Believed to be a first for the chemical industry in the UK, the Igloo allows trainee field technicians to practise safety critical tasks, such as safe startup and emergency shutdown procedures, in a virtual production plant by integrating it with a fully dynamic process simulator and a control room simulator.
A 360° projection screen enables trainees to learn as they go and allows mistakes to be made without disastrous consequences. Realistic sound effects mimic real life operation of the plant, and the dynamic process simulator produces the responses expected from the real plant in different safety critical operation scenarios.
Paul Chung, Professor of Computer Science at Loughborough University said: “The Igloo presents a fantastic opportunity to bring about a step-change for the chemical engineering industry. A tool like this could also be used to certify that a technician has been trained properly.”
Following an evaluation study which involved more than 50 BP contract technicians and staff, the next stage will be to seek funding to develop the concept further.
Prof Chung added: “The Igloo has the potential to play a big part in accident prevention; increasing safety, reliability and capability in the long run.”