000 kilometers of new pipeline to the existing 100 kilometers of pipeline, leveraging a single hydraulic model covering more than 50 unique scenarios. DTK Hydronet Solutions used Bentley’s WaterGEMS to perform the design engineering on this INR 12.38 billion project to improve the lives of more than 1 million inhabitants in the region.

Projects of similar scope had required four months of effort to create the initial hydraulic model. Using WaterGEMS, DTK Hydronet Solutions’ engineers accomplished this new model in one month, saving 75 percent in project resource-hour costs. WaterGEMS’ sophisticated modeling capabilities enabled the team to model the existing network and develop proposed roadmaps for the new network in a single GIS model, including assessing more than 39,000 junctions within the network.

Village population and density projections were included to help future-proof the design. This solution enabled the team to create its initial model of the entire network (existing and proposed new) in just five days. Difficult topography assessments, changes in transmission routes, optimal scheduling of pumping operations and energy-to-cost calculations were all performed on the model as it was revised to yield the final proposed design. In only 25 days, not only was the initial design created, optimized, and finalized, but multiple worst-case scenarios, high-demand analysis, and other “what-if” scenarios were assessed that could not have been performed outside of the single hydraulic model in WaterGEMS.

Devashir Karve, water engineering consultant at DTK Hydronet Solutions, said, “Bentley WaterGEMS enabled ‘conceptioneering’ in this 4,000 kilometer-long, multi-village rural water supply’s single hydraulic model to benefit about 1 million villagers in India. Design evaluation and analysis was efficiently done in an optimal timeframe of 25 man-days making the project the first of its kind!”

POWERCHINA Leverages Digital Workflows across Multiple Disciplines on Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway Project

15.10.2018 2:00  

The estimated CNY 26.5 billion and 152-kilometer Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway in China’s Guangdong province is a large-scale, fast-paced project that spans design and build and leverages Bentley technology throughout the entire workflow. The main line starts from the Hengmen Island in the east of Zhongshan, connects with the proposed Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel, and ends at Enping, Jiangmen. The project includes 21 towns, 13 main roads, two rail transits, and 12 navigable waterways along the line. The construction operation area is widely distributed, requires complex technology, has sensitive environmental concerns, and includes nearly 40 organizations involved in project construction for project supervision, inspection, and testing.
To ensure success with such a significant project, POWERCHINA utilized BIM processes and Bentley’s 3D design and construction software to ensure the efficient management of the entire project. Leveraging digital data throughout the workflow and coordinating across multiple disciplines and teams were critical to the Expressway project, which faced difficult challenges, such as tight construction deadlines, complex business processes, cumbersome engineering data, and sharing of data across the number of entities involved in the project.
Using ContextCapture to create oblique aerial photography, the organization produced 80 million original photos to realize plan comparison and selection, enhance communication, and quickly determine the impact of demolition in densely populated areas. In the design and construction process, 3D models are used to design the planning of the main line and the layout of the construction sites. Temporary land for construction use will be established within the road border lines as far as possible. The sites and space backlog are reduced by 1 percent through the comparison and selection of multiple plans, and the environmental impact and interference with residents are reduced.
By using Bentley’s civil design and construction applications, the team was able to adjust the construction sequence, allocate construction progress, and optimize the construction organization design. As a result, people, materials, and machines were used efficiently, resulting in a 5 percent reduction in engineering cost compared with the original construction plan, saving almost CNY 1.3 billion. Additionally, the construction progress was shortened by 68 days.  
Based on the cooperation and sharing of the design-construction management system, 124 design changes and 230 quality inspections were handled with no accidents. The development of the Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway BIM project has prompted the design institute and construction units to develop a design and construction-integrated management platform to support BIM processes. Using OpenRoads, OpenBridge, MicroStation, and Navigator, the design institute was able to create an accurate 3D model of the project and ensure accurate and error-free design. The design team optimized the design to avoid engineering shutdowns and increase of quantities caused by design changes, and indirectly saved more than CNY 80 million in engineering costs.
To build the project efficiently, the team employed a BIM process to coordinate and share information among all project management parties. POWERCHINA independently developed a design and construction-integrated management platform to integrate
business data, such as engineering environmental models, engineering BIM models, oblique photography models, orthophotos and design changes, schedules, quality, and safety.

