Tag Archives: Bentley Systems

Bentley Systems seeks to simplify carbon reporting with new iTwin capabilities

Automation, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the infrastructure engineering software company, has announced the general availability of new Carbon Analysis capabilities in iTwin Experience to assess and reduce carbon impacts for more sustainable infrastructure – a development that could benefit mining companies.

The new Carbon Analysis capabilities enable infrastructure engineers to simplify carbon reporting, easily visualise embodied carbon and rapidly explore alternatives for better designs, the company says.

Embodied carbon is the carbon footprint of an asset before it is built, encompassing the greenhouse gases emitted during the construction process. Bentley’s new Carbon Analysis capabilities deliver a “cradle-to-gate” assessment of a design’s carbon footprint, from raw material extraction until it leaves the factory’s gate, which represent the largest contributors to embodied carbon, the company explained.

“Between now and 2050, embodied carbon linked to new infrastructure, is projected to be responsible for half of the world’s carbon footprint released – even before the infrastructure is used,” Savina Carluccio, Executive Director, International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI), said. “Given its significant contribution to global emissions, the sector must act with urgency to reduce embodied carbon at scale, as part of wider decarbonisation and climate action efforts – from leveraging a highly connected and collaborative value chain to using new digital technologies that enable the selection and use of alternative, carbon-efficient materials in sustainable infrastructure designs.”

Bentley’s new Carbon Analysis capabilities seamlessly integrate a user’s design data with their chosen carbon assessment tool. This enables infrastructure professionals to link carbon footprints directly to their design choices and see those impacts dynamically change across design iterations.

“Carbon assessments should be standard practice for global infrastructure projects, but creating carbon reports isn’t easy,” Chris Bradshaw, Chief Sustainability Officer, Bentley Systems, says. “Using Bentley’s new Carbon Analysis capabilities helps transform the tedious task of carbon reporting into a smooth, automated process – providing infrastructure professionals with greater visibility into carbon impacts and helping them design sustainable infrastructure faster and more easily.”

Traditionally, producing a carbon analysis report is highly manual, time consuming and costly, with multiple steps: organising siloed data, translating the data into carbon metrics and producing a final report. The process becomes even more difficult for large, complex infrastructure projects, which typically involve diverse stakeholders, datasets, data formats and construction materials.

Bentley’s new Carbon Analysis capabilities help overcome these challenges through:

  • Automated material quantification: Automatically ingest and aggregate project and asset data, files, and models – created from Bentley software and other sources – into a digital twin, for a single, simplified view. By intelligently grouping common design elements and leveraging integrated workflows, automatically calculate the precise material volumes and quantities missing from design files, eliminating estimations and out-of-date spreadsheets;
  • Easy reporting, every time: With a single click generate a highly accurate cradle-to-gate embodied carbon accounting in minutes through integration with a user’s chosen carbon assessment calculator. Since all data is dynamically stored, users can adjust material selections through the lifetime of a design, creating an easy, repeatable process;
  • In-content 3D visualisations: Instantly see cradle-to-gate embodied carbon output as simple cloud-based heat maps in a live 3D digital twin model. This allows users to explore sustainable design and material alternatives in minutes to create higher-quality designs throughout the design and construction phase.

WSP, a leader in environment and sustainability consulting, has been using Bentley’s new Carbon Analysis capabilities through an Early Access Program, launched last year.

Kelvin Saldanha, Associate Director, WSP, said: “In the past, there have been significant challenges when creating a carbon report for a proposed design. For example, the wide range of methodologies used to calculate embodied carbon made the process feel opaque. In addition, the process was time-consuming, as it required translating every detail into a full carbon evaluation. With Bentley’s new Carbon Analysis capabilities, our design team has better transparency to calculate, analyse and report meaningful carbon footprint impacts within any design change – in real-time with the click of a button, which has greatly reduced feedback loops from months or weeks to days.”

Worldsensing to expand critical asset monitoring portfolio with Bentley Systems agreement

Communications in mining, IoT, Mine surveying, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Bentley Systems, Incorporated has entered into a non-exclusive commercial agreement with Worldsensing to, Bentley says, strategically accelerate the adoption of Infrastructure IoT and further unlock value for infrastructure designers, constructors and owner-operators in their use of infrastructure digital twins.

The transaction will see Worldsensing acquire the sensemetrics Thread connectivity business to expand its portfolio offering.

Worldsensing’s acquisition of the sensemetrics Thread connectivity business will, Worldsensing says, expand and complement the company’s product portfolio, offering new options to its customers where adaptive sensor integrations or active sensor management are a key requirement.

The company offers sensor solutions for mining in critical asset monitoring applications.

