BIM and AM to manage critical and relevant water &

wastewater utilities assets

Wagner Oliveira de Carvalho1,2,3[0000-0003-1860-5406]

1 Aegea Sanitation, São Paulo, BR 2 Zigurat Global Institute of Technology, Barcelona, ES

3 Universitat de Barcelona, ES

wagnerc2011@gmail.com

Abstract. Global Water and Sewage Utilities must manage a wide variety of essential infrastruc-

ture assets while meeting complex social and environmental challenges , and this is especially

true in Brazil, where according to SNIS Institute only 53% of the population has sewerage cov-

erage and 17% still does not have access to treated water [16].

The Brazilian government´s new regulatory sanitation framework [3] was approved in December

2019, establishing goals to accelerate water and sewerage coverage, stimulating private investors

either to build new or to operate existing plants.

However, the asset inventory handover process from the public to the private sector is unstruc-

tured, causing numerous operational and maintenance challenges to new operators and investors.

This paper presents the digital transformation framework applied in Aegea, a private group of

water and sewage utilities in Brazil, aiming to meet in a sustainable way a social, environmental

and financial value (SLO- Social License to Operate) [15] by combining Building Information

Modelling (BIM) [17] and Asset Management (AM) [8] disciplines. Aegea’s integrated ap-

proach, “Infra Inteligente” (Infra), introduces intelligent 3D models of Water and Sanitation busi-

ness.

The 3D business representations trigger the Digital Twin in unrivaled data and analytics visuali-

zation within a virtual reality environment supporting the organization to take strategic and tac-

tical decisions to do the maintenance and operations of the inherited plants. By switching from

reactive to proactive maintenance it will save millions of Brazilian Reais, extending the life of

critical system assets and prevent the operation team from dealing with frequent and unpredicta-

ble equipment breakdowns.

Keywords: BIM, AM, SLO, Digital Twin.

1 Introduction

According to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects [14], the global per-

spectives on population living in urban areas indicate a steady increase from 55% to

68% by 2050, driving more than 2.5 billion people to the cities. Based on these statics,

urban areas are expected to be more resilient and this will be even more challenging in

developing countries. Thus, in order to take a step forward toward smart cities, asset

managers need to have structured processes in place to build and manage water and

sewerage infrastructure.

2

Taking into account that sanitation is essential for human health, the digital asset

transformation can bring practical benefits for citizens' life by increasing the availabil-

ity and quality of services.

The Brazilian sanitation coverage gap added to the environmental resource’s limita-

tion turn imperative the improvement of water infrastructure projects to meet the citi-

zens’ demand in a more effective way, balancing cost, performance and risks over as-

set’s lifecycle.

Today, more and more organizations are challenged to share structured and unstruc-

tured data and information collected during the entire life of physical assets (revenue

generators), including: construction projects, geospatial information (G.I.S), operation,

maintenance, condition monitoring among others, according to BuildingSMART Inter-

national (2019) [13].

Likewise, the BuildingSMART indicates that there is a long run to evolve in BIM

standards for the different Infrastructure types. The first Industry Foundation Class (IFC

= “Operating system” for open digital data exchanges) specific for infrastructure was

launched in 2014, and the steering committee was established to combine, enhance and

develop open standards for intelligent data.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) methodology is spreading rapidly in infra-

structure management providing a simple and friendly integration of 3D objects (digital

twin) [21].

Although many companies are adopting BIM when contracting their projects, and

even digitizing some operational structures, there is still a lack of comprehensive stud-

ies proving the effectiveness of digital management over the entire life cycle of sanita-

tion assets.

A great success example in BIM implementation for the architecture, engineering,

and construction (AEC) industry is the CCC (Consolidated Contractors Company),

which is today the major construction company in the Middle East. The Zigura t s mas-

ter program is a source of knowledge about the CCC BIM story since the first project

in Doha in 1997, passing through the CCC BIM Centers until the mega infrastructure

projects such as the Midfield Terminal Abu Dhabi Airport in the United Arab Emirates

[22].