Tonggeng Ji, chief engineer of POWERCHINA (Guangdong) Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway Co., Ltd., said, “Bentley’s road solution optimized the design process and reduced the increased costs due to design changes. It is no exaggeration to say that from the office, I can now clearly understand the on-site conditions, carry out technical discussions based on the model and BIM processes, and make better decisions.”

Going Digital to Advance Global Infrastructure

3.10.2018 22:29  

Press Coverage

Raconteur, UK

Read the article

Cities of the future: digitally-transformed infrastructure

3.10.2018 22:24  

Press Coverage

Raconteur, UK

Read the article

Seeing the future

3.10.2018 15:29  

Press Coverage

AEC Magazine, UK

Read the article

NEWS: UK infrastructure projects up for awards

3.10.2018 15:24  

Press Coverage

AEC Magazine, UK

Read the article

Siemens unveils its digital innovations

3.10.2018 15:17  

Press Coverage

Railway Pro, UK

Read the article

UK infrastructure projects shortlisted for Bentley Systems’ awards

3.10.2018 15:12  

Press Coverage

BIM Today/PBC Today, UK

Read the article

Azure Cosmos DB - Database for Intelligent Cloud - Intelligent Edge Era

2.10.2018 16:36  

Press Coverage

Microsoft Azure, USA

Read the article

Applications optimize engineering workflows and improve productivity

2.10.2018 16:34  

Press Coverage

Petroleum Australia, Australia/New Zealand

Read the article

Crossing America - moving high and heavy cargo

2.10.2018 16:30  

Press Coverage

American Journal of Transportation, USA

Read the article

Nine infra projects in India named as finalists in Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2018 Awards

28.9.2018 16:04  

Press Coverage

Geo Spatial World, India

Read the article

Mott MacDonald chooses Bentley Systems for major infrastructure project

28.9.2018 15:59  

Press Coverage

The Record, UK

Read the article

Survey | Is your job threatened by technology?

28.9.2018 15:53  

Press Coverage

New Civil Engineer, UK

Read the article

Nine Infrastructure Projects in Finalists in Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2018 Awards

27.9.2018 15:31  

Press Coverage

Metro Rail News, India

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley Systems raise investment fund to €100 million

27.9.2018 15:26  

Press Coverage

Robotics & Automation News, UK

Read the article

Moving to digital in asset management

27.9.2018 15:23  

Press Coverage

International Oil & Gas Engineer, UK

Read the article

The Seven Questions of BIM

27.9.2018 15:20  

Press Coverage

BIM Today, UK

Read the article

Bentley and Siemens extend corporate alliance

26.9.2018 15:35  

Press Coverage

World Highways, UK

Read the article

Making the Most of Big Data

26.9.2018 15:32  

Press Coverage

Industrial WaterWorld, UK

Read the article

Case study: WSP uses advanced 3D modeling to optimize the design of London’s newest iconic skyscraper

26.9.2018 15:27  

Press Coverage

PBC Today, UK

Read the article

Risk & Reward

26.9.2018 15:21  

Press Coverage

International Oil & Gas Engineer, UK

Read the article

2018 Interdrone Conference

25.9.2018 15:10  

Press Coverage

GISCafe, USA

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley Partner in New Digital Solution to Optimize Capital Project Delivery

25.9.2018 15:07  

Press Coverage

EPC World, India

Read the article

Electrical CAD: The new ‘it’ of Indian EE industry

25.9.2018 15:04  

Press Coverage

Electrical & Power Review, India

Read the article

Are You Overlooking a Significant Source of Savings?

