Author : Ir. Lam Yoon Cheong, Krishna Prasad, Kelly Lim Suegin Presented at: International Conference on Landslides and Slope Stability (SLOPE 2019), September 2019

ABSTRACT :

The paper presents a case study on review of stability of slopes of existing landfill in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The landfill site was originally an ex-tin mining pond, which is believed to be as deep as 30m. Waste has been deposited at the landfill site over 15 years and the highest level of the waste mound is some 40m to 45m above the general ground level. It is not engineered landfill as the waste materials have been haphazardly deposited at site over the years without any proper liner or containment system. Besides environmental concerns posed by landfill, geotechnical issues related to the stability of the landfill slopes are crucial to proper closure, as any slope failure would adversely affect adjacent developments.

Slope stability is directly related to the slope geometry, geotechnical properties of waste material and the prevailing leachate or ground water level.
As it is not engineered landfill, it is daunting to define the representative shear strength parameters of the waste materials including its density.
Instead of adopting definitive values to characterise the waste material, a parametric study involving the lower and upper bound values of engineering
properties was carried out.

Factor of safety of 1.5 which is considered adequate for long-term stability of a soil embankment, may not be adequate for landfill slope in view of the
heterogeneity of waste materials and its varying age and state of decomposition. Various factor of safety for landfill slope was reviewed for the landfill
site. The landfill slopes are broadly classified into a few risk categories based on the factor of safety as obtained from stability analyses using the
upper bound parameters. Recommendation was given for minimum gradient of slope to be adopted for proposed restoration works.

Author: Dato’ Ir. Dr. Dennis Ganendra, Ir. Lam Yoon Cheong, Koay Leong Thye
Presented at: International Conference on Landslides and Slope Stability (SLOPE 2019), September 2019

ABSTRACT :

The effects of weathering of rock mass and its discontinuities is well known in the highly humid Malaysian climate. A pilot study was carried out to assess the stability and risk categorization of rock slopes at a major expressway. The expressway operator was interested to ascertain the risks of slope instability and identification of priority areas for maintenance planning of remedial or mitigation works.

The principal methods to identify potentially unstable rock mass are geological and rock discontinuity mapping, LiDAR survey, kinematic analysis, stability and risk assessment of the slopes. At inaccessible areas, fieldworks were facilitated using roped access technique and a skylift crane.

Geo-structural and discontinuity mapping were carried out to assess the rock mass condition and joint orientations at the slope face. Topographic contours and cross-sections, obtained from LiDAR survey, were used to evaluate the geometric profile of slopes while kinematic analyses were performed to verify the stability of rock face. The likelihood of a slope failure is caused by instability factors such as rock mass and joint conditions, slope angle and kinematic
analysis. The related consequence factors are influenced by slope geometry, height of potential instability and safety features available at the slope.

High risk slopes were prioritized for future remedial works. With visual conditions and mapping data recorded in the base photographs, it is possible to continuously monitor the slopes over time, thereby providing a versatile tool in the long-term asset management of the expressway.

Location : MALAYSIAN EXPRESSWAY

Authors :Trudy Ganendra, Dr. Ebrahim Taherzadeh, Syazeeta Mohd Khalid .
Submitted for / Presented at :9th IGRSM International Conference and Exhibition on Geospatial and Remote Sensing 2018 .
Date :24 – 25 April .
Type :Paper Contribution and Presentation.

Abstract:
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is one of the most recent and useful active remote sensing tools; it provides accurate horizontal and vertical information by direct time measurement of a short laser pulse’s reflection on the Earth surface. The ability of LiDAR data to accurately characterize terrain has led many users in Malaysia, to employ this technology for various applications, including engineering and infrastructure, environment, disaster and natural resource management. However, there are some technical challenges faced by technology operators and users, particularly in Malaysia, in terms of data acquisition, processing and quality control. In this paper, some of the technical challenges, i.e. mismatches between LiDAR and ground land survey data, differences between coordinates derived from the primary GPS network 2000 and the CORS station, MyGeoid and NGVD height differences, changes in topographical features, LiDAR Data management and the lack of a standard for data acquisition and quality control in Malaysia, will be discussed.