Responsible for providing the commodity to life, Water and Sewage Utilities play a

vital role on cities’ development. Operators thus need to effectively reduce risk and

associated costs going beyond the business-oriented perspectives to obtain the social

license to operate (SLO).

In this context, BIM can serve as a shared knowledge resource for information if

unified with AM (Asset management) over the asset life cycle, helping drive compli-

ance with the international management standard ISO 26000 (guideline for social re-

sponsibility) [6].

The construction industry can better support sanitation from understanding its needs

in a more structured way covering not only the constructed facilities but also the natural

world including our interaction with the environment we inhabit.

In addition, the water asset manager along with the design and construction phase

has a vital interest in receiving complete, accurate and validated infrastructure infor-

mation, and with the BIM project completion, the handover will include the facility s

digital representation including physical and functional characteristics to the operation

team in a structured manner.

3

This global water context is even more challenging in some Brazilian regions, where

the private owner-operators are assuming long term contracts, 30 years on average, with

regulatory commitment to increase water and sewage coverage while enhancing oper-

ation performance, increasing the availability and quality of services.

Brazil, having 50% sewage coverage and estimated demand for investments around

USD 100 billion by 2033 (according to the Brazilian governmental agency -

PLANSAB) [1] sets the scene to the challenges ahead. That’s why, there are countless

places in Brazil to be recovered and with today’s technology and a sustainable ap-

proach, there are smart ways to do this (see Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Sewage Cover Index (Source: Aegea SWAN presentation, Miami 2019) [18]

In face of global sanitation challenge, BIM and AM could be the game-changer hav-

ing the potential to deploy optimized infrastructure faster and cheaper than any other

method.

The private operators are taking considerable risks, as they usually start the bid with

inconsistent asset inventory from public sector. The technical information collection is

spread in different files formats, split into thousands of 2D drawings, specs, printed

documents, and normally without standard for asset nomenclature.

Consequently, assuming the operation of these systems in Brazil means to deal with

a lot of water outages, often caused by unknown assets, having to face all the impacts

of their failures on safety, environment, reputation, legal, contractual and quality of

services, as well as the financial consequences of the unpredictable events.

The transition from reactive to proactive approach is a complex issue and requires

the organization to raise asset management maturity index, which includes the imple-

mentation of an AM methodology and a computerized maintenance management sys-

tem (CMMS).

The integrated approach to face the challenges was named “Infra Inteligente” (Infra),

and applying this concept to water utilities produces intelligent 3D models based on

physical and functional assets characteristics of its digital representation. It means a

considerable shift in the traditional way to deal with the information until today, from

4

electronic documents and 2D drawings to 3D model asset data-oriented over the entire

concession lifecycle.

To water owner-operators, the Infra benefits is even more significant, considering

that they have the decision power through conception, design, construction, operation,

and maintenance to turn the business steadier and more profitable.

Making use of the intelligent and friendly 3D BIM models integrating hydraulic

models and AM across the business-life, enables water managers to create faster and

reliable what-if scenarios simulation to support better decisions.

Therefore, the investors must pursue a joined-up view of funding streams related to

Total Expenditure (TOTEX), which can leverage better decisions over the asset through

time, taking into account not only the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) but also as the

asset continues its lifespan during the operation (OPEX).

The three main research questions of this study were to first, assess if the Building

Information Modeling (BIM) and Asset Management (AM) methodologies applied to

other sectors (gas, telecom and energy) would be as effective as at the Brazilian water

sector? Secondly, what would be the transformative impact of BIM and AM on a pri-

vately-owned utility in Brazil and thirdly, what would be the key lessons for other water

utilities to learn from?

2 Objectives

This real case study aims to demonstrate the BIM tools integration to AM approach can

deliver reliable water asset lifecycle information into friendly 3D models, incorporating

specs, documents, attributes and operational real time data of virtual assets (digital

twin).

The general objectives are the evaluation of applying a powerful set of technologies

and processes in the sanitation sector, in order to lead the organization to make better,

faster and more accurate decisions over the whole phases of the concession contract in

compliance with the SLO principles.

