Development of augmented virtual reality-based operator training system for accident prevention in a refinery

A new operator training system that trains both control room and field operators by coupling dynamic processes and accident simulations, thereby preventing potential hazards in a chemical plant, is proposed. The two types of operators were trained in different training environments - a conventional distributed control system interface for the control room operators and an augmented virtual reality-based system for the field operators. To provide quantitative process changes and accident information driven by the actions of the trainees in real time, two types of simulation, dynamic processes and accidents, were implemented. The former was accomplished through a real-time dynamic process simulation using Aspen HYSYS; the latter was achieved by replacing the high-accuracy accident simulation model based on computational fluid dynamics with a variational autoencoder with deep convolutional layers and a deep neural network surrogate model. The resulting two types of outcomes were transferred across each training environment in a platform called the process and accident interactive simulation engine using object linking and embedding technology. In the last step, an augmented virtual reality-based platform was attached to the process and accident interactive simulation engine, making communication between the control room and field operators possible in the proposed operator training system platform.