Civil 14 - Hydro Safety Grab Lines

Center for Engineering Design and Entrepreneurship

Civil Engineering Department Student Project

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Project Title

IMPROVEMENTS AT HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION FACILITIES

Due Wednesday, October 2, 2013

CEDE - Civil Engineering requests a student project proposal for the following project:

 

DEVELOPMENT OF A STANDARDIZED METHOD OF DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF SAFTEY GRABLINES, AND BOATING SAFTEY CABLES AT A VARIETY OF DAM SITES, AND METHODS TO REDUCE THE IMPACTS OF DEBRIS AT THE 9-MILE DAM.

 

SUMMARY INFORMATION

Due October 2, 2013, before 4:00 PM PST

 

One digital copy in pdf format and one hard copy of proposal must be submitted.

 

Location for Proposal Delivery:      

 

Toni Boggan,

Academic Director of CEDE,

Gonzaga University School of Engineering and Applied Science,

PACCAR 214, Spokane, WA 99258.

509-313-3913

Boggan@gonzaga.edu

 

 

Project Sponsor

The sponsor of this project is AVISTA Utilities. The liaison engineer(s) are

John Hamill, PE Generation Engineering Manager

PJ Henscheid, PE Mechanical Engineer

Avista Utilities

1411 E. Mission

Spokane, WA 99220

Phone 509-495-4323

Fax 509-777-9569

pj.henscheid@avistacorp.com

 

Project Description:

The CEDE - Civil Engineering Department is requiring a proposal from the group of student engineers to provide comprehensive engineering efforts related to the development of rationally similar methods to design and install safety grab lines at six AVISTA dam sites. At all sites boater safety cables are required. At the Nine-Mile Dam a design to address the management of debris at the dam is required. Engineering activities will include elements of civil, geotechnical and facilities engineering.  The student team is expected to research existing literature and compare design alternatives so that effectiveness, cost, manufacturability, appropriateness of technologies, and overall compatibility with the project goals can be used to select the most desirable solutions. 

 

Tasks to be addresses in the Proposal will include, but are not limited to the following:

 

1.         Safety Grab Line Design:

Improve the existing installations so that all installations will perform as required and be of a more standardized nature, where types of installations will have similar characteristics to simplify design, installation, and maintenance.

 

2.         Boating safety Lines:

Improve upon existing installations to improve effectiveness, maintenance characteristics and ease of installation.

 

3.         Nine-Mile Dam Debris Rack Improvements:

Investigate alternative modifications and improvements to the debris handling at Nine Mile Dam.  The project team should address operational concerns provided by the sponsor.

 

 

The project will also require the implementation of project management techniques in the completion of the engineering efforts, including interaction with AVISTA as the project sponsor, liaisons, project advisors, monitoring efforts and progress, updating the project schedule preparing status reports, gathering information required for design in and from appropriate regulatory agencies.

 

 

Students will be responsible to make required presentations of the project activities as required to the sponsor’s organization. 

 

EVALUATION PROCESS

The proposal evaluation process will be determined by the project advisor in conjunction with the CEDE, the project sponsor, and the CEDE Design Advisory Board.  It will be based on the organization of the project efforts reflected in the proposal and the educational goals achieved in the completion of the proposal.  Note that some efforts in the project are oriented to achieve educational goals that are not required to achieve the project sponsors goals.

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

This project has a variety of information from the sponsor available for the project team to review.

 

PROJECT INFORMATION AVAILABLE

The sponsor has some drawings depicting the conditions at the work sites. In addition the project team will be required to make surveying measurements and to collect soils samples required for the design efforts.

 

The project team must familiarize themselves with the existing condition of the project in order to properly prepare the project proposal. 

 

STUDENT PROJECT ACTIVITIES REQUIRED

The student project group will, at a minimum, provide the following efforts and deliverables in the completion of the project addressed in this proposal:

 

Scope of Activities Required to Meet Project Goals

 

Task 100  Project Management and Coordination

The student group shall organize, manage and coordinate the efforts required to accomplish the project using standard project management and contract administration techniques. Key management activities are identified below:

 

            Sub-Task 110        Kick-off Meeting

The Student Team will conduct a kickoff meeting with their project advisor and sponsor liaison’s to gain familiarity for the project and to solicit input, gather available data and information.

 

            Sub-Task 120         Routine progress-review meetings

Routine progress-review meetings will be conducted on a regular basis as follows:

a.      Weekly progress reports are required and are to be submitted electronically to the advisor by 5:00 pm each Thursday. Weekly progress reports must include, at a minimum, activities completed by each team member for the current week, expected work for the upcoming week, and updates to the project design budget and schedule.

b.      In addition, a complete hardcopy record of the project reports and files must be maintained by the student team and be made readily available during consultations with the advisor. Typical method would be a project notebook. The advisor and liaison will ask to review this notebook periodically to discover the status of the work being completed. 

 

 

 

            Sub-Task 130  Regular Advisor and Liaison Meetings

After the kick-off meeting, the Student Team will meet weekly with the project advisor, and will also meet when needed with the project liaisons.  All meetings with advisor and liaison’s MUST be arranged by members of the Student Team in advance (at least 2 days prior) and include a proposed meeting agenda sent to the advisor or liaison prior (at least 2 days) to the meeting.  All meetings must be documented by the Student Team in the form of meeting minutes with copies distributed within 3 days of the meeting to all team members and the project advisor and liaison’s, as above.

