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Engineering design is crucial to the development of water conservancy and hydropower projects. The quality, standards, and duration of the design phase have a significant impact on the final project quality and investment costs. As technology has advanced, traditional two-dimensional design methods are no longer sufficient to meet the demands for shorter design cycles and higher quality in today’s water conservancy projects. By leveraging three-dimensional parametric methods to optimize the design process, organizations can greatly enhance the quality, efficiency, and standardization of engineering design. This approach also helps reduce labor and material costs, as well as shortens the construction period. CATIA is a leading integrated CAD/CAE/CAM software platform known for its advanced design capabilities. Widely used in aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineering industries, CATIA is now increasingly being adopted in water conservancy, hydropower, and geotechnical engineering projects. Three-Dimensional Design Concept for Shoreline Factory Buildings In the design phase of shoreline hydropower plants, a parametric approach is applied to support 3D modeling of these facilities. With the CATIA platform, designers can create parametric models for shoreline factory buildings, generate engineering drawings, and integrate terrain data for engineering quantity statistics. This design concept follows these key steps:
1. Create a 3D geological model using terrain and geological data. 2. Design Process 2.1 Establishing the Geological Model and Initial Factory Site Selection To construct the geological model, terrain data is processed using the “Terrain Conversion Point Cloud” plugin, which transforms terrain elevation points and contour information into point cloud files (*.asc) stored in a specified folder. In CATIA, the point cloud file is imported through the “Digitized Shape Editor” module and patched to form a complete mesh surface. This mesh is then converted to a usable surface via the “Quick Surface Reconstruction” module and further refined with the “Planed Shape Design” and “Part Design” modules. By referencing geological maps, attitude lines, drilling data, and other relevant sources, stratigraphic boundaries are defined and key areas are segmented, resulting in a comprehensive 3D geological model. Selecting the factory site requires careful consideration of terrain, geology, environmental conditions, and the overall hub layout. Key factors include construction and land use, slope stability behind the factory, foundation conditions, and management of surface water. These elements are vital for determining the most suitable site. 2.2 Establishing the Factory Skeleton The skeleton serves as the foundation for 3D design, comprising points, lines, and surfaces that define the spatial positioning of hydraulic structures. The main idea is to clarify the hierarchical relationships between models, enabling the skeleton to effectively drive the entire model. Essential skeleton elements include unit center points, centerlines, installation elevations, and other defining features. For example, a shoreline factory building contains six water turbine generator units, each with a capacity of 350 MW. The center point of a unit is at A (1015.018, 1082.338), and the installation elevation is 456 m. Other elevations include: tailwater pipe bottom at 436.40 m, turbine floor at 461 m, generator floor at 472.50 m, crane track top at 486 m, and roof at 492.70 m. The main building’s net width is 13 m upstream and 14 m downstream. The standard unit section is 12 m wide in the -X direction and 14 m in the +X direction. The side unit section is 16 m on the installation room side (+X) and 18 m on the non-installation room side. The enclosure width is 0.02 m. The bottom elevation of the snail shell’s second phase concrete is 452 m, and its downstream face is 10 m from the unit centerline. Its width is 13.5 m on the installation room side (+X) and 15.5 m on the non-installation room side (X). A parameterized framework for the factory is built on this data. As the design develops, skeleton elements can be adjusted, and the design updates automatically. These skeleton elements are critical for positioning and layout, establishing relationships between factory components and the geological model, and enabling standardized data transfer throughout the design process. 2.3 Modeling Different Parts of the Factory Building Design of water conservancy and hydropower projects is divided into stages, with varying levels of detail required at each stage of hydropower plant design. CATIA allows for models to be created that are appropriate for each stage, based on specific research needs and requirements. To streamline the design process, complex building objects are broken down into simpler model elements. Shoreline factory buildings are divided into the lower structure, upper structure, auxiliary factory building, installation room, and tailwater channel. During modeling, key dimensions are extracted as feature parameters according to relevant specifications. Adjusting these parameters allows the system to automatically update the model. To improve efficiency and facilitate reuse, a library of standardized templates is created using knowledge engineering methods. When designing a new project with similar structures, these templates can be reused with modified parameters, allowing a new 3D model to be generated quickly. 2.4 Collaborative Design and Assembly The skeleton design method follows an approach of overall planning first, with subsequent refinement. Using a top-down strategy, the general layout is designed initially, with the main skeleton providing overall control. Specialist designers then develop discipline-specific skeletons, moving from broad design to detailed component design. The project manager creates a professional framework based on the overall skeleton, including control parameters such as installation elevation, generator and turbine floor elevations, snail shell level, tailwater pipe bottom, crane rail top, main building span, main section width, and installation room width. These parameters are shared and used to assign design tasks to team members, with specific permissions for viewing, editing, copying, or pasting. Released parameters control the designers’ modeling process, and any changes to skeleton parameters will automatically update related designs. For example, modifying the factory layout requires changes only to control points, parameters, or formulas in the skeleton, with the entire design updating accordingly. |
2.5 Two-Dimensional Mapping
Currently, both design and construction in the water conservancy and hydropower sector still rely mainly on two-dimensional drawings. To accommodate industry professionals’ preferences and practices, the results of 3D design must be translated into 2D drawings.
Within the CATIA engineering drawing module, users can freely generate cross-sections and layout plans as needed. The 3D model and 2D drawings are bidirectionally linked and parameter-driven. Any modification to the 3D model will automatically update all associated views, and changes in 2D drawing dimensions will also update the 3D model and related views.
CATIA offers multiple secondary development interfaces. By utilizing Visual Basic for secondary development, 2D drawings that comply with industry standards can be efficiently produced. In early project phases—such as feasibility studies, preliminary design, or bidding—this approach greatly reduces drawing production time.
2.6 Quantity Calculation
Quantity calculation is a well-established application of CATIA in hydraulic engineering. However, CATIA’s built-in bill of materials is mainly designed for mechanical engineering and does not fully meet the needs of hydraulic engineering design.
To address this, a table template aligned with hydraulic engineering quantity reporting was developed within CATIA. Since measurement data cannot be directly edited or calculated in CATIA, and hydraulic engineering has specific reporting requirements, data is set as parameters in the model. By leveraging CATIA’s parametric features, this method links the quantity table data with the model, aligns with hydraulic engineering practices, and significantly improves design efficiency.
The template offers several advantages:
1. Each data point in the engineering quantity statistics table is directly linked to the model. When factory layout, dimensions, elevations, excavation, or backfilling are changed, the engineering quantities automatically update.
2. The template is universal. For new projects, it can be copied to a new view and linked to the new project’s template for immediate use.
This approach has been successfully implemented in projects such as Guxian Power Station, Hekou Village Power Station, and Jijixia Power Station, where it has increased design efficiency by more than 40%.
3. Conclusion
Three-dimensional parametric design can significantly improve the efficiency and standards of design teams, enhancing their core competitiveness. In the context of shoreline factory building design, the CATIA platform combined with a top-down 3D design approach has enabled systematic research and implementation of parametric design methods for these facilities. Practical engineering cases have demonstrated the successful application of parametric design to shoreline factory buildings.
Following design specifications and procedures, the shoreline factory building is divided into multiple simple components based on structural features and design practices. Each component is modeled and parameterized individually to create a standardized template library. Early applications of collaborative design in water conservancy and hydropower engineering show that this advanced approach greatly enhances design efficiency and quality. The use of CATIA for 3D design of shoreline factory buildings demonstrates that integrating CATIA into the water conservancy and hydropower industry is both feasible and promising for future development.
Source: 3D Power
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