Application of Electrical 3D Software in the Design of Typical Pumped Storage Power Stations
Liu Military
Zhongnan Survey and Design Institute of HydroChina, Changsha, 410014
Abstract: This article presents the application of Bentley’s electrical 3D software, including Substation, BBES, and BRCM, in the design process. Through a typical pumped storage power station design example, it details the entire electrical 3D design workflow, highlights the advantages of 3D design, and discusses future prospects.
Keywords: Substation, BBES, BRCM, 3D Design, ProjectWise Collaboration Platform
1. Preface
In hydropower station design, traditional two-dimensional tools increasingly fall short in representing complex spatial arrangements with depth and clarity. The 2D design platforms struggle to support multidisciplinary collaborative design, leading to errors, conflicts, omissions, and heavy coordination workloads. As owner expectations rise, many organizations are actively adopting 3D design technologies.
Over the past two years, Zhongnan Institute has vigorously implemented 3D design, partnering with Bentley as its 3D software provider. The institute has applied 3D design at multiple power stations such as Tuoba, Liyang, Qiongzhong, Longpan, Taoyuan, and Yidi, achieving remarkable results. The electrical discipline, a key part of the overall 3D project, has also made significant progress.
This paper mainly explores the application of three-dimensional electrical modules in the design of typical pumped storage hydropower stations.
2. Project Overview
Invited by State Grid New Source Holdings Co., Ltd., our institute adopted a 3D visualization collaborative design system to standardize the design of pumped storage power stations and implement full lifecycle design concepts. This system was applied to the typical design of underground power plants and switchgear equipment layouts.
This pumped storage power station project represents our institute’s first 3D standardization effort. Beginning mid-month, on June 28, 2020, the Second Engineering Design Institute’s Mechanical and Electrical Department and Digital Engineering Center started 3D design work in a closed environment. The project included the 3D design of four 300MW units and six 300MW units.
3. Electrical 3D Design Process
The electrical 3D design utilized three comprehensive software suites introduced by our institute: Substation, BBES, and BRCM.
3.1 Electrical Equipment Layout Process
Electrical equipment modeling and layout were primarily completed using Substation design software.
The main design steps included:
1) Substation equipment model creation.
For this typical pumped storage project, all equipment models were newly created based on manufacturer data and photographs, achieving the highest precision among previous 3D designs.
The key models include:
image one Generator Outlet Circuit Breaker (GCB) model
image two Main Transformer model
image three Generator model
image four SFC Output Transformer model
2) Equipment model attribute assignment, specifying manufacturer, model, and size details.
image five Model attribute assignment interface
3) Equipment layout.
Based on the factory structure, models for generators, distribution panels, generator neutral point equipment, and ground outlet equipment were positioned accordingly. Isolated phase enclosed busbar GIS equipment and other components were assembled per electrical design requirements. Layout was optimized by referencing related professional pipelines to enhance efficiency.
This module offers the following advantages:
Ø Rapid and accurate completion of equipment layout design for the overall plan.
Ø Shared database information to prevent data loss, errors, and omissions.
image six Substation software database architecture
Ø Seamless integration with the engineering content management system (ProjectWise) enabling close collaboration among disciplines such as factory buildings, hydraulics, and HVAC. Real-time reviews and adjustments help avoid design errors. ProjectWise facilitates timely file synchronization and design information sharing, addressing delays and communication gaps common in traditional design workflows.
Key achievements of the 3D design for this typical pumped storage hydropower station include:
image seven Layout of electrical equipment in underground factory buildings, main transformer tunnels, and busbar tunnels
4) Wire Hanging
The Substation software features a PlaceWire module to route wires between devices, completing the overall 3D wire layout. It supports wire drawing, insulator selection and placement, and fitting selection and arrangement. The main workflow is illustrated below:
image eight Wire hanging operation flowchart
The wire hanging results between outgoing platform equipment are shown as follows:
image nine Layout of switchyard and outgoing equipment
3.2 Cable Tray Design Process
Cable tray design was not part of previous 3D projects. However, it is essential for electrical 3D design across the entire plant. For this typical pumped storage hydropower station, Bentley’s newly launched BRCM software was selected, offering an intuitive and convenient cable tray design experience.
BRCM provides various cable tray types including trays, ladders, and troughs, incorporating commonly used manufacturer sizes and supporting customization. It facilitates easy layout with automatic addition of bends, tees, and junctions, and can generate cable trays automatically along specified routes. Accessories can be added automatically or manually, enhancing convenience and intelligence.
