Close to the Hinkley Point A and B nuclear power stations in the UK, a new power station is being built: Hinkley Point C.Atkins' Hinkley Point C project is the winner of the 2018 Tekla Global BIM Awards in the industrial category, beating out the 24 other competing projects in this category.
HINKLEY POINT C in figures
+ more than 30,000 people working on the project
300+ draughtsmen
80+ BIM technicians
234,000 tonnes of concrete
+ over 12,000 drawings (unprinted)
6 million low-carbon households
234 million tonnes in total reinforcement weight
+ More than 1000 RC models
2 new reactors capable of generating 3.2 GW of power
Production begins in 2025
The plant will comprise two new nuclear reactors capable of generating 3.2 GW of power, with the aim of providing 6 million households with low-carbon energy, among other things, and is scheduled to start generating electricity in 2025.
Atkins provides detailed structural design and integrated 3D information models for reinforced concrete buildings. These include the technical galleries, which form a series of underground tunnels linking the various structures, as well as a large number of power generation buildings.
Future developments : Reinforcement modeling management and dematerialization
Hinkley Point C is one of the largest construction projects in the world, with over 30,000 people involved in the project, including more than 300 draughtsmen and over 80 BIM technicians. Given the project's 234,000 tonnes of concrete and total rebar weight of 234 million tonnes, a large amount of rebar modelling was required. What's more, Atkins is aiming for dematerialization. The aim is to democratize construction using 3D models.
How Tekla helped Hinkley Point C
To ensure that the project ran smoothly, BIM was used to the full. The result was benefits for designers and contractors alike. As part of the detailed design, Atkins used Tekla Structures to provide a fully integrated 3D reinforcement model. Design engineers were able to tackle the huge amount of reinforcement detail more effectively by using Tekla software, for example, to automate repetitive tasks, improve data integration and management, and enhance quality assurance.
Using BIM, contractors have been able to establish rapid reinforcement procurement and create detailed method statements as a basis for design. With full kinematics for more complex areas, they will be able to use animations to demonstrate how embedments fit into rebar, making it easier to sequence rebar installation along edges and with long spacing.