Authors :Ir. Dr. Dennis Ganendra, Ir. Dr. Ali Askar, Yasmin Kushairi.
Submitted for / Presented at :Conference of Power and Electricity Supply Industry (CEPSI) 2018 .
Date :N/A .
Type :Paper Contribution and Presentation.

Abstract:
The implementation of a large roof-top PV installation of 5.28 MWp at MASkargo Complex in KLIA under the Feed–in–Tariff (FiT) mechanism presented a challenge for connection to the utility network. There were several buildings in the Complex whose roofs could be used but aviation rules did not allow the PV systems to be connected together either through overhead or underground cables. It was thus decided to connect the PV system on each roof separately to the utility network, at different voltage levels. The distribution licensee or utility in this case is MAS itself.

This Paper reviews the implementation of the largest retrofit rooftop solar PV plant located at one complex with regard to grid connection and installation practices. Two of the systems were connected to the grid at low voltage at different points, while three systems were connected at medium voltage of 33 kV, also at different connection points. The challenges in carrying out the system study, the subsequent implementation of the project, especially connection to the grid, as well as Operations and Maintenance issues of the grid connection are highlighted in this Paper.

Authors :Ir. Dr. Amir Basha Ismail
Submitted for / Presented at :The Ingeniur Magazine.
Date :December 2018 .
Type :Publication of paper.

Authors :Ir. Tulshi Roy, Wu Ta Hong
Submitted for / Presented at :Conference of Power and Electricity Supply Industry (CEPSI) 2018.
Date :N/A.
Type :Paper Contribution.

Abstract:
This Paper reviews the consultancy experience by a Malaysian Consultancy Company in Bangladesh, where the Malaysian Consultant brought the expertise and experience to help North West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL), an enterprise of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) develop power plants from the first Open Cycle Power Plant to Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) involving:
-Technical tender development
-Tender evaluation and recommendation
-Project execution to plant commissioning

This Paper also includes other key factors that needed to be considered for enhancing the development of the clean energy source and make recommendations to improve future similar utility power projects in Bangladesh.

Authors : Ir. Tulshi Roy, Rajiv Kumar Ravindra Kumar
Submitted for / Presented at :Conference of Power and Electricity Supply Industry (CEPSI) 2018
Date :N/A.
Type :Paper Contribution.

Abstract:
In order to meet the high demand in electricity supply in Malaysia by 2040, large scale fossil fuel power plants are required to generate cost effective and environmental friendly power supply. At the same time, sustainable development of the country cannot be ignored, and this sustainability must be pursued so that we all can have a cleaner environment, a sustained level of economic development without excessive waste and pollution, and the protection of natural resources  and biodiversity. The Manjung 4 Ultra-Supercritical (USC) coal fired power plant provides 1,000 MW in a single unit. In the effort to preserve the environment and increase economic viability, the higher efficiency of the USC technology is a worthy contributor to this cause. In brief, USC technology produces steam that is of higher temperature and pressure as compared to older boiler designs. Thus, efficiency of thermal to electricity conversion in the steam turbine/generator portion of the plant is greater. This in turn contributes to potential fuel cost savings and the optimum usage of fossil fuels/natural resources.

The World Energy Outlook in 2015 forecasted that Malaysia’s energy demand would double between 2015 and 2040, with coal becoming the primary fuel in the country’s energy mix. Malaysia’s largest single power generation utility, TenagaNasionalBerhad (TNB) embarked on the single largest unit capacity 1,000 MW coal fired power plant based on USC technology in Malaysia, Manjung 4. The plant was intended to support the grid system reserve margin, to reliably deliver full base load to the grid and meet the forecast demand requirements over the next few years. The Manjung 4 power plant which adopts the USC technology is capable of achieving a net efficiency of about 40% based on Higher Heating Value (HHV) compared to 35% for conventional subcritical technology, providing a significant saving in the fuel cost and reduction in greenhouse gas emission.

