POWER January 2015 - 41

TRAINING
ing SOPs from maintenance documentation
manuals, using an intuitive scenario editor,
while trainees can configure their own individual
avatars.
Training several people in parallel using
the same 3-D model not only improves teambuilding
and collaboration, but it also allows
lessons learned to be communicated more
easily between important stakeholders, such
as within a group of control room personnel
or among maintenance crew members.
This virtual training can be used for familiarization
with the basic plant environment (such
as locations of valves, piping, and equipment)
and can be deepened by practice of SOPs (Figure
1). Operating behavior and composure during
unscheduled events such as fire, gas leaks,
or accidents can be tested with the ITS and the
desired actions taught through specific exercises
(Figure 2). Optimally trained personnel help
to substantially minimize the risks of incidents
or unplanned shutdowns.
Value Propositions for VR Training
Conventional classroom formats remain the
norm for internal and external training, but
creative and more-motivating approaches
are rapidly emerging. They include leveraging
the EPC's CAD models and plant laserscanning
data to present to users a 3-D VR
simulation of the work environment that can
be navigated simply and rapidly, as if in a
video game.
The rules of engagement with COMOS
Walkinside can be customized as the model
is presented so that trainees are not just exposed
to generic training but, rather, to a
high-fidelity replication of their actual plant,
with its texture, color, and even 3-D stereo
sounds emitted by rotating equipment and
pumps. Such details are far more than a gimmick,
particularly when simulating emergency
situations, where trainees are tested and
graded on their capacity to find and follow
egress routes and report to muster locations
in preset time limits.
3. Learning retention rates. Simulation
is the clear winner among these familiar training
modes when it comes to retention. Source:
NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science
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4. The workflow process. Creating and publishing 3-D virtual reality models is quick and
easy. Courtesy: Siemens COMOS Industry Solutions
Under simulated smoke and fire with computational
fluid dynamics, an accurate overlay
on the 3-D model of smoke dispersion patterns
under variable wind directions provides
unique experiences where sound cues from
rotating equipment can help direct operators
to safety when their visibility is impaired. The
memory of having been in a particular déjà vu
situation before is a powerful experience that
cannot be realized in conventional training
environments, where it is difficult to increase
stress levels, such as by surrounding the field
operator with smoke, playing loud alarms,
showing a dangerous spill on the floor, or presenting
a " man-down " situation-where reflexes
may stand in the way of implementing
preestablished procedures. The exercise can
potentially mean the difference between life
and death during an emergency.
Stress jolts memory and boosts retention
rate during training. Hence, it is easy to understand
why a photo-realistic environment
can deliver much higher retention rates than
conventional training; some studies suggest
that students remember no more than 6%
to 10% of their training material after six
months when reading and lectures are the
training mode (Figure 3).
In addition, for each rehearsed procedure,
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Simulation Audiovisual Reading Lectures
January 2015 | POWER
access to information about plant equipment
in the COMOS database can be generated
from the 3-D VR model, such as maintenance
history, equipment manufacturer's specifications,
and recommended maintenance or replacement
procedures. The position of the
equipment in the P&ID, engineering instruction
and control schematics, and process flow
diagrams helps the operator, teammates, and
supervisor share the same information about
mission-critical procedures, such as lockout/
tagout of subsystems and bypass of sensitive
portions of the plant. (To view a video
of the 3-D visualization system, go to: bit.
ly/1ve7TlQ.)
The system faithfully and realistically
represents the actual plant and its associated
www.powermag.com
information, which boosts productivity and
efficiency while minimizing plant downtime.
Customers benefit from optimized project
execution, commissioning, and startup, and
improved asset availability compared to conventional
approaches.
In-context training is the " name of the
game " (pun intended) when it comes to interactive
training, as scenario-driven sequences
of all work orders can be assigned to targeted
trainees for guided tutorials, freehand rehearsals,
or testing of their ability and performance.
Unscripted events can also be interjected at
will by the instructor in the students' standard
procedure training to test trainees' behavior
and composure under stress, similar to the
way airline pilots are evaluated before, during,
and after qualifying on a new aircraft. The process
develops greater composure under stress,
improving reactivity and safety for individual
operators, their teammates, and their working
environment.
Easy Configuration and Effective
Results
Although one might think that such a sophisticated
setup would require an expensive or
complex hardware environment, 3-D visualization
workstations or laptops are often
sufficient to power up the simulated world.
COMOS Walkinside is easy to deploy and
use, and is immediately available for trainees
to begin immersive learning activities. Morepowerful
configurations can be designed to
meet more-advanced requirements, including
instructor consoles, remote training stations,
3-D active stereo, high-resolution screens,
head-mounted devices, Kinect or other motion-sensing
technologies, and more.
The 3-D VR model can be created automatically
within a few hours and requires
little customer effort (Figure 4). Changes to
the 3-D CAD master data are reflected very
quickly in the 3-D VR model. In addition, the
system is capable of handling massive 3-D
CAD files.
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POWER January 2015

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