 

      Sub-Task 140 Quality Assurance/Quality Control

The Student Team will perform a methodical QA/QC effort in a manner suitable to the project advisor and liaison, to prevent incorrect, sub-standard or dangerous results from being included in the end of semester project reports.

 

      Sub-Task 150  Project Schedule / WBS /Gantt Chart

The Student Team will prepare a detailed schedule and Gantt chart that indicates the person hours of effort in each sub-task proposed. The schedule will require a WBS and will identify the critical path of activities.

 

Task 100 Deliverables

• Electronic copy of agenda for team meetings.
• Electronic updates to project design budget and schedule that includes budget and personnel hours for each sub-task in the entire project.
• Electronic copy of resolutions and action items for each meeting.
• Statement on the QA/QC activities for reports submitted at the end of each semester to describe the review and checking procedure employed.

 

Task 200     Project Data Collection

Work collaboratively with project staff and other reliable sources to develop project data suitable for design.  Data may include material and labor costs, geology, site survey, water runoff, climate, power requirements, cultural preferences and other data.  Proposal submitted is to identify data needs and collection methods for project.

 

            Sub-Task 210  Literature Review

The Student Team will perform a thorough literature review to form the basis of design and evaluation in the project.

 

            Sub-Task 220  Site Data

The Student Team will collect the site information needed to establish designs at dam sites. Data will include at a minimum: soil, geometric layouts, predicted runoff, depths and construction requirements.

 

            Sub-Task 230   Project Context Data

The Student Team will present information distinguishing the alternatives in terms of safety achievable, legal issues, and long-term effectiveness.

 

Task 200 Deliverables

• Electronic copy of literature, data and mapping, reports or surveys completed for the project and to be included in the project report.
• Bibliographic references and annotations for significant literature used, suitable for use in conference publication.
• Summary of safety and legal issues addressed in design.

 

Task 300     Project Design Efforts

The student team will develop plans, drawings, analysis, comparisons, and other design work required to successfully achieve the project goals. The specific project approach will be determined by the team in the project proposal.

 

            Sub-Task 310  Alternative Designs

Provide design drawings, details and material selections for various alternatives. 

 

            Sub-Task 320  Alternative Evaluations

Develop rational basis to evaluate variety of alternatives proposed using matrix approach. 

 

Task 300 Deliverables

• Electronic copy of drawings, calculations, data, reports or calculations completed for the project design and to be included in the project report.

 

Task 400    Project Regulatory Requirements

Determine appropriate regulatory guidelines to use in the completion of the project. 

 

Task 400 Deliverables

•  Provide appropriate written summary of regulations that would apply to the project.

 

Task 500     Project Costs, Specifications and Maintenance  

The student team will develop specifications, cost estimates for construction of the design alternatives, and a summary of issues affecting the maintenance. The specifics will be determined by the team in the project proposal.

 

Task 500 Deliverables

•  Provide appropriate written summary of results

 

Task 600   Project Sustainability Evaluation  

Based on the users’ needs the performances of alternatives and the understanding of the safety, and regulatory requirements, evaluate the preliminary alternatives design developed in the completion of the project for overall sustainability and identify other opportunities for increasing sustainability that are potentially achievable.

 

 

Task 600 Deliverables

• Provide appropriate written presentation that:

a)              Describe the environmental benefits/costs of the project. 

b)              Describe the social benefits/costs of the project. 

c)              Describe the economic/costs benefits of the project. 

d)              Summarize how sustainable the methods used to meet the project goals are. 

 

Task 700    Project Reports, Publications and Presentations  

The project team is required to prepare a final report suitable for both the CEDE and AVISTA. Prepare and present findings of the project to Sponsor or public groups. 

 

Task 700 Deliverables

•  Reports, publications and presentations in electronic format in a timely manner.

 

 

PROJECT SCHEDULE

Timeliness of project completion is critical. The project schedule contains some specific milestones and also must accommodate the academic calendar.

 

The student group will use the general dates below to develop the comprehensive schedule required for the proposal.

 

Information on Proposals Available:                                   September 4, 2013

Teams Selected:                                                                   September 6, 2013

Sponsor Workshop                                                               September 11, 2013

Civil CEDE Mandatory All Student/Advisor Meeting        September 18, 2013

Labor Day                                                                              September 27, 2013

Proposals Due                                                                      October 2, 2013

Founder’s Day Holiday / Midterms                                     October 21, 2013

Roundtable Project 30 % Progress Meeting                     October 30, 2013

Thanksgiving Holiday                                                           November 27 – 29, 2013

Project Status Presentation 50% Progress                       December 11, 2013

Project Status Report Due                                                   December 13, 2013

Reading Days                                                                       December 14 – 16, 2013

Classes Begin                                                                       January 14, 2014

Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday                                           January 20, 2014

President's Day Holiday                                                       February 17, 2014

Roundtable 60% Progress Meeting / Social                     February 19, 2014

Spring Vacation                                                                    March 10 – 14, 2014

Good Friday – Easter Holiday                                             April 18 – April 21, 2014

Final Reports Due                                                                 April 25, 2014

Final Design Presentation                                                   April 30, 2014

 

PROJECT BUDGET

The student group will include a budget that details the costs of completing the project design tasks. This budget is not the “engineers estimate” to complete the implementation of the design; it is the costs to perform the engineering tasks and does not include the value of project team personnel hours. This requirement is contained in Task 100, but is highlighted here.