The decision made to adapt the latest USC technology available from the global power generation equipment industries to Malaysiawas largely prompted by higher awareness on emission standards and higher coal price that simultaneously drove the need for higher plant efficiency. Manjung 4’s sophisticated environmental control technologies significantly reduced SO2 and NOx emissions up to 70% compared to other units. Seawater Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) system achieves more than 90% SO2 removal, setting Manjung 4’s emission level at 200mg/Nm3; which is significantly below the World Bank standards of 750 mg/Nm3. This new and efficient thermal power plant development is expected to help reduce Malaysia’s carbon intensity by 33% whilst adopting clean and efficient technologies in power generation industry in Malaysia. This Paper reviews the owner’s engineer experience in the Manjung 4 Project.

Authors :Ir. Dr. Dennis Ganendra
Submitted for / Presented at :Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE)
Date :29 October
Type :Presentation

Abstract:
Technology is impacting all our lives at a faster rate than ever before in history and Building of Infrastructure in no exception. While undertaking in-house Research and Development to commercialise advances in technology is laudable, acquisition of new technology is also a strategy that should be considered. The Acquisition of a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) technology is presented . Civil engineering includes a wide range of applications that require three-dimensional (3D) information. With the advent of LiDAR technology, using it to obtain 3D terrain information accurately in a cost and time effective manner became more popular. Three case studies demonstrate the roles and applications of airborne LiDAR data including highway, transmission line and hydropower dam development projects. In first case study, the highway alignment was considerably changed after the initial design stage. LiDAR data was able to do the re-alignment of survey quickly, allowing for prompt changes in design. In the next case study, a comparison is made between conventional transmission route alignment design and the design using PLS-CADD with LiDAR data. Utilizing the LiDAR data in PLS- CADD allows transmission line engineers to study the construction costs of several alignments options effectively and efficiently compared to the conventional method. The last case study uses LiDAR for obtaining the necessary information for a proposed dam. Using LiDAR data maximizes topological accuracy and volume measurements while minimizing survey time and costs. Furthermore, utilizing the multi-temporal LiDAR data can reveal valuable information such as topography changes. LiDAR survey technology has proven that it is the best method to capture accurate data from the earth surface which provides maximum density of topographical & digital imagery information for various applications

We have grown to accept basic technology infrastructure as an everyday essential. However, Engineers need to implement projects in sometimes very remote and hostile environments where these basics many not be available. An example of this is the rehabilitation of the road from Balkh to Andkhoy in Afghanistan. The road had suffered massive deterioration in a country that had endured massive destruction over 23 years of sporadic war and instability. The Government had designated the rehabilitation and upgrading of several key roads as high priority projects that make a significant contribution to the Nation’s economic recovery. The Ministry of Works of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan had secured a loan from the Asian Development Bank to undertake the required reconstruction works. The background to the Project, the state of the road, the scope of the works to be carried out are presented along with a review of the salient issues which influenced the works. These include climatic conditions, terrain profiles, requirement for de-mining (removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance) activities ahead of construction, security threats, unavailability of construction materials and equipment, lack of adequately trained personnel, construction logistic problems and communication.

Climate change is real and the impact on the globe has manifested in many forms including the increased regularity of catastrophic weather events. Renewable Energy is no longer a nicety but an essential for the sustainability of the globe. Solar, Hydro and Biogas resources are studied and a traffic light system presented to analyse its ease of implementation in any country. Methods of implementing each resource are studied to develop win-win solutions for RE developers and relevant stakeholders. The guiding mantra is Good Business Doing Good.

Authors :Mohd Saufi Mohd Redzuan
Submitted for / Presented at :Mohd Saufi Mohd Redzuan
Date :N/A
Type :Paper Contribution and Presentation.