24.9.2018 19:26  

Press Coverage

Oil & Gas Australia, Australia/New Zealand

Read the article

Tech firms integrate platform to enable digital twins

24.9.2018 19:17  

Press Coverage

MEED, Middle East

Read the article

Understanding to use water assets effectively

24.9.2018 19:12  

Press Coverage

Technical Review Middle East, Middle East

Read the article

International Infrastructure Award Finalists Announced

24.9.2018 19:08  

Press Coverage

Position IT, Sub Sahara Africa

Read the article

The Industrialization of BIM Workflows

21.9.2018 15:50  

Press Coverage

Cadalyst, USA

Read the article

Cooperative Effort Takes Off

21.9.2018 15:45  

Press Coverage

xyHt, USA

Read the article

#SAIC18 showed that Siemens is more than the sum of its parts

21.9.2018 15:37  

Press Coverage

Schnitger Group, USA

Read the article

Improving Cell Antenna Fidelity With Precise Reality Meshes

21.9.2018 15:30  

Press Coverage

Civil + Structural Engineer, USA

Read the article

Collaborative Construction Management

19.9.2018 15:32  

Press Coverage

Civil + Structural Engineer, USA

Read the article

Raymond To Test Drives MicroStation CONNECT Edition

19.9.2018 15:24  

Press Coverage

MicroStation Connections, USA

Read the article

Topcon introduces new software for UAV inspection applications

19.9.2018 14:51  

Press Coverage

Geospatial World, India

Read the article

MicroStation CONNECT Edition User of the Month Profile for August

19.9.2018 14:46  

Press Coverage

MicroStation Connections, USA

Read the article

Bentley’s SACS Offers Advanced Analysis, Workflow Enhancements for Offshore Structures

18.9.2018 15:52  

Press Coverage

Daily CADCAM, India

Read the article

Industry 4.0 will reshape property and construction

18.9.2018 15:46  

Press Coverage

Sourceable, Australia/New Zealand

Read the article

Oil and gas companies can save 10% or more in chemical costs through insights into usage with Bentley Systems’ new chemical management solution

18.9.2018 15:42  

Press Coverage

PC World, India

Read the article

Topcon introduces new software for UAV inspections

18.9.2018 15:37  

Press Coverage

Contractor Supply Magazine, U.S.

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley Systems Strengthen Their Strategic Alliance and Joint Investment Initiatives

17.9.2018 15:05  

Press Coverage

Chemical Engineering, USA

Read the article

Topcon introduces new software for UAV inspection applications

17.9.2018 14:58  

Press Coverage

Global News Wire, USA

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley Systems strengthen their strategic alliance

17.9.2018 14:50  

Press Coverage

GeoConnexion, UK

Read the article

Siemens Expands Digitalization Investments

17.9.2018 14:47  

Press Coverage

Automation World, USA

Read the article

Be our guest at the infrastructure industry event of the year

14.9.2018 22:23  

Press Coverage

GeoConnexion, UK

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley upgrade their strategic alliance after Alliance Board meeting

14.9.2018 22:16  

Press Coverage

Global Manufacturing, UK

Read the article

Redefining the digital landscape of rail and transit

14.9.2018 22:12  

Press Coverage

BIM Today, UK

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley Systems further strengthen alliance

14.9.2018 21:59  

Press Coverage

European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, UK

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley Systems strengthen alliance to Produce Digital Twins

13.9.2018 15:40  

Press Coverage

BIM+, UK

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley Systems strengthen their strategic alliance and joint investment initiatives

13.9.2018 15:33  

Press Coverage

Water Active, UK

Read the article

Analytical-Physical Modeling and Interoperability Propels BIM Advancements

13.9.2018 15:28  

Press Coverage

BIM+, UK

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley partner in new digital solution

13.9.2018 15:25  

Press Coverage

GeoConnexion, UK

Read the article

Consultants sell digital data services

12.9.2018 16:00  

Press Coverage

New Civil Engineer, UK

Read the article

Invisible Superheroes

31.8.2018 16:43  

Press Coverage

CAD User, UK

Read the article

Bentley Systems Announces Finalists in the Year in Infrastructure 2018 Awards Program

31.8.2018 16:38  

Press Coverage

Water Active, UK

Read the article

YII Finalists NewsAlert Russia

30.8.2018 22:02  

Winds of change in the offshore sector

30.8.2018 15:50  

Press Coverage

Technical Review Middle East, Middle East

Read the article

Winds of change in the offshore sector

30.8.2018 15:50  

Press Coverage

Technical Review Middle East, Middle East

Read the article

Adequate Water Infrastructure Must Keep Up with the Urban Development!