In order to achieve and demonstrate this case study objectives the analysis was di-

vided into following steps:

• Brief history report of how the need emerged for structuring asset manage-

ment processes within the organization;

• Technology selection of a computerized management maintenance system

(CMMS);

• Present the planning, benchmarking, classification methodology and imple-

mentation of an AM system;

• Advanced data acquisition technologies for digitizing assets in 3D;

• Introduce the BIM execution plan;

• Practical demonstration of a decision process on a critical and relevant asset,

balancing cost, risk and performance using reliable data and analytics in a

virtual reality environment.

5

3 Water and Wastewater Utility Study Case

The innovative initiative known as "Infra" was introduced at Aegea corporate environ-

ment and it has been revolutionizing the sanitation sector in Brazil. It was a long history

of successful experiences in some Units (cities with Aegea sanitation concessions), di-

agnosis of problems in other Units and, the vision to improve overall business manage-

ment.

Aegea inspiration relates to 2014 during the development of the Water Master Plan

2041 study for the Unit of Prolagos, which is one of the major Aegea concessions lo-

cated in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The challenge was to deliver a long-term contract

study in order to improve the overall system performance, and the final result presented

was remarkable: increase revenue by 30%, save 55% energy consumption, reduce

maintenance costs and enhance system security.

At that time Aegea realized the need to possess reliable asset information in order to

combine the hydraulic powerful modeling tool used with friendly visualization for each

"what-if scenarios" and alternatives proposed.

The application of Bentley WaterGEMS hydraulic modeling tool took the project to

be presented at Bentley´s 2015 Symposium in London, ranked among the world's best

winning the BIM Advancements in Water Networks category by Bentley Systems [2].

The Prolagos master plan a robust and multidisciplinary study taking into account

the scope and contract to detail, identifying the improvements and investments envi-

sioned along the entire concession life cycle. Aegea's award-winning master plans have

delivered significant ROI benefits by optimizing water and sewage infrastructure

through scenario selection and alternatives generated within hydraulic modeling tools

(WaterGEMS) (see Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Aegea Water Architecture – Prolagos Master Plan 2041 (Source: SWAN Forum) [20]

Aegea board, realizing the opportunities to improve asset (revenue generators) man-

agement, held several strategic meetings during 2015 reporting the main problems that

were impacting the business:

6

• Difficulty in standardizing operation and maintenance of Water and

Wastewater Systems;

• 48 Water and Sewage Units inherited from the public sector in different re-

gions of the country, different organizational cultures, old infrastructures and

little information available;

• Difficulty in meeting Capex and Opex planned budget;

• Excessive water supply and sewage system interruptions. Plenty of overtime

in maintenance work;

• Difficulty in measuring inherent and residual risks;

• Difficulty in finding better engineering solutions (design) to meet the cover-

age and efficiency contractual targets;

Aegea board´s decision was to evaluate the asset management maturity level of one

of its Units.

By March 2015, work was carried out to identify the maturity stage of processes

related to asset management in one of Aegea's most significant Water and Wastewater

Utility, Águas Guariroba, located at Mato Grosso do Sul state. This Unit serves more

than one million customers and it is a representative sample of the other units.

In 2017, a survey and mapping of operating costs were published in the - Costs OpEx

Curve ABC - 2017 (Águas Guariroba) document, identifying opportunities for cost op-

timization. In this survey, a structured evaluation methodology was used in line to

ABNT NBR ISO 55001: 2014 requirements and the 39 principles of GFMAM (Global

Forum Maintenance and Asset Management), capable of providing an accurate ma-

turity diagnosis in asset management system [9,10,11].