Abstract:
Permeable pavement system (PPS) has been widely used as urban stormwater management system and can be expected to reduce urban heat island effect. However, measurements of mass transport parameters for unsaturated road subbase materials are very limited. In this study, we measured water retention properties, gas transport parameters, and thermal properties for graded road subbase materials using recycled materials from construction and demolition waste (CDW) and industrial byproducts mixed with fine grains under variable saturated conditions. Graded recycled concrete and steel slag (< 31.5mm) were used as graded aggregate base materials while granulated municipal solid waste (MSW) slag and autoclaved lightweight concrete (ALC) were used as fine grains (0.1062mm). Water retention properties were conducted on single and mixed samples to evaluate the effect of fine grains under different matric potential. Recycled concrete showed higher water retention characteristics compared to steel slag and both materials showed enhancement in water retention properties with additional ALC mixture. As for gas transport parameters and thermal transport properties, gas diffusion coefficient (Dp), air permeability (ka), and thermal diffusivity (KT) with their dependency on air-filled porosity (ε) and volumetric water content (θ) were examined. Samples with MSW slag mixture resulted in improved Dp and ka caused by less tortuous pore-network. On the other hand, only slight improvement of KT were observed with the mixture of ALC fines compared to MSW slag as θ shows more significant effect towards KT for all tested material.

Authors :Ir. Benedict Indran / Selvarajan Satheesh Babu
Submitted for / Presented at :Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM)
Date :29 April

Abstract :
This presentation introduces the participants to the understanding of Railway Engineering and the importance of Geometric design. The Talk covers:
-Introduction to Railway Engineering
-What are Railway Points and Crossings
-Why Railway Geometric Design is Unique
-How the Railway design software has evolved

At the end of the talk, participants are be able to appreciate the importance of the railway geometric design and the difference with roadway design. Some design examples to demonstrate the critical interfaces which are to be taken care are provided.

Authors :Dato' Ir. Dr. Dennis GANENDRA / Ir. Ab Azmar EMBI / Pradip Kumar BISWAS
Submitted for / Presented at : The Bridge and Structural Engineer
Date : April 2018
Type : Paper Contribution

Abstract:
Building a transportation infrastructure for fast growing city like Petaling Jaya (considered twin city with Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia is always challenging and difficult works. One of the major large scale infrastructure projects, the 17 Km long elevated guideway which form the extension of Kelana Jaya Light Rail Transit (KLJ LRT) ie Putra line is opened for service since 30th June 2016. The elevated viaduct was designed to build extensively using precast technique. The time efficient proven technique of span by span precast segmental construction along with some crossings with precast balanced cantilever construction was implemented for the project. Cast-in-situ multi-cellular box girder and precast U-beams with in-situ deck were also used for bifurcation and pocket track areas. These bifurcations are required at the interface of standard double track and single tracks guideway which are required for island platform i.e central platform stations. Majority of the stations (9 out of 12) for KLJ LRT Extension are island platform stations and this had major impacts on interface in constructions, time and cost. The requirement of island platform station was one of the main criteria for the operator i.e RapidKL which is part of Prasarana, the asset owner.

Curved and skewed alignment over major 6 lanes highways and commuter lines necessitated central span as large as 100 m with 3 spans balanced cantilever structure. Prestressed pier columns were introduced due to space constraint and to maintain a pier size that will blend with bottom of box girder superstructure.Precast split segments were also introduced to overcome difficulties in handling and delivery of deeper segments (more than 4.2 m deep) from casting yard which was approximately 200 km away from site. Existing head room clearance of 5.4 m along the highway and other roads restricted precast segment depth upto maximum 4.2 m with low loader. The segments were split into three parts consisting two cantilever portions and central spine portion of box. Segments were transversely prestressed at site to join together before launching in place with segment erector.

This paper describes the design scheme and contractual set up of guideway structures and presents an overview of construction and also related issues, incidents etc.