Hydrocarbon Processing - September 2022 - 95

History of the HPI
ASVAHL's research and findings led
to the development of three major heavyoil
processing technologies: Hyvahl, Solvahl
and Tervahl. The Hyvahol technology
is a fixed-bed residue desulfurization
process that enables refiners to produce
ultra-low-sulfur fuel oil and low-sulfur
diesel-the process is now licensed by
Axens (the company was created by IFP
in mid-2001 through its merger with Procatalyse
Catalysts and Adsorbents).213,214
The Solvahl technology (also licensed by
Axens) is a solvent deasphalting process
that removes asphaltenes, most metals
and other impurities contained in atmospheric
or vacuum residues.215
Tervahl is
a residue and heavy-oil conversion process
by using thermal cracking.216
These
heavy-oil processing technologies are
still in use today.
The rise of
virtual/augmented
reality: A precursor to the digital
transformation. The 1980s not only
witnessed the beginning of the rise in video
gaming systems (Atari and Nintendo
rose to prominence in the decade)-a
market that would reach nearly $200 B in
2021-but also in the popularization of
virtual reality (VR).217
One of the earliest VR systems was the
Sensorama created by Morton Heilig in
the mid-1950s. This " theater " included
a stereoscopic color display, fans, odor
emitters, a stereo sound system and a
motion chair.218
The mechanical device
would use sights and sounds to simulate
reality for the viewer. Heilig followed up
his Sensorama invention with the telesphere
mask in 1960 (FIG. 4). This mask
was the first iteration of a head-mounted
display (HMD) device for VR and is a rudimentary
version of the HMDs available
in consumer and industrial markets today.
In 1969, Myron Krueger created computer-generated
environments that responded
to the user. This system eventually
progressed, leading to the creation of
VIDEOPLACE. According to literature,
this virtual world could analyze and process
the user's actions in the real world
and translate them into interactions with
the system's virtual objects.219
Krueger
eventually termed this type of system
" artificial reality. "
Both VR and artificial reality [also
known as augmented reality (AR)] research
and development increased exponentially
over the next several decades.
FIG. 4. Drawings of Heilig's telesphere mask from his patent Stereoscopic-Television Apparatus
for Individual Use. Source: U.S. Patent Office, patent no. 2,955,156.
For example, many advances in AR/VR
technologies happened in the 1980s.
These included the creation of Sayre
gloves that used optical sensors to detect
finger movements, the creation of VPL
Research by Jaron Lanier and Thomas
Zimmerman (the company was the first to
sell HMDs and gloves to consumers, and
Lanier was the first to coin the term " virtual
reality " ), advanced flight simulators for
pilots, and VR to train National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA)
astronauts, among many others.220
Today, AR and VR are advancing
technologies within the oil and gas and
petrochemical sectors, primarily due to
the industry's digital transformation.
HPI professionals utilize AR/VR technologies
for training, maintenance, planning,
safety, engineering and design. The
advancements in AR/VR systems are
enabling the HPI to digitally enhance
operations and safety throughout all sectors
of the oil and gas and petrochemicals
industries. The adoption of these technologies
is forecast to increase the AR/
VR market in the oil and gas industry to
nearly $1 B by 2027.221
LITERATURE CITED
Complete literature cited available online at
www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com
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