The methodology applied compares the Águas Guariroba Unit routines and pro-

cesses to a global Asset Management best practices generating an array of considera-

tions:

• The absence of a structured policy, strategy, and CMMS (Computerized

Maintenance Management System) system. Activities related to assets oc-

curred reactively or in isolation, without any organizational or operational

context;

• Physical assets life cycle assessment was still a topic little known by manag-

ers, but intuitively used to justify some specific investment projects;

• Absence of warehouses with spare parts and defined processes;

• No specific criteria for defining an inventory item, nor its maximum and

minimum levels required;

• Tagging (functional identification) of assets was inconsistent. Their move-

ment, or any type of important information, wasn´t managed/administered;

• Absence of a formal system to manage requests for tactical and non-tactical

maintenance;

• Documents inconsistency allocated to technical library;

• Absence of a formal process for identifying, resolving and measuring gains

from operational improvements in physical assets (revenue generators).

7

In this scenario of uncertainty of uncertainty there was a need to start looking for

better decision-making and prioritize investments in order to improve performance,

availability and quality of services?

Then in 2018, given the business needs and operational opportunities, the company

launched the "Infra Inteligente" (Infra). The program started with an intense planning

phase, mobilizing a multidisciplinary team, asset management specialists’ partners and

Aegea´s key areas representatives.

The program's core team in search of AM benchmarking looked into a successful

case at the energy operation of Epcor Utility in Canada. In 2019, a technical visit was

made to Edmonton City to validate in practice how they were able to digit ize assets,

enabling them to quantify asset health and realize a 15% improvement in reliability. In

the same year, this Canadian Utility company won Bentley´s global infrastructure

award competition in Singapore [4].

Aegea Infra Inteligente program aims to:

• Implement BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology, supported

by an asset management system using interoperable digital tools covering the

stages of planning, design, analysis, documentation, construction, monitor-

ing, commissioning, operation, maintenance and decommissioning physical

assets under the responsibility of Aegea's existing and future concessions.

• Establish process and standards for contracting design, construction and op-

eration;

• Establish a process to manage the life cycle of physical assets;

• Initially establish control and subsequently, optimize maintenance and opera-

tion physical assets costs with an estimated reduction in Aegea´s OpEx:

- Energy (Efficiency): reduction up to 18%;

- Maintenance (OpEx): reduction up to 24%;

- People involved in maintenance activities (Productivity): increase up to

20%;

• Establish control and mitigation of risks associated to assets (physical, hu-

man and informational), considering the areas:

- Water Intake, Treatment, Storage and Distribution (Water System);

- Sewage Collection and Treatment (Wastewater System);

- Various services including partners, third parties, designs, engineering

(Services and Support);

4 Methods

As Aegea manages a large number of Units and a variety of sizes, populations ranging

from 13 thousand to 1 million inhabitants, and thus the implementation strategy was

based on a selection of 4 pilot Units set for proof of concept, classified according to

their demographic population as well as one small, two medium and one large pilot

Unit.

The application of AM and BIM methodologies at pilot Units guided the entire plan-

ning and development of Aegea's program.

Concluded the experimentation (diagnostic phase) the activities followed the Aegea

guideline to consolidation which involved: survey and asset analyses; criticality,

8

relevance and risk identification; CMMS tool parameterization and practical applica-

tion of new decision-making process on a critical and relevant asset (see Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Methodology flowchart

4.1 Asset Management Guidelines

The first focus was to development Aegea´s AM Manual [5], aimed to establish the

requirements, standards, norms and technical references to asset managers, through

standards and procedures including, but not limited to:

• Definition and Application of Aegea Asset Management recommendation

based on ABNT NBR ISO 55.001: 2014;

• Definition and Application of Structural Standards and Procedures to the

correct implementation of Aegea Asset Management;

• Definition and Application of Structural Standards and Procedures to the

correct parameterization of the CMMS Asset Management system.

To begin the implementation phase, it was necessary to answer three questions about

physical assets: What are they? Where are they? What conditions are they?

Considering Aegea size in Brazil managing more than 49 large, medium and small

water and sewage Units spread from north to south and estimated 30 thousand equip-

ment (revenue generators) the team had a tremendous challenge ahead.

To answer the basic information was necessary to develop a strategic plan including

a business mindset change from a water and sewage operator in to an intensive asset

management organization (EAM - Enterprise Asset Management) [12].

