Operator Training Simulators

The Operator Training Simulators market research delivers current market analysis plus a five year market and technology forecast. The research covers operator training, simulators, virtual reality simulation, 3D/Immersive, process simulation, force feedback, 3D noise simulation, digital twins, strategic analysis, market size, industry trends, historical analysis.

Operator Training Simulators Continue to Mature

The ARC market size and forecast report on Operator Training Simulators is a great way to keep up to date on what new technology is available from the suppliers of operator training simulators. Technology has created incredibly realistic virtual reality simulations that can be viewed on the latest generation of VR headsets, on computer screens, or in full scale rooms that have high resolution screens or use mirrors with projectors in a geodesic dome to bring you into a new world. Some have added haptic features like force feedback, 3D noise simulation, and even odors.

Operator Training Simulators Market Trends

In addition to providing a five-year market forecast, the Operator Training Simulator Market Report provides detailed quantitative current market data and addresses key strategic issues as follows.

Simulation Should be a Key Asset of the Organization and Support Training Program

One of the primary goals of operator training simulators is to improve safety by allowing operators to learn and practice new skills in a controlled environment without the risk of accidents or injuries. Operator training simulators can help operators retain knowledge and skills over time, by allowing them to practice and refresh their skills on a regular basis.

The investment in simulation for operator training should be part of a larger digital twin activity that benefits multiple parts of a manufacturing organization. Where process models are used to design the plant and size equipment, these steady state models can morph into dynamic models and form the heart of a console operator training system. Such models are usually built in the form of heat and material balance models using first principals process models that can dynamically connect to the safety and regulator controls. Many new plants use spatial geometric models for organizing the plant design and construction. These models are ideal for building virtual reality simulations that are useful for training field operators. Some high consequence processes connect the spatial models to the dynamic process simulation in a way that allows simultaneous interactions between console and field operators. A sophisticated digital twin like this can be used by process engineers to refine the design by control system engineers to test and debug control and safety systems, by supervisors that create standard operating procedures (SOPs), by plant operations for training, and by maintenance-to-personnel to plan maintenance. Augmented reality displays can be used by instrument, mechanical, and electrical staff by connecting to work orders, hot work permits, and equipment databases.

While such a complex digital twin that matches a process with high-fidelity can be expensive, there are many other lower cost options for operator training. The use of generic process simulators is an effective way to train console and field operators as well as maintenance staff about the fundamental chemistry and physics of many unit operations processes like pumps, compressors, fired heaters, 3 phase separators, distillation columns, heat exchangers, and common reactor systems. Many of these generic simulations can be accessed by cloud servers and they can provide sophisticated animations that can aid in understanding the key characteristics of processes and how they might misbehave in abnormal situations.

Use Appropriate Fidelity Level

Utilize the appropriate level of fidelity for the process simulation. In general, most end users lean toward high-fidelity process models as a means for operators to learn the accurate behavior of high consequence processes. It does take some effort for a simulation to match a plant operating condition in steady state—it takes additional effort to accurately match a process dynamic behavior. Simulations of measurement noise, control valve actuators that open and close at different rates, each with a specific valve characteristic, distillation tray mixing, and holdup, or complex reactors require skilled engineers to make simulations accurate. Matching the behavior of worn equipment like valve hysteresis or heat exchanger fouling or corrosion of equipment internals should be reserved for abnormal situation management, as the base simulation should indicate how the plant should normally operate. Operators may be able to use the simulation to identify maintenance issues when they observe a deviation between simulation behavior and actual plant behavior.

Simulate Control Systems with Vendor Supplied Virtual Controllers and HMI Systems

Where practical, avoid emulation of the control, safety simulation, or HMI for the controls as porting this to a new environment risks losing the accurate behavior. For example, the PID function of one supplier is often slightly different from the PID behavior in another. Instead consider using a supported control simulation software provided by control system suppliers that can directly use the exact control, safety, and human interface algorithms and configurations. The trend for control suppliers is to ship control hardware to site and execute project engineering and control system configuration using virtual control and HMI software on a business network or in some cases on an isolated test network. Control system suppliers increasingly support standard OPC communications and features like halt, playback, and real-time speed adjustment.