Thread, Worldsensing says, offers broadband sensor connectivity uniquely to connect dynamic, high-power, or high-speed sensors and stream sensor data to the cloud for analysis. It is a fully autonomous sensor connectivity device with optional integrated 4G/LTE cellular modem, wireless mesh networking and battery pack in a weather-resistant enclosure. Each broadband device also serves as a gateway for wireless smart sensors.

“Combined with Worldsensing’s existing market-leading offerings, Thread will be a driver for new growth opportunities,” the company says. “Worldsensing will become a preferred sensor connectivity partner to Bentley and Bentley will become a preferred IoT software partner to Worldsensing offering mutual users a best-in-class fully integrated end-to-end sensor management solution.”

Ignasi Vilajosana, CEO of Worldsensing, added: “The acquisition of the sensemetrics Thread connectivity business will expand our portfolio and allow us to provide more options to our customers. We are pleased to become a preferred sensor connectivity partner for Bentley iTwin IoT as it confirms our position as the reference connectivity platform for mining, construction, rail, and infrastructure monitoring.”

Justin Schmidt, Vice President, Corporate Development with Bentley Systems, says: “We are excited to partner with Worldsensing and believe that this strategic agreement will bring significant benefits to our respective user bases. We are confident that the combination of Worldsensing’s expertise in IoT solutions and our leadership in infrastructure digital twin software will create a powerful offering for the market.”

Seequent extends cloud capabilities and solutions for mining with Minalytix deal

Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , ,

Bentley Systems’ Seequent business unit has acquired Canadian software company Minalytix, the developer of MX Deposit.

The acquisition, which comes only a month after Seequent’s purchase of Imago Inc, a developer of cloud-based software for the capture and management of geoscientific imagery, extends Seequent’s cloud capabilities and solutions for mining, including greenfield exploration, resource development and mining production, Bentley says. Prior to the transaction, Seequent held a minority shareholding in Minalytix, and its partnership included exclusive global rights to sell MX Deposit.

MX Deposit simplifies and controls how drill hole and other field data is collected, managed, and shared throughout the lifecycle of a deposit, according to the company. Mining exploration teams can configure the solution for various activities, including diamond and percussive drilling, grade control, underground face sampling, metallurgical sampling, stockpile sampling and sampling mill circuits.

“MX Deposit closes gaps in a project’s data collection, streamlines workflow, reduces errors and provides an audit trail to improve data confidence and act as a single source of truth for project data,” Bentley says. “MX Deposit is easy to use and configure and works anywhere online and offline, delivering valuable insights across all mining projects. Real-time collaboration is enabled with live project data.”

Mining companies use MX Deposit, in conjunction with other geophysics and geology data management and modelling tools, to find, develop and manage world-class deposits, and to enable teams to manage risk and make better, more profitable decisions, according to Bentley. Data can, it says, be easily integrated into MX Deposit in order to provide context that delivers more knowledge and better decision making.

Seequent already integrates its Leapfrog, Oasis montaj, Target and Imago solutions with MX Deposit, streamlining processes and increasing efficiency for geologists, engineers and other stakeholders.

“MX Deposit unlocks value from drilling, one of the largest investments for any mining and exploration company, with enduring high-quality data,” it says.

MX Deposit is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that auto-scales to meet users’ needs, from small to multi-national companies, according to Bentley. Users can create a customised data management solution within hours to collect and control drill hole and other field data and immediately gain insights across all projects, the company says.

There are no limits on data users can store, with some logging millions of samples and blast holes and tens of thousands of drill holes.

Graham Grant, CEO of Seequent, said: “We’re excited to welcome the Minalytix team to Seequent, following our successful collaboration, to broaden the mining workflow through further cloud capabilities. Drill and sample data are the lifeblood for mining companies when exploring, and MX Deposit naturally aligns with our mining and exploration portfolio, including newly acquired geoscientific imagery platform Imago. We have already done a great job of integrating the software and now we are excited to integrate the team.”

Minalytix Co-founder and CEO David Peres, said: “We’re delighted to join Seequent as it allows us to deliver on our founding mission to impact the mining industry positively. We partnered exclusively with Seequent a couple of years ago as they had earned a reputation as a trusted mining innovator with a global reach. As a result, demand for MX Deposit increased in leaps and bounds. With Seequent’s expertise and support, MX Deposit will be able to reach its full potential.”

Seequent adds to cloud-based geoscience software base with Imago acquisition

IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bentley Systems’ Seequent business unit has acquired Imago Inc, a developer of cloud-based software for the capture and management of geoscientific imagery.

