Lift Planning

This paper presents the work done toward developing a computerized heavy lift planning system (HELPS) for planning crane lifts. Initially, a survey of the industry was carried out to define the heavy lift planning process and identify the developments necessary to improve the process. This survey identified eight tasks in the lift planning process. Based on these tasks, a logical framework representing the planning process was developed. The scope of the current work was limited to developing a tool for planning three of these tasks. A visualization environment—Walkthru—was selected to implement the heavy lift planning system. Although Walkthru provided many of the features required for the system, critical functions had to be added. The developmental work for this study focused on (1) developing a shell that could control the visualization environment and related files to provide seamless access to the library of cranes and (2) providing features to perform critical lift planning functions. The resulting prototype system was tested on sample lifts, and all the functions worked as designed.

This paper describes the Automated Lift Planning System (ALPS) software developed by Bechtel Corporation. The software was developed to assist the construction engineer with planning and visualizing heavy crane lift plans. The software is the most recent addition to Bechtel Corporation's set of construction simulation and visualization tools. ALPS contains a wide range of features enabling the user to select the appropriate crane for a lift, design a rigging assembly to interface with the load, simulate the lift in three dimensions (in the context of a 3D project model), and automatically determine all relevant safety parameters and potential interferences with surrounding structures or components.

Planning heavy lifts is a complex process. The conventional tools available for planning are limited. As a result, the planning process is tedious and cumbersome. This work focuses on developing a heavy lift planning tool within the AutoCAD environment. The planning features of the tool are developed within two key modules: the Visualization. Module and the Database module. The visualization module is implemented using AutoLISP and incorporates features for viewing and manipulating the spatial attributes of the plan. The Database module is implemented using Visual C++ and Microsoft Access. This module updates the lifting capacity of the crane based on the selected configuration, boom length and lift radius. The implemented lift planning functions were tested successfully using a case study.

Modular integrated construction of high-rise buildings has shown its potential in accelerating the speed of construction, improving safety, safeguarding quality and enhancing productivity. However, due to the disruptive change to the construction process, challenges are identified to effectively plan and handle multiple lifts for hoisting heavy modules. Research on lift planning includes the development of simulation tools. However, the previous tools provided either static simulations or pre-designed animations that did not address the interactions between planners and the tools. Virtual reality (VR) offers an opportunity to build an interactive and navigable 3D environment. This paper aims to develop a userfriendly VR-supported tool for achieving effective lift planning for constructing high-rise modular buildings. First, the module lifting process and tower crane operations were analysed. Second, a VR demonstration was developed using a real-life modular building project. Third, the demonstration was used during interviews with the project team to verify the effectiveness of the developed tool. Results suggest that the tool can help optimise the site layout and lift logistics through the provided functions of collision detection and construction simulation. The findings suggest that VR-supported lift planning will contribute to ensure site safety and enhance the productivity of modular high-rise building construction.

313 Planning heavy lifts is a time consuming and costly activity. Several systems have recently been developed for computer aided heavy lift planning that increase planning productivity and dependability of lift plans. These systems must handle a wide range and growing volume of both graphical and non-graphical data , including information about crane configurations , rigging, lift objects, load tables , and the site of the lift. Methods are needed for handling this data more effectively. This article presents an interactive database graphically linked to a heavy lift planning platform described in an earlier article. A relational database management system , OracleTM , is linked to a computer Aided Design (CAD) and graphical simulation platform , MicroStationTM, to implement dynamic interaction between the database and the elements of the planner hosted by MicroStation. With the interactive database capability , the usefulness of heavy lift planning systems can be greatly enhanced. In this article , related research and developments are briefly reviewed , the implementation and usefulness of the graphical linkage is described , the design of the database is presented , and uses of the interactive database feature are illustrated and then evaluated . Selected implementation details are presented as well. Introduction Heavy lifts play an important role in the construction industry. In common industrial construction, such as rehabilitation of power plants and construction of new facilities, utilizing large cranes to install electrical, mechanical, and process equipment is a frequent task. The current surge in modular construction, at grade construction, and industrialized housing technology in developing nations, is also increasing the number and significance of heavy lifts. Heavy lifts need to be planned thoroughly to ensure lift safety and lift feasibility. Planning involves activities such as rigging design, selection of crane configurations, lift object and crane locating, path planning, access planning, and scheduling. Computer aided lift planning systems also include graphical simulation for interference detection, planner feedback, and plan review. Without proper planning, the execution of a heavy

