Project
Located in a remote area of Africa in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a new sulfuric acid plant manufactures thousands of tons of acid to sustain one of the largest copper mining operations in the DRC. The USD 245 million project features a 1,400-ton-per-day manufacturing facility and a 20-megawatt electrical waste power generation system. Hatch was retained as the engineering, procurement, construction, and manufacturing contractor to deliver the plant and meet the client’s fast-tracked timeline. Faced with geographical, environmental, and logistical challenges, Hatch required integrated technology to digitalize and streamline workflows to accommodate the accelerated schedule.
Solution
The project team modeled and analyzed the structural steel components and created a digital twin model of the entire acid plant. Establishing a connected data environment helped manage and share information across five globally dispersed engineering offices, facilitating digital communication with on-site personnel, commissioning teams, and installation contractors. Hatch developed a completely paperless delivery process, implementing digital workflows and automating previously manual processes to overcome the project challenges.
Outcome
Working in the connected data environment streamlined digital workflows to cut six weeks from the delivery schedule. The integrated applications helped optimize engineering quality and industrialize project delivery, setting an industry benchmark that reduced production ramp-up time by 23 weeks. Extending the application of the intelligent 3D model for material extraction and procurement saved 10% to 15% in purchasing costs for the client. Using the digital twin reduced transportation costs by four times, shipping bulk pipe materials instead of prefabricated piping spools across 2,800 kilometers of roads with gravel sections.
Software
Hatch used STAAD, OpenPlant, and OpenBuildings Designer, to optimize design of the acid plant to meet strict regulatory requirements while meeting the fast-tracked schedule. Leveraging Bentley’s intelligent design and analysis applications within the connected data environment managed by ProjectWise enabled the project team to upstream quality engineering processes, improve procurement and logistical strategies, and minimize construction rework. The 3D digital twin for all production needs eliminated generation of traditional paper drawings, improved the piping and steel fabrication process, and maximized opportunities in data-centric procurement.
Project Playbook: LumenRT, MicroStation, Navigator, OpenBuildings Designer, OpenPlant, ProjectWise, STAAD