The acquisition, which comes only a month after announcing the purchase of Aarhus GeoSoftware, will expand Seequent’s technology solutions portfolio while boosting cloud capabilities to help geoscientists and engineers solve earth, environment and energy challenges, it said.

Imago’s cloud-based platform enables the capture, cataloguing and review of drilling core and chip images from any source, to support every aspect of the geological process from exploration to grade control. Continued development of Imago’s machine learning will lead to a step function in the interpretation of geological data, according to Seequent.

Seequent said: “Mining companies around the world apply Imago’s solution in conjunction with geology data management and modelling tools to enable teams to make more confident, profitable decisions using instantly available, high-quality images. Seequent already integrates its Leapfrog, Oasis montaj, Target, and Minalytix MX Deposit with Imago’s solution, making it easy for geologists, engineers and other stakeholders to extract knowledge and learn from geoscientific imagery. The goal is to unlock significant potential for mining and other industries, transforming image data into meaningful insights for geological activities.”

Imago establishes a consistent process for capturing high-quality images, which integrate with existing workflows and allow the application of machine learning

Graham Grant, CEO of Seequent, said: “It’s an exciting step to welcome the Imago team on board to help advance Seequent’s progression into the cloud. We’re continually exploring ways to provide new technologies and solutions to solve workflow challenges, improve operational efficiency and deliver greater value for our users who are working to solve some of the world’s major civil, environmental, and energy challenges. This acquisition demonstrates Seequent’s continued growth and our commitment to make a positive contribution to the industries we serve globally.”

Imago’s Co-Founder, Federico Arboleda, said: “As a small team in Phoenix and Perth, we’re excited to join forces with Seequent, as this will now allow us to substantially scale Imago’s solutions in mining and other markets. We founded Imago to help mining companies manage the high volume and size of geological images and unlock the great value in this geoscience imagery. Image data is an increasingly important source of data across the geosciences – and can come from potentially any source, including core photos, hyperspectral, aerial photos, drones, and handheld devices. It will become even more important to transform image data into knowledge as automation needs increase.”

Bentley’s Seequent gets geophysical with Aarhus GeoSoftware buy

Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

Bentley Systems’ newly acquired business unit, Seequent, has added Danish company Aarhus GeoSoftware, a developer of geophysical software, to its portfolio.

The acquisition extends Seequent’s solutions for operational ground water management, and for sustainability projects involving exploration, contaminants, and infrastructure resilience, Bentley said.

Aarhus GeoSoftware, a spinoff company from Aarhus University in Denmark, develops the software packages AGS Workbench, SPIA, Res2DInv, and Res3DInv for the processing, inversion, and visualisation of geophysical data from ground-based and airborne electromagnetic, electrical resistivity tomography remote sensing, and other sources. AGS software enables users to create 2D and 3D images of subsurface electrical resistivity, according to Bentley, with the outputs used to distinguish and differentiate subsurface materials. They can subsequently be modelled in Seequent’s Leapfrog to aid in various subsurface investigations.

The software uses electric field measurements, collected at ground level or with airborne sensors, to map the subsurface distribution of certain materials such as water, mineral deposits and clays.

Electrical resistivity, Bentley says, allows a better understanding of the distribution of these materials and, when the water contains other compounds such as salt, researchers and industry professionals can infer the distribution.

The genesis of AGS software was to ensure clean drinking water for future generations by mapping groundwater across Denmark. It is now used in many different areas, including investigating orebodies and waste rock and tailing processes in mining.

Seequent says it will continue its tradition of collaborating with universities and research organisations worldwide through ongoing engagement with Aarhus University for the development of AGS geophysical solutions.

Graham Grant, Chief Executive Officer of Seequent, said, “The acquisition will add new geophysical data processing capabilities to our workflows to help advance subsurface investigation and modelling. AGS software, coupled with Seequent’s advanced geologic modelling and analysis software, creates a key tool in helping understand and manage groundwater and assessing risk in infrastructure such as dams and canals. We’re excited about the new possibilities this opens up for our collective users worldwide, improving life-time digital twins.”

Toke Højbjerg Søltoft, Chief Executive Officer of Aarhus GeoSoftware, said: “Seequent’s global reach will allow AGS software to positively impact more projects worldwide. As we continue to develop solutions, our users will benefit from our tools being in Seequent’s ecosystem and workflow. We’re excited to join Seequent and to work together on our shared vision of helping organisations make more informed and sustainable decisions through a better understanding of the subsurface.”

Bentley’s cloud-based tech aids AAEngineering in Altynalmas gold plant design

Automation, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

AAEngineering Group, utilising Bentley Systems’ cloud-based technology, has helped Altynalmas come up with a new vision for a gold processing plant in Kazakhstan.