30.8.2018 15:31  

Press Coverage

Express Water, India

Read the article

Adequate Water Infrastructure Must Keep Up with the Urban Development!

30.8.2018 15:31  

Press Coverage

Express Water, India

Read the article

Building information modeling optimizes Tongzhou Water Works design process

30.8.2018 15:23  

Press Coverage

World Water, UK

Read the article

Building information modeling optimizes Tongzhou Water Works design process

30.8.2018 15:23  

Press Coverage

World Water, UK

Read the article

Get Smart: Intelligent 3D engineering models enable comprehensive lifecycle information management

30.8.2018 15:19  

Press Coverage

World Water, UK

Read the article

Get Smart: Intelligent 3D engineering models enable comprehensive lifecycle information management

30.8.2018 15:19  

Press Coverage

World Water, UK

Read the article

We are seeing an exciting timeline for our operations in India

30.8.2018 15:10  

Press Coverage

EPC World, India

Read the article

We are seeing an exciting timeline for our operations in India

30.8.2018 15:10  

Press Coverage

EPC World, India

Read the article

WSP uses advanced 3D modelling to optimise the design of London’s newest iconic skyscraper

29.8.2018 22:18  

Press Coverage

BIM Today, UK

Read the article

The Great GIS vs BIM Debate: Seven Years Later, the Argument Becomes an Alliance

29.8.2018 22:15  

Press Coverage

Engineering.com, USA

Read the article

Infrastructure Projects in the U.S. Named as Finalists in Bentley Systems’ Year in Infrastructure 2018 Awards Program

29.8.2018 22:08  

Press Coverage

Informed Infrastructure, USA

Read the article

Bentley lists IIoT among tech that can benefit asset management

29.8.2018 21:02  

Press Coverage

Construction Week Online, Middle East

Read the article

Bentley Systems Accelerating Innovations in Digital Workflows

29.8.2018 20:53  

Press Coverage

Electronics Media, India

Read the article

Chacao Bridge

28.8.2018 15:52  

Press Coverage

Road Traffic-Technology, UK

Read the article

Bentley's SACS Provides Advanced Analysis and Workflow Enhancements for Offshore Structures

28.8.2018 15:47  

Bentley Systems announces enhancements to its latest release of SACS CONNECT Edition, an offshore structural analysis application that offers fully automated and integrated 3D modeling, analysis and design to efficiently manage large, complex models for the evolving digitalization in the offshore market.

This new release of SACS includes capabilities that help eliminate disjointed workflows and data, enhances interoperability with other applications, ensures safe structural performance during extreme events, and removes the need for a separate finite element analysis (FEA) application. Also, with extended analytical cloud services for SACS Wind Turbine, engineers can perform multiple wind turbine structural analyses in parallel in minutes rather than days.

Bentley’s SACS CONNECT Edition now offers:
A unique, combined results database that saves time and eliminates disjointed workflows by combining the results of multiple design phases from independent analyses into a single unified visualization to enable holistic interrogation and design review across all phases simultaneously. (See infographic  and related video)

A new, advanced collapse solver for non-linear analysis and design, which ensures more realistic structural performance during extreme events, such as hurricanes, and allows for more accurate predictions in regard to lateral torsional buckling. (See related video)

Joint meshing and automatic stress concentration factor (SCF) extraction to speed up non-tubular fatigue joint design. With this new FEA in SACS, users no longer need a separate FEA application, such as ANSYS. This all-in-one application saves a tremendous amount of time, money, and eliminates the need for multiple software application investments. (See related video)

