Project
The Xiaonan (Xiannv Mountain) 500-kilovolt transformer substation will provide the Xiaogan and southern regions with critical electric power support and improve the reliability of overall power grid operations. For this CNY 272.9 million project for the State Grid Corporation of China, POWERCHINA Hubei Electric Engineering was challenged to build on a compressed site and calibrate for transmission over vast distances.
Solution
Standardizing on Bentley’s 3D design applications improved design precision and efficiency, ensuring data accuracy. The institute also developed an intelligent design scheme based on Bentley Substation which enabled the team to design the power distribution equipment more efficiently. The collaborative design process enabled the team to optimize the structural arrangement of beams and slabs to increase the clearance in the communications room without changing the height of the building.
Outcome
Bentley’s 3D design applications enabled the team to deliver a substation design that reduced project costs by CNY 100,000 and shortened the design cycle by 40 days. Optimization of the steel structure saved 60 tons of steel, while optimization of beams and slabs in the main control building resulted in the more effective utilization of space and a .2-hectare reduction in the building footprint. Reducing the area occupied by the substation effectively saved cultivated land in this agricultural region.
Software
The institute used Bentley Substation, AECOsim Building Designer, Bentley Navigator, Bentley Raceway and Cable Management, GEOPAK, Promis.e, and STAAD to accommodate various information models among the departments, and ProjectWise to facilitate collaborative design. Bentley Substation enabled the rapid assembly of various arrangement schemes and checking of the complex electrical design. Collision checks saved more than RMB 0.2 million in rework costs.