An effective physical asset management is the new core of the business, in other

words, the reliance on machinery, equipment and infrastructure would deliver real

value for all the stakeholders – business health and depends on physical assets health

(see Fig. 4).

9

Fig. 4. Asset Management Mandala, Infra Inteligente Program – Adapted from PAS 55

Thus, at the edge of the mandala seats the business strategy translating the share-

holders´ expectation, at the center seats the physical assets responsible to materialize

the shareholders expectation, and rotating the mandala clockwise is possible to under-

stand the complexity and responsibility of a modern asset management philosophy:

• Human assets: interacts directly or indirectly with physical assets, demand-

ing defined roles and responsibilities, among other things like motivation,

knowledge, experience, leadership;

• Information assets: a single source of truth (data + information) about condi-

tion, performance, activities, costs and opportunities;

• Intangible assets: reputation, image, moral, compliance, restrictions and so-

cial impact;

• Financial assets: consequence of good pillars management, translating in the

life cycle costing, capital investment criteria and operation cost;

All the AM dimensions and BIM standards (ISO 19650) [7] inspired Aegea to create

the streamline business vision also presented at the SWAN World Conference in Miami

on May 2019, showing the water utility lifecycle representation integrating: main busi-

ness phases and operation phases usually lasting 30 years in average from assumption

to end of concession´s contract (see Fig. 5).

10

Fig. 5. Water Concession Lifecycle (Source: Aegea SWAN presentation, Miami 2019)

The divisions created and represented at the figure 5, was named: "the Virtual Phase" and "Digital Phase", corresponding to the investment stage (Capex) and operational

stage (Opex).

The virtual stage involves the challenge of designing and implementing new infra-

structures or renovating existing ones. The macro phases were split in conception and

design studies proceeding to execution ending with the new infrastructure handover and

marking the beginning of operational cycle.

Succeeding that, we embraced the physical asset digital phase encompassing cycles

of operation and maintenance. This last phase is the longest and where the business

results coming through revenues of water supply and sewage collection, creating a great

potential for improvements by digitalizing the critical and relevant assets and creating

the respective digital twins.

4.2 Asset Identification

As asset management comprises decision making throughout its life cycle, standards

and record structure are a fundamental part of any management system that aims to

manage relevant information.

The Logical Aegea Assets Tree (how the assets are linked together) allows to cen-

tralize the entire management process in a single functionality, giving an overview of

organizational structure, the interaction and locations of related assets enabling a holis-

tic view of the entire system or process.

For the successful implantation of a structured asset tree is necessary to carry out the

first phase, tagging (TAG) and the definition of organizational structure and processes

that will be understood/represented by different levels, such as "Installation Sites".

The definition of a structural equipment tree model depends on the exposure form

selected meaning the assembly option would be the best way to visualize the process at

managers mind, maintainers and those involved in the asset management process.

11

The Logical asset Tree, through its database and relationships, expands the manage-

ment potential in the maintenance area, concentrates the execution of operational rou-

tines, such as corrective and preventive work orders, reports and indicators, maximizing

productivity without burdening the day to day users.

12

4.3 Tag representation by Aegea´s asset tree model

The Infra Inteligente labels characteristics for each level in Aegea asset tree

hierarchy was developed in order to establish a corporate standard (see Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Aegea asset tree (Source: Infra Inteligente Program)

13

To implement a sustainable asset management program or system is necessary the

knowledge/recognition of existing Aegea´s assets and for this purpose a procedure was

created to raise the following data: technical, characteristics, attributes, conditions of

existing assets in the field.

4.4 Criticality, relevance and risk classification

Criticality is the attribute that expresses the importance of a machine or equipment

within a production process, classifying how important and indispensable a certain

piece of equipment is within the operational context.

Relevance is the attribute related to replacement cost/value, which can cause down-

time and therefore high maintenance costs.

Aegea´s Infra program pilot implementation was conducted at Holambra, Matão

and Piracicaba Units, cities located in São Paulo state. The first consolidated infor-

mation of critical and relevant assets was reached at Holambra Unit (see Fig. 7).

