Book Image

Operator Training Simulator Handbook

By : Joseph Philip
Book Image

Operator Training Simulator Handbook

By: Joseph Philip

Overview of this book

Operator training simulators in the process industry have been around since the 1970s, but you may not find a book that documents the development of these systems and the standard best practices. The Operator Training Simulator Handbook covers best practices for OTS engineering and OTS training development and delivery, starting from the basic the jargon and the different types of OTS systems. It will take you through the best approaches to project specification as well as building, maintenance, planning, and delivering these systems by sharing real-life experiences and dos and don’ts. As you advance, you'll uncover the various challenges in the planning and delivery of operator training models and understand how to address those by working through real-world projects. This book helps in specifying the best fit for purpose, choosing a cost-effective system when acquiring an OTS. You'll also learn how you can turn your OTS projects into digital twins before finally learning all about documentation in a typical OTS project, covering the sample structure that you can use as a starting point in your projects. By the end of the book, you'll have learned best practices for developing operator training simulator systems and have a reference guide to overcome common challenges.
Table of Contents (11 chapters)
1
Section 1: Introduction, Definitions, and Classifications
3
Section 2: Best Practices for the Development of OTS Systems
6
Section 3: OTS' Future, Training Model, and Reference Documents

Best use of an OTS

I have been asked what the best use of an OTS is over the years and my reply is always that everything depends on how the contractors treat the simulator. I have seen three types of suppliers, as follows:

  • The first type is where the operation team gets offered a simulator by the project team and they don't have the skills to use it, so it ends up not being used after the system has been through Site Acceptance Test (SAT).
  • The second type use the simulator for the first startup and then due to a lack of expertise and maintenance money will stop using the simulator.
  • Finally, the third type is what we want to see. The contractor uses the simulator during the project build and the first startup and will keep using it going forward for many years to come.

As I said earlier, I have seen all three types. An example of the first type was a project that was part of an new ICSS install in Italy. Since the contractor had neither the expertise to...