The cable tray design process includes:
1) Planning cable tray routes based on factory design and selecting appropriate trays from the software library for layout.
2) Adding support arms, I-beams, and other structural components at suitable elevations to avoid conflicts with hydraulic and other professional systems.
The resulting bridge structure layout is shown below:
image ten General layout of underground factory cable trays
3.3 Lighting Arrangement
Lighting design requires numerous fixtures, switches, and sockets. Our institute has already modeled these components in BBES. This software was primarily used to arrange lighting fixtures in the factory building during the 3D design of the pumped storage hydropower station.
In practice, BBES integrates Relux professional illuminance calculation software, which offers several advantages:
1) Significantly reduces errors caused by manual room area calculations.
2) Automates bidirectional data import/export, minimizing human input errors.
3) Provides a comprehensive database, making it easy to access load or external dimensions of lighting fixtures.
4) After calculating the required number of lamps, BBES automatically completes the drawing without the need for manual redraws.
Once calculation and layout are complete, an illuminance calculation table can be generated.
image eleven Illuminance calculation table
4. Collision Check
Bentley software includes a collision detection feature that quickly and accurately identifies conflicts among various disciplines within the project. It visually displays collision results, facilitating efficient troubleshooting, enhancing design quality, and significantly reducing the workload for on-site design representatives.
5. Generation of Construction Drawings
The 3D software allows dynamic sectional views and can generate 2D drawings through cutting methods. Using built-in annotation tools, drawings are created following the unified standards of Central South Institute.
The process involves creating a drawing file with predefined frames, dimensioning required views, setting appropriate properties, scaling views, and adding annotations. Different view scales, detail tables, and equipment lists can be included, and CAD files can be imported directly.
Below are examples of generated drawings:
image twelve Two-dimensional drawing of turbine floor and auxiliary powerhouse bridge
image thirteen Two-dimensional drawing of main transformer tunnel bridge
image fourteen Two-dimensional drawing of busbar tunnel bridge
image fifteen Two-dimensional drawing of auxiliary factory building bridge
6. Summary
In the design of a typical pumped storage hydropower station, the electrical engineering department fully utilized all modules of the 3D software for the first time and applied some of the 3D outputs to construction drawings. This approach has preliminarily resolved the previous challenges of using 3D solely for visualization without practical drawing outputs.
Moving forward, this work will be continuously deepened and expanded across various electrical design fields and stages, enabling precise product design, shortening design cycles, and improving both efficiency and quality.
6.1 Advantages of 3D Design
Compared to traditional 2D design, 3D design is not just a drawing method upgrade but significantly enhances all aspects of the design process. After creating a 3D model, engineers can visually present the entire system to owners, rather than relying on monotonous 2D drawings. This vivid presentation allows owners to provide clear modification suggestions and better understand the overall vision of the power station.
Designers can analyze the system’s rationality based on the model, facilitating quick improvements and reducing repetitive revisions.
The 3D design results enable designers and decision-makers to fully grasp technical details before construction begins, detect errors early, and propose timely modifications, thus avoiding construction problems and potential losses. This approach optimizes design schemes, shortens design and construction timelines, accelerates overall project development, and improves communication among designers, owners, and builders.
6.2 Analysis of Shortcomings in 3D Design
Despite significant progress, challenges remain in converting 3D designs to 2D drawings. Although some methods have been explored, software limitations lead to heavy reliance on high-performance machines for drawing production.
Additionally, limited software openness restricts secondary software development, preventing full customization to meet diverse client needs.
Due to the unique requirements of electrical engineering, current 3D software cannot fully support intelligent schematic diagram generation. Our institute is collaborating with Bentley developers to create a factory power module platform, which aims to solve the automatic generation of electrical schematics.
Although 3D software has some current limitations, its forward-thinking design philosophy points toward the future direction of design.
References
Application of 3D Design in Electrical Design of Hydroelectric Power Stations, AI_T_SC_0_Wang Na, Proceedings of the Youth Technology Forum of China Hydropower Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd., 2011
First author profile (for multiple authors, details of each should be included):
Name: Liu Jun
Birthdate: September 13, 1983
Gender: Male
Place of Origin: Leiyang, Hunan
Ethnicity: Han
Affiliation: HydroChina Central South Survey and Design Institute
Position: Software Engineer
Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Primary Research Area or Job: 3D Software Development
E-mail: liujun@msdi.cn
Phone: 137 8778 3522
Mailing Address: No. 9, Xiangzhang Road, Yuhua District, Changsha City, Hunan Province
Postal Code: 410014
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