When drilling and geological studies revealed the presence of gold ores in the surrounding Akmola region, gold producer Altynalmas invested in expanding resource extraction operations, announcing a tender to increase annual ore processing production up to 5 Mt.

The $230 million project included construction of a new gold processing plant, a dam, accommodation camp for 600 people, water pipelines, and a 220 kV electrical substation.

AAEngineering Group was tasked with overall design, procurement, and construction works that required upgrading existing energy and mining infrastructure, ensuring environmental protection and occupational safety, and determining an optimal construction site that mandated a 1,000 m sanitary protection zone from adjacent pits and uranium dams. The new plant also needed to be interoperable with the existing processing facilities in terms of equipment and materials, as well as seamlessly integrate with the operating systems.

Additionally, AAEngineering faced challenges meeting the technology demands to comply with the client’s “Digital Mine initiative” on a tight timeline, compounded by coordinating a remote team during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company wanted to offer several conceptual models to the client for Altynalmas to visualise the infrastructure design options and make the best decision for implementing the project.

“We needed to issue several versions of the project according to their technical inquiry,” Andrey Aksyonov, Director of the Information Modelling department at AAEngineering. This situation required updating the existing plant information model, creating a digital terrain model, and incorporating components from the database of equipment and materials to provide accurate visual options for the client.

Once the client decided on the optimal design concept and selected the location for the new plant, AAEngineering moved to the detailed design stage and proposed simultaneously executing design and construction works to reduce construction time and meet the short, 22-month deadline. It also sought provide seamless integration with existing facility assets and operations using digital twins.

To develop its conceptual solutions, concurrently perform design and construction, and achieve digital deliverables aligned with the client’s smart mining initiatives, AAEngineering required integrated BIM and digital twin technology. Furthermore, given the COVID-19 global pandemic quarantine, it needed to establish a connected data environment to remotely coordinate design and construction.

Beginning early in the conceptual modelling stage, AAEngineering established a collaborative design platform using Bentley Systems’ ProjectWise to provide a connected data exchange system for all contractors and the client. It used laser scanning and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to survey the existing facilities and the new construction site, processing the captured images with ContextCapture.

“From the survey data, they assessed earthworks and generated a digital terrain model in OpenRoads,” Bentley said. “Then, using OpenPlant, they digitised existing and new pipeline layouts and equipment connections to develop several conceptual 3D models for the client.”

Aksyonov explained: “Using the survey data in ContextCapture, we built a digital terrain model, and all this was transferred to the site layout plant to generate preliminary specifications with an assessment of earthworks.”

The client used the models to determine the optimal design concept and approve the plant location, equipment and piping scheme.

Based on the client’s specifications, AAEngineering used various software applications to assemble the pipeline and structural models, along with the accommodation camp. It then integrated these models with the general plant model in OpenBuildings Designer.

“Aligned with their proposal to perform design and construction simultaneously, AAEngineering used ContextCapture to process weekly UAV-captured images into reality meshes and synchronised the models with SYNCHRO 4D for construction simulation and scheduling,” Bentley said. “Incorporating LumenRT and iTwin Services facilitated visual clash detection and provided the cloud-based platform to establish a digital twin.”

Using Bentley’s digital twin technology, the company synced the model with iTwin for the best understanding, for visualisation of changes, and for making the right decisions on the project, Aksyonov said. These open applications helped maintain project control and stay on schedule throughout quarantine, the company said.

“Using Bentley technology during the conceptual phase resulted in a well-developed visual bid for the project, providing the client with a full understanding of the design right from the start and winning AAEngineering the contract,” Bentley said. “Throughout project execution, the integrated modelling applications and digital twin solution streamlined workflows and facilitated concurrent design and construction that reduced construction costs and allowed plant commissioning to be ahead of schedule.”

Working in a collaborative digital environment and updating the development model with UAV surveys saved 30% in design time and cut travel expenses by 75%, according to Bentley. This also optimised remote coordination and construction management during the COVID-19 quarantine. Accurate modelling and visualisation reduced material quantities by 15% and eliminated clashes during construction, it added.

“Lastly, using the digital twin, the client was able to train operations staff prior to plant commissioning,” Bentley said. “In addition, the digital twin enabled seamless integration with the client’s operating system in accordance with their digital mine initiative to support intelligent mining processes and management, promoting automation and digitalisation that are transforming the mining industry.”

For AAEngineering, implementing the use of digital twin technology on this project provided economic efficiencies and has instilled new corporate processes, making advanced digital practices a company standard, according to Bentley.

Aksyonov concluded: “To sum it all up, Bentley Systems enabled us to improve our own design, construction, and operations solutions.”