Investing in Aluminum Production
As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative to increase global trade and stimulate economic growth, Aluminum Corporation of China (CHALCO) Hong Kong is investing in a CNY 7.19 billion aluminum production facility to be constructed in Guinea’s Boké region. The plant covers 62 hectares and will have an annual production output of 1 million tons. Shenyang Aluminum & Magnesium Engineering & Research Institute (SAMI) was tasked with preparing a feasibility study for the large-scale, overseas project. Consisting of over 70 engineering subcontracts, the project presented significant coordination challenges compounded by stringent scheduling and cost requirements, which they could not accommodate using conventional design methods.
Committed to Digital Deliverables
SAMI committed to providing the owners with digital deliverables using digital asset management as the foundation for improving factory operations and maintenance management. They also wanted to use digital technology to save construction costs. SAMI sought to generate digital twins but faced difficulties when remotely collaborating and managing project resources with designers using different software applications, as well as determining how to use digital twins for visual construction planning and management. With an aim to establish a standard engineering database as a single source of design information, they needed an integrated technology platform to resolve interoperability issues and meet the large-scale project requirements.
Bentley Provides Integrated Technology Solution
Already familiar with Bentley design applications, SAMI chose ProjectWise to establish a connected data environment, managing over 5,000 documents and models, 15 departments and organizations, and more than 100 people. They used MicroStation and OpenPlant to develop a standardized engineering database with over 8 million pieces of data, which also conformed to industry design standards. Leveraging OpenBuildings Designer, AssetWise, and iTwin Services, they established a digital twin factory model centered around digital asset management. Using SYNCHRO 4D, they linked the digital twin with the construction plan to perform 4D construction simulation. Bentley’s integrated technology is providing the collaborative platform to establish standard workflows for creating digital twins and achieving digital deliverables to improve asset performance in China’s aluminum industry.
Digitalization Drives Savings
Working in a connected data environment using ProjectWise as the collaborative platform is improving workflow efficiencies and data exchange among the remote teams, saving 30% in travel costs and 15% in labor costs when compared to traditional data exchange methods. Using the digital twin for design verification and construction simulation with SYNCHRO 4D is expected to save more than CNY 60 million and 72 construction days. The digital twin integrates design, engineering, and operations and maintenance information, enabling real-time visual equipment and facility management. As the first AssetWise-based digital delivery model for China’s aluminum industry, the innovative design is estimated to save CNY 117 million and provide a digital model foundation for the establishment of future visual smart factories. The project is on track to be completed in March 2022.
Project Playbook: AssetWise, AutoPIPE, Bentley Raceway and Cable Management, LumenRT, MicroStation, OpenBuildings Designer, OpenPlant, OpenRoads, OpenUtilities Substation, ProjectWise, ProSteel, ProStructures, STAAD, SYNCHRO 4D