Some of ENECA's main priorities are development and application of BIM technologies. BIM design allows not only to minimise mistakes caused by collisions of engineering networks intersections, but also to significantly reduce the design work deadlines. In this article, we will consider the use of BIM technologies for developing projects of automated process control systems (process technology automation, automation of heat and thermal engineering solutions for boiler plants, automation of HVAC systems, etc.) using Autodesk Revit software.
- Automation construction project comprises the following documents:
- Automation functional diagrams,
- List of embedded parts for installation of C&I devices,
- Principle electrical diagrams,
- Diagrams and/or tables of external electrical wiring connections and terminals,
- Equipment and electrical wiring layout plans;
- Lists of equipment, items and materials;
- General arrangement drawings of non-typical items.
The greatest potential for applying BIM technologies to develop an automation project is revealed when creating equipment and external wiring layout plans, as well as when preparing the lists. Based on the experience of using various BIM programs, the specialists of Automation Department have come to the conclusion that the best solution is to use Autodesk Revit software to model the equipment and cable route layout plans. This is primarily due to the design of MEP parts of the project using this program.
There is a range of plugins available for Revit for the design of cable routes and cable length calculation. For these purposes, Automation Department of ENECA uses OSTEC plugins (for laying cable routes), Connect To EIPanel (plug-in for forming electrical connections) and BIM Electrical Design by Schneider Electric (for cable length calculation).