The digital twin as the basis for optimisation

The Russian company, JSC “VNII Galurgii” has specialised in the complex planning of systems for the potash industry for over 85 years. The institute functions as a general planner at sites belonging to PJSC Uralkali, one of the world’s leading potassium producers. Uralkali produces a significant proportion of the global potassium chloride volume and controls the entire production chain – from the extraction of potash ore to the supply of finished products to consumers across the globe. 

JSC “VNII Galurgii” began the BIM-compliant planning of the implementation years ago. As a result, experience in the development of information models was gained, both for new-builds and for existing property and facilities requiring a refit. The implementation of BIM projects takes place in a single information environment. In 2019, the company began transferring all existing buildings, including existing heating systems, to digital models (fig. 1).

This formed the basis for the development of optimisation measures to increase efficiency. For the realisation of the project, it was decided to use LINEAR software, as it integrates seamlessly with the Autodesk Revit platform that was already in use and also has a certification for its compliance with Russian standards.

During the first phase of the pilot project, the specialists at the institute investigated the heating and internal heat supply systems of five buildings that functioned as potash ore transshipment nodes. The project covered a total area of more than 2,000 m2 plus five inclined transport galleries with a total length of more than 1 km.

The first step in the implementation process was the creation of models of the buildings and structures. The basis for this was architects’ drawings, building permits and new plans, alongside the thermal characteristics of building shells which were the result of measurements. Using Autodesk Revit, the building shells were created and information on the thermal conductivity of their components collected for further calculation in the building model. 

Then, in the second step, the heat losses from buildings and structures to the environment and the resulting heat load were calculated. This calculation was done using LINEAR Building software in accordance with the requirements of the Russian standard SP 60.13330.2016. The functions of LINEAR Building allow the preparation of the 3D building model for analysis and then the creation of a calculation model. This model was used as the basis for the thermal load calculations, which were made using LINEAR Building Heating.

The subsequent third step consisted of modelling heating systems and the internal heat supply in the Revit model. Information on the thermal output and pressure loss were transferred from technical data sheets to the components of the model. 

The main task in the development of systems is of course to achieve stable thermal and hydraulic operating states through the correct distribution of the heating medium in accordance with the determined thermal loads. In this fourth step, the hydraulic calculations made using LINEAR Analysis Heating helped to make the right decisions. In the context of the calculation for the heat supply systems, the optimum locations for equaliser valves, their size, design parameters and settings were determined and recommendations were made regarding the alteration of the piping routes in existing facilities to increase their effectiveness. Finally, the set values of all regulating valves were automatically determined and output.

Fig. 2: Left: existing single-pipe system, right: new concept for double-pipe system

Thanks to the visual representation of the source data and calculation results, and the direct communication of the calculation by the LINEAR Software using the 3D model of the building, all existing problems in the various heating systems could be evaluated exactly.  

To ensure a correct calculation, systems must be modelled correctly. One of the problems determined during operations was that heaters (registers) with small loads connected in a single-pipe circuit could not be equalised by valves with neighbouring branches. In these cases, the pipework was changed from single- to double-pipe systems (fig. 2).

In close cooperation with the LINEAR team, inexactitudes in the modelling of construction systems were eliminated and important nuances in the creation of Autodesk Revit families explained (fig. 3). LINEAR also profited from the cooperation and was able to improve the software according to the requirements of the Russian market, providing these improvements promptly via an update. 

Fig. 3: Both self-created families and manufacturer datasets were used for the planning.