Fig. 7. Criticality and Relevance Classification – Holambra Water and Wastewater Utility

The attributes are stratified according to Aegea technical criteria level A, B and C.

The "A" represents the most critical assets which will be subject to risk analysis.

The graphic above shows 7% of the total physical assets in Holambra were classified

as the most critical and relevant "A", meaning that sixteen assets are really significant

and important to the operation system, and according to the proposal of Infra Inteligente

Program they will be digitized (Digital Twin).

The assets risk analysis is carried out through the procedures: “Aegea Risk Analy-

sis”, taking into account the weigh criteria of the Aegea Risk Matrix spreadsheet which

covers the impact in: maintenance; operation; environment, health and safety; legal and

regulatory compliance; reputation and cost of substitution.

Once the risks are identified, they must be classified according to the probability of

occurrence, and the severity of the consequences (see Fig. 8).

14

Fig. 8. Asset Risk Analyses – Holambra Water and Wastewater Utility

15

4.5 CMMS tool implementation

The Infra Program required the adoption of a powerful CMMS toll to integrate de in-

formation created by BIM activities as well as to capture and recognize the existing

physical assets reality at the filed.

An CMMS shall provide few basic important features that serves as basis to control

the different water and sewage units. The Infra established the following conditions to

be met by the CMMS in order to integrate and support the field activities:

Provide structure and process to optimize maintenance work planning and control

(effective utilization of trades people).

Provide information to enable intelligent management decisions.

A tool that can help to implement the optimum mix of maintenance work (break-

down versus scheduled)

A system to record and tracks maintenance cost (material, labor and contractors)

over the asset life cycle.

The computerized maintenance management system (Pragma On Key) was imple-

mented to manage the physical assets, bringing valued asset information at the hand of

the decision makers allowing them to take responsibility with accountability for their

units (see Fig. 9):

• Failures per location

• Failures per asset;

• Failures per asset type;

• Failures per component;

• Failures per root cause;

• Failures per failure type;

• Failures per repair type;

Fig. 9. Failure Dashboard – Holambra, Piracicaba and Matão Water and Wastewater Utilities

The valuable and dynamic information CMMS system is promoting a cultural trans-

formation in the organization and its processes, reaching the initial Infra Intelligent

Program targets.

16

4.6 Critical and relevant asset digitalization

Once the critical and relevant asset were identified the field surveying to digitization

process began, involving the combination of advanced acquisition technologies such as

drones, GPS antenna, laser scanner, high-resolution cameras, and other equipment (see

Fig. 10).

Fig. 10. Example of critical and relevant asset digitalization in a Wastewater Treatment Plant

4.7 BIM Execution Plan implementation

Initially, the Aegea BEP (BIM Execution Plan) was set to orient new projects and also

to guide the use of the digital twin in retrofit cases.

The Infra Inteligente program also created a virtual reality laboratory to promote

collaborative discussions with main designers and operational stakeholders using the

3D model, in other words, this space integrates technology, processes and people to

figure out the best engineering solutions for the projects.

The lab also aimed to break the current silos along the project evolution, applying

Aegea BEP over design review sections every 15 days. At each stage of evolution ge-

ometric information is shared, structured data and documentation linked following the

BIM Levels of Development (LoD).

The Aegea BEP is underway by the Infra Intelligent Program and the key pillars are

displayed on a mental map (see Fig. 11).

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Fig. 11. Mental Map – BEP Aegea

18

The asset registration catalog was set in BIM platform (OpenPlant Bentley). The

outsourced designers worked within the configurated work set to follow classification

rules and attributes required for each asset type (see Fig. 12).

Fig. 12. Asset registration catalog inside Open Plant BIM tool – Infra Inteligente Program

4.8 Cost, performance and risk analyses

The last Infra Inteligente stage methodology aimed to provide accurate information

to different strategic, tactical and operational decision-making teams providing Key

Performance Indicators (KPI) balancing cost, risk and asset performance.

