Profile of the Customer: Peace River Hydro Partners is a joint venture between ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada Inc. and Samsung C&T Canada Ltd. formed to finish the major civil work for Site C, a Site C Clean Energy Project located in the northeastern part of British Columbia.
Business challenge: Improve information flow between office and field surveyors, equipment operators, and surveyors.
Solutions:
* Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform
* Trimble GCS900 Compaction Control System
* Trimble SCS900 Field Software
* Trimble Access Field Software
* Trimble Business Center Software
* Trimble SX10 Scanning Total Station
* Trimble WorksManager Software
* Trimble WorksOS Software
* Trimble SketchUp
Benefits:
Fast progress tracking from office to field
* Increased operator satisfaction and awareness of the site
* Timely stakeholder notifications/reporting
The $16 billion Site C Clean Energy Project is the third dam and hydroelectric generation station along the Peace River in northeast British Columbia. When it is completed in 2025, Site C will supply 1100 megawatts (MW) of capacity and generate approximately five hundred gigawatt hours (GWh) of power each year, as per BC Hydro, the regional power company.
Peace River Hydro Partners (PRHP), a joint venture between ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada Inc. and Samsung C&T Canada Ltd, was formed to complete the main civil work for the project, which includes the construction of an earthfill dam, two diversion tunnels, and a roller-compacted-concrete foundation for the generating station and spillways.
It’s a huge project that requires an intensive planning process and constant communication to oversee both underwater and on-ground activities in a timely and efficient manner using a wide range of information that includes the laser scanning process, 3D models, survey positions, and more. It also reflects the evolving roles of the surveyor as a data administrator and a technology innovator.
Tunnels, Cofferdams and Channels
Initial construction efforts were focused on tunnels for river diversion, which would permit the dam’s construction. In October 2020, construction crews were able to divert the river flow of Peace River through two large diversion tunnels to ease the creation of an earthfill dam along the main channel of the river. The construction crews constructed two 10.8 meters in diameter (inside) tunnels lined with concrete with a length of 700-800 meters. Long.
Following that, the building of temporary cofferdams on the channel of the river provided to construct the dam made of earth. The site also has an 800-meter-long roller-compacted concrete foundation to increase seismic protection. Other initiatives include the building of foundations in concrete for the generator station as well as spillways, in addition to major ancillary projects like an ongoing network of road roads, site drainage, and waste disposal facilities.
When working on the spillway excavation, Rory Prendergast, then a survey foreman with PRHP, noticed some gaps in the flow of data between the field and the office. When the work was moved to the dam’s core excavation, and his role became Survey General Foreman, Prendergast had all of his tech-related issues scheduled in advance for SITECH Western Canada.
Foundational Adjustments
The dam’s core, when completed, will measure around the size of 900 m by 80 m. To keep track of the excavation process in progress and ensure that the design was met, The team used using the Trimble SX10 Scanning Total Station equipped with a Trimble TSC7 control.
Prendergast said, “Early on, we relied on thumb drives which were handed out by the team at the offices. I also added SIM cards to Windows-based controllers to ensure that the SX10 information could be immediately transferred back into the offices. In this scenario the field workers would inform me via WhatsApp when they had completed their scan and I would complete this scan.”
Utilizing Trimble Business Center, he would identify high-risk areas and re-upload his excavation plan to incorporate cosmetic changes so operators could instantly see the areas that needed to be taken care of. It was a straightforward enhancement that significantly improved office-to-field collaboration. However, the new digital workflow was only the beginning of better communication.
Underwater Perspectives
Another significant excavation needed to complete the Site C Clean Energy Project is the excavation of the spillway. Site C Clean Energy Project is the underwater work in front of the dam. The site is about 600 m by 200 m, and the aim is to remove the entire area in a minimal line for a smooth flow into the spillway. The extra raw material removed from the river’s bottom is essential for making the dam’s buttresses.
“We have to confirm the minimum line of excavation, but also we don’t want to waste each excavator’s time across the day shift and night shift,” Prendergast explained. “Each operator needs to know where the previous excavator has excavated because they’re all going in blind.”
Every excavator comes with Trimble technological grade controls. Prendergast added, “With grade control technology, our operators can gather data like surveyors, a capability that has the potential to greatly improve our workflow.”
The traditional method to ensure that the teams were meeting the minimum standard would be to conduct a bathymetric analysis. “Even even if we were equipped with grade control technology on these machines, they were restricted to manual data transfers via USB sticks. WorksManager simplified the process swiftly,” he added.
Trimble WorksManager Software is the data hub that allows office-to-field communications through the internet, which provides a simple, complete, and effective technology-enabled digital workflow. The three-grade control systems for excavators constantly record their locations throughout the day. After the day’s work, Prendergast logs into the machine using WorkManager’s data hub. WorksManager Data Hub then downloads information and then uploads it to the Trimble Business Center. In Trimble Business Center, Prendergast reviews the work that was completed during the day with the 3-D model. He makes sure that the work is completed below the tolerance of grade in accordance with the established amount of safety. He then transmits an updated perimeter model via WorksManager every morning to employees.
Prendergast went on to say, “Each day I adjust the perimeter to include the previous day’s excavation, so when the day shift starts, they are not trying to rework an area that has already been excavated to grade.”
The operators are thrilled. Prendergast stated, “Their work progress is fluid, there are no stops and stops, or confusion as to what to do; there’s no downtime. If they have any questions or are having a problem with local conditions and their map of the area, I’m just an email away or we can join our WhatsApp discussion group.”
Additionally, he can provide progress reports to the project’s team members through Trimble Business Center’s reporting tools.
3D Models for Momentum
Prendergast also has found ways to integrate old and new technology to improve communication throughout the entire project. “We have a number of older systems such as Trimble TSC3 Controllers that work well for our purposes but aren’t designed for 3D, which again creates disconnects in our workflow,” Prendergast explained.
He was determined to find an app that would display the terrain models in 3D. He came across Trimble SketchUp. He went on to say, “I remember using the 3D modeling tool during college and it was very easy and enjoyable. The tool is an ideal bridge to share progress throughout the entire project.”
In this scenario, Prendergast is able to add several 3D models of particular areas of work within the program, using the use of cross-hatching to mark the work that has been completed, ongoing, and still to be completed, and overlay the designs on the Google Earth map for location.
“Then we just use WhatsApp to facilitate a SketchUp-enabled group chat,” said Prendergast. “It’s been a saving grace and couldn’t be a more perfect bridge to communicate progress to the field.”
Compaction Connection
One of the latest areas of work in which technology has enabled more efficient workflows and improved communication is the complication in the dam’s core.
To accomplish this, 50-ton custom-built packers are pulled by tractor units or bulldozers with a specific pattern. A study of engineering has revealed that compacting every area eight times creates the best density.
Prendergast further stated, “In this case, we have all compactors that are outfitted with Trimble GCS900 Compaction Control System connected to one another using the Wi-Fi connection. WorksOS is the primary channel for sharing data. Operators can view the map in a color-coded format on their cab displays which shows red for the first run and yellow for the next and so on. until the map turns green. The packers are moved upwards and downwards through the entire day, until their designated region is green.”