Intra-operability between SACS – AutoPIPE delivers shorter design cycles and up to 90 percent reduction in project non-conformances now using Bentley’s ISM technology. This replaces traditional manual methods by electronically transferring pipe support loads to the structural model and integrated structural – piping models for more accurate design loading and engineering collaboration (See related Tech Talk video)

Analytical cloud services for SACS Wind Turbine that leverage the power of high-performance parallel computing on the cloud so that wind turbine structural analysis can be performed in minutes rather than days. This enables faster, more robust analysis of turbine structures subject to wind and wave loading. It also allows engineers to consider thousands of loading scenarios to find the optimal design.

Wilson John, structural integrity engineer with Zakum Development Company said, “SACS software, and its tailor-made enhancements, is a very useful tool for structural integrity engineers where a quick workable solution is required in the shortest possible time.”

Raoul Karp, VP of Design Engineering Analysis with Bentley Systems, said, “SACS CONNECT Edition V12 is the most significant release we have made in years. The challenging oil market has forced the industry to seek ever more productive and cost-effective workflows and explore new complementary business opportunities. SACS V12 offers industry leading enhancements in improved workflow productivity, all-in-one advanced analysis capabilities, and cloud solutions to democratize access to comprehensive offshore wind turbine capabilities. More than ever our users can rely on SACS as the most comprehensive offshore structural analysis application to increase their efficiency, save time, and deliver safe projects on-time and on-budget.”

About SACS
SACS helps engineers improve design quality and predict offshore structural performance using a unified analysis environment that enables the efficient exploration of alternatives. Users can streamline processes with automated structural workflows to apply specialized analyses essential to any offshore project. This includes nonlinear structural analysis and dynamic response analysis due to environmental loads, impact effects, and severe accidental loading. Operational safety is improved by allowing engineers to analyze ship impact and dropped objects, and minimize risk through offshore-specific load generation. Engineers can efficiently visualize complex structural response via interactive graphical review of analysis and fatigue, thus avoiding rework and project delays. Learn more about SACS.

Related Images and videos:
• Combined Results Database (Infographic; Video)
• Automatic meshing and SCF extraction of non-tubular joints (Image) with caption
  “SACS now provides functionality for joint meshing and automatic stress concentration
  factors for complex joints”
• Joint meshing and automatic stress concentration factor (SCF) extraction (Video)
• Collapse solver for non-linear analysis (Video)
• AutoPIPE-SACS interoperability Tech Talk (Video)

Oil and gas companies can save 10% or more in chemical costs through insights into usage with Bentley Systems’ new chemical management solution

28.8.2018 15:33   Bentley Systems announces the release of a new chemical management solution for oil and gas companies operating multiple onshore or offshore wells. With the extended functionality of AssetWise CONNECT Edition, users can consolidate chemical and corrosion data into one central source, to make faster, more informed decisions regarding chemical usage, dosage rates, inventory and more, reducing chemical costs and improving availability of inventory across the operation.

AssetWise’s chemical management solution helps operators to optimize chemical usage and reduce spending. Operators can monitor all aspects of chemical usage and treatments: corrosion, separation, erosion, production, integrity, sampling, environmental compliance, and lab analysis. In doing so, users can predict chemical usages against targets and environmental emissions, while automating scheduling and reporting.

Through a combination of data gathered from sensors and other connected devices known as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Bentley’s connected data environment, AssetWise Operational Analytics gives users the seamless integration of systems and processes that help provide the information they need for precise consolidation, visualization, and analysis.

By bringing all data sources into one central source, Bentley’s solution provides full visibility into how chemicals are being used and how effective they are. Interactive dashboards within Operational Analytics provide users with a range of tools and visualization aids to help track KPIs and create benchmarks across all assets (onshore or offshore) to compare and understand immediately what needs to be improved and where, through a variety of alerts, graphs, and reports.

