Operator training simulators in virtual reality environment for process operators: a review

Given the factors such as safety, profitability, and environmental concerns at stake, operator training is an everlasting and vital process in the process industry. An inevitable need for skilled operators in the chemical industry leads to search for novel and effective training methodologies. Consequently, dynamic simulation techniques have been considered as a tool to educate and train inexperienced personnel as expected by the industry. Traditional training methodologies are hardly sufficient to instruct the operators for seldom-occurring perilous situations. Conventional operator training simulators (OTS) are generally effective, but they lack to give operators the actual feel of the scenarios. Training effectiveness can be enhanced by providing operators with a sense of realism. Therefore, integration of OTS with virtual reality (VR-OTS) certainly comes out to be an alternative. VR-OTS can replicate emergency conditions, accidents, and investigate safety protocols. In this work, we discuss the need for virtual reality (VR) in OTS, merits of VR-OTS, and the role of training assessment methods. Contributions of OTS Authors’ in process industry from year 2000 to mid-2017 are reviewed and discussed extensively. The review shows that VR-OTS provides tangible benefits over its conventional counterparts in terms of improved safety of plant, increased productivity, and environmental protection. Finally, this paper outlines future scopes that the current researcher may consider to focus for the increased and improved VR-OTS usage.