Bentley > Case Studies > AAEngineering's Digital Approach to Gold Ore Processing Plant Delivery in Seismic Region

AAEngineering's Digital Approach to Gold Ore Processing Plant Delivery in Seismic Region

Bentley Logo
Technology Category
  • Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services
Applicable Industries
  • Cement
  • Construction & Infrastructure
Applicable Functions
  • Procurement
  • Product Research & Development
Use Cases
  • Construction Management
  • Digital Twin
About The Customer
AAEngineering is a leading engineering, procurement, and construction company that specializes in delivering complex projects in challenging environments. In this case, they were tasked with the design and construction of a gold processing plant in the seismic Talas region of Kyrgyzstan. The project was part of Kyrgyzstan's efforts to create a closed cycle of gold production, where both the extraction and processing of ore is carried out within their country. The USD 75 million project required construction of the main factory building along with ancillary services infrastructure, including a crushing and screening complex, a laboratory, storage pond, tailings storage facility, poison and ore storage areas, shift camps for operating personnel, and new roadways and accesses.
The Challenge
AAEngineering was tasked with the design and construction of a gold processing plant in the seismic Talas region of Kyrgyzstan, amid a global pandemic. The USD 75 million project was located at an altitude of 3,500-meters in a dangerously seismic area with seismicity up to 10 magnitudes and increased risk of avalanches due to slopes reaching 75 degrees. The project location presented extreme conditions and was subject to strict environmental standards. In addition to the geographical and geological complications, AAEngineering had to also overcome technical, engineering, and coordination challenges among the globally dispersed project team, as well as accommodate the limited construction period. The area has a very short construction season, lasting only four or five months. It rains the rest of the time. They sought to simultaneously organize and perform multidiscipline design and construction works. To carry out these processes concurrently required integrated digital workflows and accurate modeling and analysis applications for visualization and simulation.
The Solution
AAEngineering utilized Bentley’s digital applications to propose several design options for the various facilities to the client, as well as provide an economic analysis for each alternative. They used digital technology to go beyond conventional engineering methods. They surveyed the numerous areas with quadcopters and built digital terrain models using ContextCapture. Upon winning the project bid, they set up the structure for execution and selected ProjectWise as the coordinated platform to share project information in an open, connected data environment, optimizing communication and scheduling among 500 work sites. They modeled the facility construction sites and access roads using OpenRoads Designer, defining maximum safe traffic speeds and visibility zones, critical in the highlands. They carried out the architectural and structural design using OpenBuildings Designer and ProStructures. The interoperability of ProStructures with third-party software enabled all steel and concrete components to be exported without losing information. They also modeled a drainage channel to drain water and bypass the tailings dump. PLAXIS provided the geotechnical analysis that was necessary for them to optimize design of the drainage network and ensure stability of the tailings and storage pond dams.
Operational Impact
  • AAEngineering's use of Bentley software allowed them to perform coordinated multidiscipline design and start construction works during the design stage, which was critical to meeting the short construction timeline. By executing design and construction in parallel, they completed construction and enabled plant commissioning ahead of schedule. This approach resulted in additional dividends for the client. Based on the successful application of BIM and digital twin technology, AAEngineering achieved competitive market advantages and have established themselves as a regional leader in the industry. They have industrialized project delivery through digital lifecycle processes and set new standards of development in information modeling and the use of digital twin technology, transforming the approach to plant design and land site development projects in the future.
Quantitative Benefit
  • The road routing and construction areas were thoroughly optimized, decreasing transportation expenses hauling soil—and avoiding potential costly errors—that saved up to USD 2 million.
  • Reduced design time by 30%.
  • Streamlined communication and design review among the geographically dispersed team, reducing time and costs associated with business travel.

Case Study missing?

Start adding your own!

Register with your work email and create a new case study profile for your business.

Add New Record

Related Case Studies.

Contact us

Let's talk!
* Required
* Required
* Required
* Invalid email address
By submitting this form, you agree that IoT ONE may contact you with insights and marketing messaging.
No thanks, I don't want to receive any marketing emails from IoT ONE.
Submit

Thank you for your message!
We will contact you soon.