Anne-Marie Walters, Bentley Systems’ industry marketing director for oil and gas, said, “The chemical management capabilities that this proven operational analytics solution brings to our users offers a tangible return on investment and a scalable solution for oil and gas production, both onshore or offshore. Through maximizing usage of expensive chemicals, oil and gas organizations can see savings of ten percent or more, which will help more effectively reduce operating costs in this volatile industry.”

About AssetWise
AssetWise optimizes asset performance and supports an asset strategy of regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and risk mitigation. Built on a hybrid cloud-computing platform that leverages a common data environment, AssetWise facilitates the interoperation of multiple data sources, providing operations, maintenance, and engineering with accurate and reliable information, when it is needed, to make informed decisions, from capital planning through proactive asset maintenance. Aligned with asset management standards PAS 55 and ISO 55001, AssetWise follows international standards to ensure assets are delivering optimal value and meeting business needs. AssetWise also applies information modeling and information management technologies to asset operations and, when combined with Bentley’s ProjectWise, provides a complete lifecycle information management solution for owner-operators. AssetWise solutions are advancing intelligent infrastructure for owner-operators in asset-rich industries including oil and gas, mining, transportation, power generation and utilities, which have a combined net infrastructure value of over $4.5 trillion. Learn more about AssetWise.

Shortlist announced for Bentley Systems Year in Infrastructure Awards 2018

28.8.2018 15:28  

Press Coverage

Infrastructure Intelligence, UK

Read the article

Bentley used for Barca stadium

28.8.2018 15:15  

Press Coverage

Sports Venue- Technology, India

Read the article

Bentley Systems announces finalists in awards programme

28.8.2018 15:07  

Press Coverage

World Highways, UK

Read the article

Bentley’s Barcelona solution

27.8.2018 15:18  

Press Coverage

Construction Europe, UK

Read the article

Bentley Systems Announces Finalists in the Year in Infrastructure 2018 Awards Program

27.8.2018 15:10  

Press Coverage

The BIM Hub, UK

Read the article

Bentley Announces Finalists in the Year in Infrastructure 2018 Awards

27.8.2018 15:05  

Press Coverage

GeoConnexion, UK

Read the article

Solving The Utility Project Information Management Challenge

27.8.2018 15:00  

Press Coverage

WaterOnline, USA

Read the article

Realworld Engineering Consultants Created 3D GIS Models

27.8.2018 14:56  

Press Coverage

Lidar News, USA

Read the article

Siemens and Bentley Partner in New Digital Solution to Optimize Capital Project Delivery

27.8.2018 14:42  

• New combined offering leverages Teamcenter and Bentley’s Connected Data Environment to
  increase plant productivity, accelerate delivery and reduce costs
• End-to-end digital innovation strategy creates comprehensive and precise digital twins of
  the process and physical plant to manage complexity and simulate the performance of
  intelligent plants

Siemens PLM Software announced today, with Bentley Systems, an integrated solution for enterprises to deliver capital projects more efficiently, combining the Teamcenter® portfolio with Bentley’s ProjectWise and its Connected Data Environment (CDE). Teamcenter is the world’s most widely used product lifecycle management (PLM) system, and ProjectWise is the project delivery collaboration platform for 43 of Engineering News Record’s global Top 50 Design Firms. The new offering continues Siemens’ and Bentley’s strategic alliance that was announced in 2016, and will uniquely extend enterprise visibility across program management of capital project engineering and construction.

“In going digital, the work of engineers and constructors is increasingly about the digital context and digital components around, and within, their infrastructure projects,” said Greg Bentley, CEO of Bentley Systems. “As we industrialize project delivery, it is exciting for us to be working with Siemens to extend the reach of our CDE’s digital workflows beyond individual capital projects. With the Teamcenter PLM integration, the connections of project digital twins can now both expand into their enterprise context, and drill down into their manufactured components—advancing infrastructure through digital DNA!”