Making the cross-platform data integration combining physical assets, digital twin

and a virtual environment the complex decision over the critical asset proved to be

much more effective.

The main difference perceived between the traditional method and the new model,

besides the availability of reliable and accurate information, was the new way of dis-

cussing and presenting technical alternatives to all stakeholders.

The new dialogue experience increases understanding, even for those not having

technical background, thus strengthening the relationship with local communities in

accordance with the principles of the SLO. Everything is attractive and friendly as there

19

is the integration of non-graphic information and graphic information (3D model)

within a virtual environment (see Fig. 13).

Fig. 13. SWAN Digital Twin Architecture Model [19]

The following practical application demonstration and analysis relates to a critical

and relevant asset - decanter centrifuge - at Piracicaba Sewage Utility.

This equipment is considered by many specialists to be the heart of the sewage treat-

ment plant, as it is responsible for the final processing of solid phase contained in the

sewage for dewatering in preparation to the final disposal at sanitary landfill.

Hence, the equipment operational failure can mean substantial impact on the envi-

ronment and consequently to the community, affecting the financial asset with a high

cost in corrective repair and sometimes generating substantial operator´s liabilities.

Following this chapter, the preventive actions Business Case generated by the AM

and BIM methodologies is presented, which will increase the useful life of this equip-

ment avoiding/preventing operational damages (Fig. 14).

Fig. 14. Critical and relevant asset – Infra Inteligente Program

20

As highlighted at the CMMS platform, this equipment has a total estimated risk over

740 thousand Brazilian reais (see Fig. 15).

Fig. 15. The On Key CMMS tool highlighting the critical and relevant asset – Infra

Inteligente Program

The following figure 13, shows the conflicting balancing factors of cost, risk and

performance in relation to investments in preventive actions (see Fig. 16).

Fig. 16. Balancing conflicts analyses – Infra Inteligente Program

21

Bringing this case to the triple bottom line (SLO), it means lower environmental risk,

higher quality of services for society, and economic benefit for all stakeholders, repre-

sented by a fairer tariff to the end user.

By looking and interpreting the available information generated by Infra, the impacts

avoidances in addition to all intangible benefits for society is quite remarkable (see Fig.

17).

Fig. 17. Preventive tasks on decanter centrifuge – Infra Inteligente Program

The BIM collaboration analyses and decision happens at the virtual reality lab which

is equipped with advanced hardware, specific application, and VR glasses.

Inside this immersive environment, the specialists have a better comprehension of

the critical and relevant assets represented in detail by its digital twin (Fig. 18).

22

Fig. 18. Infra virtual reality lab - “Imersão Visual” technology

The physical replica of the facility is hosted on the digital twin cloud platform for

collaborative analysis and comment among the various experts (Fig. 19).

23

Fig. 19. 3D BIM model inside the Bentley iTwin

5 Main findings and contributions

The first pilot case study at Aegea Utilities proved the applicability and effective-

ness of Infra Inteligente methodology in sanitation to ensure compliance and adherence

to the global good practices of the Social License to Operate (SLO).

Concerning the BIM and AM transforming impact for private sanitation utility in

Brazil, the methodologies combination proved to be very effective, mainly by bringing

reliable information about assets in friendly 3D graphic models that facilitates decision-

making at all levels of the organization

This experience, developed and applied in practice, can be taken to other water util-

ities with some key lessons for attention:

• It is worth demanding the application of BIM for winning design contractors;

• Establish partnership with experienced consulting companies in AM and

BIM;

• Selecting good technological partners that provide advanced, interoperable

and open BIM platforms, as well as provide support for integration;

• Studying and engagement with BIM, AM and digital twins research groups

to be updated on the latest trends and protocols.

However, it is important to highlight that as the sanitation sector in the country lacks

structured processes, the gradual evolution in good AM and BIM practices will have as

main challenge the need to change the organizational culture.

Other possibilities for future works are the Infra Inteligente to support the project's

execution phase (4D and 5D) including physical asset handover in a continues update

of the digital twin models.

24

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