Operator Training Simulator with Immersive 3D-VR for a greenfield linear alkylbenzene (LAB) plant based on DETAL technology

Type of service:  OTS

Inprocess client:  Petrochemical Spanish Company

Year:  2019

Country:  Spain

CEPSA contracted Inprocess to develop a Digital Twin based on a rigorous dynamic process simulation model of their revamped Linear Alkylbenzene (LAB) plant (which was moved to Detal technology), which is also connected to a detailed 3D Virtual Reality model of the plant. The Digital Twin is being used in a number of key project tasks including:

• Verifying the complex and automatic regeneration sequences of absorbers and reactors, and all the control and safety narratives of the project.
• Verifying and tuning the new operating procedures for Start-up/Shutdown and operability of the plant
• Tuning all new controllers and configuring the right settings for alarms.
• Training control room operators on replicas of their CR operator consoles communicating with field operators in the 3DVR environment.
• Training AI systems to infer product qualities on distillation units

The Digital Twin was delivered in December 2019 and is being used intensively prior to plant start-up, scheduled for May 2020. The expected benefits are safer, shorter and smoother start-ups.