Construction industry has seen a tremendous growth in developing countries in the past few decades. Millions of dollars are annually spent by the industrial owners and the contractors on critical operations in the construction industry. With the intense demand for rapid construction of infrastructure, construction industry faces the challenges of completing projects in a shorter duration. Further, the decreased availability of skilled resources compounds the problem further. Critical lifts are important but risky activity which has major impact on the construction safety, cost and the schedule. The level of technology that is available in the present construction industry for critical lift planning is limited to 2D drawings and a few Computer aided lift planning software (Hornaday et al. (1997)). The current software tools have many limitations. This paper discusses the work done towards the development of the Computer aided Critical lift planning system using Parametric Modeling software Autodesk Inventor. This platform is used for the first time in developing computer aided lift planning software. The system developed is evaluated using a case study taken from a refinery site, the results obtained are encouraging and demonstrates the potential to improve the overall lift planning process.

This paper presents a state-of-the-art digital twin of a hydraulic actuated winch that is used for heave compensation in offshore applications. The digital twin is used as part of a larger simulation model that involves all necessary components to perform lift planning and, subsequently, determine the corresponding weather window. The winch simulation model is described and verified by means of full-scale measurements. In addition, a set of acceptance criteria are presented that should be used whenever verifying digital twins of heave compensating winches that are to be used for lift planning.

Artificial lift is generally required to extend field-life beyond the period of natural flow. In the course of the reviews and studies we performed, we noted artificial lift had not been given sufficient consideration at initial design phase. Due to the pressure to maintain the field production, operators often choose a phased artificial lift deployment to cope with the learning curve, risks and uncertainties, which typically includes: ▪A first phase (Phase-1) of artificial lift is screening and concept testing to evaluate artificial lift options;▪A second phase (Phase-2) involves deployment to a group of wells for a selected option;▪A final phase (Phase-3) is the full field implementation. This paper presents an efficient and effective workflow to select the most suitable candidates for Phase-2. Lessons learnt based on the implementation of workflow in real-life case studies will be shared as well: ▪First, a well selection process is performed to review inactive strings and/or low performers that are most impacted by such issues as reservoir pressure declined / high water production. Cased-hole saturation logs (PNC log) and static pressure log measurements are used to build an understanding of areal pressure and water saturation distribution and to further identify localized pressure sinks and watered-out areas. The understanding gained upon reviewing the well-based surveillance data is used to identify candidates for artificial lift application.▪Then, the well candidates which are grouped by categories of issues and different reactivation options are screened for each group of wells. A score-based ranking process is applied to sort candidates on urgency, value or impact of artificial lift and possibly other criteria, using production history and surveillance data.▪Finally, results per well are reconsolidated to reservoir / field level and used to support a field-wide concept, which allows to extract valuable field scale requirements (e.g. the determination of the gas-lift volume requirement for gas-lift planning etc.). This workflow greately helps to understand the root cause of performance issues and to select the most suitable artificial lift concept (including considering well pre-conditioning needs such as water shut-off). It leads to exploring and defining artificial lift concepts and helps to focus on the field development plan and detail engineering study at a very early stage.

The need for optimized aviation lift planning is becoming increasingly important as the United States and her allies participate in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). As part of a comprehensive effort, our nation's fighting forces find themselves conducting operations around the globe, with this trend likely to increase, even as budget constraints limit the number of personnel and amount of equipment that is deployed. While much attention has been given to airline schedule optimization and fleet planning. the challenge of Army Aviation lift planning is unique in that it must be able to adapt to changing requirements and missions on a daily basis. In this thesis, we model Army Aviation lift planning as a service network design problem, and propose two heuristic algorithms, which compare favorably to current human planning systems. Furthermore, we apply these heuristic algorithms to long term asset planning and capacity requirement estimation for future military scenarios, and analyze how passenger flexibility affects the need for capacity. Thesis Supervisor: Richard R. Hildebrant Title: Principal Member of the Technical Staff Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Thesis Supervisor: Stephan E. Kolitz Title: Director of Education Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Thesis Supervisor: Stephen C. Graves Title: Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management Science Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Systems