The leading capabilities for systems engineering and requirements management within Teamcenter, and lifecycle simulation of engineered components, are now complemented by Bentley’s CDE to take advantage of a project digital twin. Project digital twins automate digital alignment and change synchronization across the project supply chain, enabling continuous and comprehensive status reviews. Digitalizing a plant from the beginning of a project enables the aggregation and dissemination of data in a scalable and manageable fashion. By connecting digital twins with a consistent digital thread, companies can reduce project delivery costs and avoid cost overruns, and can improve operational margins by increasing plant productivity and reducing operational overhead. Enterprises can now achieve consistent digital workflows that span project economics, program management, and project controls to speed up capital project delivery, reduce cost overruns, and improve fit-for-purpose project outcomes.

In the energy and utility industries, for instance, given current energy forecasts, companies need to work more efficiently and cost-effectively when implementing capital improvement projects. Traditionally these extremely complex and expensive projects have many groups, beyond engineering and construction, working independently to drive the project forward. Extending Teamcenter through project delivery, the CDE enables visibility along digital threads of connected 2D and 3D models, dynamically managed to reflect project status. This allows for the continuous assimilation of design and engineering data, to be visually and analytically accessible as appropriate by team members across the wider enterprise and supply chain. Incorporating capital project engineering and construction models in this integrated way enables diverse simulations throughout the project management process to anticipate real-world issues, and more informed decision-making by virtue of real-time understanding of the impact of any design change. The solution will be available to the market beginning in early 2019.

“Owner/operators and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms in the industry need to lower costs and deliver projects more efficiently, and this new digital solution facilitates data-driven business processes for the optimization of projects and the plant,” said Tony Hemmelgarn, CEO of Siemens PLM Software. “Powered by the digital twin, this solution allows engineering data to flow between capital project stakeholders, and will support a broad set of industry use cases.”

Contact for journalists

For Siemens PLM Software
Ms. Natalie Navales
Phone: +1 314 264 8671; E-mail: natalie.navales@siemens.com 

For Bentley Systems
Ms. Jennifer Maguire, Director of Corporate Communications
E-mail: Jennifer.maguire@bentley.com

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, is a leading global provider of software solutions to drive the digital transformation of industry, creating new opportunities for manufacturers to realize innovation. With headquarters in Plano, Texas, and over 140,000 customers worldwide, Siemens PLM Software works with companies of all sizes to transform the way ideas come to life, the way products are realized, and the way products and assets in operation are used and understood. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.

 

 

Siemens and Bentley Systems Strengthen Their Strategic Alliance and Joint Investment Initiatives

27.8.2018 14:19  

• Successful strategic alliance with Bentley Systems, which started in 2016, to be further
   expanded
• Joint investment initiative extended by an additional €50 million, totaling €100 million
• Ambition to further accelerate joint business

In the companies’ latest Alliance Board meeting, Bentley Systems and Siemens decided to further strengthen their strategic alliance. The two companies have decided to extend their existing agreement, to further develop their joint business cooperation and commercial initiatives. Therefore, the joint innovation investment program will be increased from the initial €50 million funding to €100 million. In addition, as a result of the continuous investment of Siemens into secondary shares of Bentley’s common stock the Siemens stake in Bentley Systems now exceeds 9%.

Klaus Helmrich, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, said: “I’m very pleased with how strong our alliance started. Now we are investing in the next collaboration level with Bentley, where for instance we will strengthen their engineering and project management tools with Siemens enterprise wide collaboration platform Teamcenter to create a full Digital Twin for the engineering and construction world.”

He added: “Integrated company-wide data handling and IoT connectivity via MindSphere will enable our mutual customers to benefit from the holistic Digital Twins.”

Greg Bentley, Bentley Systems CEO, said: “In our joint investment activities with Siemens to date, we have progressed worthwhile opportunities together with virtually every Siemens business for ‘going digital’ in infrastructure and industrial advancement. As our new jointly offered products and cloud services now come to market, we are enthusiastically prioritizing further digital co-ventures. We have also welcomed Siemens’ recurring purchases of non-voting Bentley Systems stock on the NASDAQ Private Market, which we facilitate in order to enhance liquidity, primarily for our retiring colleagues.”

Contact for journalists

For Siemens AG:   
Mr. Yashar Azad
Phone: +49 89 636 37970; E-mail: yashar.azad@siemens.com

Follow us on Twitter: @siemens_press

For Bentley Systems:
Ms. Jennifer Maguire
E-mail: jennifer.maguire@bentley.com

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017, Siemens generated revenue of €83.0 billion and net income of €6.2 billion. At the end of September 2017, the company had around 377,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

Siemens and Bentley Systems Strengthen Their Strategic Alliance and Joint Investment Initiatives

27.8.2018 14:19  

• Successful strategic alliance with Bentley Systems, which started in 2016, to be further
   expanded
• Joint investment initiative extended by an additional €50 million, totaling €100 million
• Ambition to further accelerate joint business

In the companies’ latest Alliance Board meeting, Bentley Systems and Siemens decided to further strengthen their strategic alliance. The two companies have decided to extend their existing agreement, to further develop their joint business cooperation and commercial initiatives. Therefore, the joint innovation investment program will be increased from the initial €50 million funding to €100 million. In addition, as a result of the continuous investment of Siemens into secondary shares of Bentley’s common stock the Siemens stake in Bentley Systems now exceeds 9%.

Klaus Helmrich, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, said: “I’m very pleased with how strong our alliance started. Now we are investing in the next collaboration level with Bentley, where for instance we will strengthen their engineering and project management tools with Siemens enterprise wide collaboration platform Teamcenter to create a full Digital Twin for the engineering and construction world.”

He added: “Integrated company-wide data handling and IoT connectivity via MindSphere will enable our mutual customers to benefit from the holistic Digital Twins.”

Greg Bentley, Bentley Systems CEO, said: “In our joint investment activities with Siemens to date, we have progressed worthwhile opportunities together with virtually every Siemens business for ‘going digital’ in infrastructure and industrial advancement. As our new jointly offered products and cloud services now come to market, we are enthusiastically prioritizing further digital co-ventures. We have also welcomed Siemens’ recurring purchases of non-voting Bentley Systems stock on the NASDAQ Private Market, which we facilitate in order to enhance liquidity, primarily for our retiring colleagues.”

Contact for journalists

For Siemens AG:   
Mr. Yashar Azad
Phone: +49 89 636 37970; E-mail: yashar.azad@siemens.com

Follow us on Twitter: @siemens_press

For Bentley Systems:
Ms. Jennifer Maguire
E-mail: jennifer.maguire@bentley.com

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017, Siemens generated revenue of €83.0 billion and net income of €6.2 billion. At the end of September 2017, the company had around 377,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

Digitizing the Indian Construction Industry

24.8.2018 16:14  

Press Coverage

CE&CR, India

Read the article

Digitizing the Indian Construction Industry

24.8.2018 16:14  

Press Coverage

CE&CR, India

Read the article

E-On Software Announces 2018 Student Reel Contest

24.8.2018 16:09  

Press Coverage

Architosh, USA

Read the article

Beyond BIM: Advancements in Modeling and Asset Performance Help Global Infrastructure Go Digital

24.8.2018 16:05  

Press Coverage

Water Finance & Management, USA

Read the article

Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure: 57 Finalists Span the Globe

24.8.2018 15:59  

Press Coverage

Engineering.com, USA

Read the article

BIM adoption in construction explained by Alan Lamont of Bentley Systems

24.8.2018 15:48  

Press Coverage

Geo Spatial World, India

Read the article

Barcelona stadium designers use mixed reality construction system

24.8.2018 15:41  

Press Coverage

New Civil Engineer, UK

Read the article

Resource guide: Drones and UAVs

23.8.2018 20:12  

Press Coverage

Control Magazine, USA

Read the article

E-on Software launches its 2018 Student Reel Contest

23.8.2018 20:05  

Press Coverage

Renderosity Magazine, USA

Read the article