Operator Training System (Omega Simulation)

OMEGALAND: Operator Training Simulator

OmegaLand is an integrated environment for dynamic simulation that enables the creation of virtual chemical plants, petrochemical plants, refineries, and other types of production facilities. This facilitates operator training, the analysis and examination of processes, the design and verification of control systems, education about chemical processes, operation assistance, and operation optimization.

Benefits of OMEGELAND

Gaining plant start-up, shut-down and normal plant operations
Acquiring how to respond against equipment malfunctions and other emergency situations (early recognition, avoidance, and corrective action)
Capturing and transferring plant operation knowledge among plant operators
Increasing process knowledge and plant operators confidence for better plant operations

Effectively to train the plant operators, OTS should reproduce actual plant behaviors and replicate operational environments on which the plant operators are working. This requires a high fidelity OTS which is capable of;

Reproducing actual plant behaviors as accurate as possible,
Utilizing identical DCS and SIS operational environments of actual plants,
Replicating realistic operational environments of actual plants for field operators,
Linking to other venders’ simulation software that has complementary features.

Further, high fidelity plant models in OTS are able to be leveraged to other purposes throughout the plant lifecycle.

Key Features for Plant Operators

Omega Simulation Co., Ltd. offers a high fidelity OTS called as OmegaLand OTS, and has delivered more than 200 OmegaLand OTS in Oil and Gas, Refining, Petrochemical, Chemical and Power industries worldwide. The features of OmegaLand OTS are:

For Plant Operators

High Fidelity Dynamic Simulator
OmegaLand OTS includes a high fidelity and rigorous dynamic simulator called as Visual Modeler. Visual Modeler accurately reproduces actual plant behaviors because it is designed with the complete heat balance, mass balance and pressure flow balance based on the laws of conservation of mass and energy. It includes the DIPPR (Design Institute for Physical Properties) database that contains 1,600 pure components, and a wide variety of calculation methods of the thermodynamics.

Identical DCS and SIS Operational Environments
It is essential for the high fidelity OTS to utilize identical DCS and SIS operational environments of actual plants. OmegaLand OTS is able perfectly to link with CENTUM and ProSafe-RS, Yokogawa DCS and SIS, one of the most famous systems worldwide. This leads DCS operators to feel like that they are in front of their system, and working on their plant.

Realistic Operational Environments for Field Operators
Field Operation Panel (FOP) integrated in OmegaLand OTS provides the high fidelity OTS to the field operators. Through FOP, the field operators feel as if they walk in their plant, monitor and manipulate field devices in collaboration with DCS operators. FOP is capable of easily linking to 3D or virtual graphic software. It enhances operational reality of the field operators.

For Training Instructors

Dedicated Tool for Training Instructors
OmegaLand OTS integrates a dedicated software tool for the training instructors called as Instructor Tool Kit (ITK). The training instructors define and control training sessions, monitor and evaluate trainees’ operation, and generate training reports through ITK.

Various Functionalities Required for Operator Trainings
OmegaLand OTS is designed to provide various functionalities required for operator trainings. The training instructors define training settings, and change parameters at any time during training sessions through ITK, whatever they want to perform. ITK also allows the training instructors to evaluate trainees’ operations and replay them for review with the trainees.

For Engineers

Simulating Large Scale Plants by One Computer
OmegaLand OTS is capable of simulating, by one computer, a large scale plant like a whole ethylene plant which includes more than 10,000 process units, because of its superior software design, whereas other OTSs require a few or more computers to simulate such a large scale plant.

High Speed Calculations
Excellent computation algorithms in OmegaLand OTS achieve the high speed calculations. It makes huge and complex calculations in real time. In addition, OmegaLand OTS is possible to calculate much faster when it simulates using several computers.

Further Applications Over the Plant Lifecycle
OmegaLand OTS is applicable not only for the operator trainings but also for other purposes over the plant lifecycle with leveraging plant models developed in OTS.

Key Features for Training Instructors & Engineers

Instructors

Engineers

High Speed Calculations
Excellent computation algorithms in OmegaLand OTS achieve the high speed calculations. It makes huge and complex calculations in real time

Further Applications Over the Plant Lifecycle
OmegaLand OTS is applicable not only for the operator training but also for other purposes over the plant lifecycle with leveraging plant models developed in OTS, leading to optimization.

Optimization

MIRROR PLANT, which is based on the OmegaLand technology, has been developed and works in synchronization with the plant control system and constantly and periodically updates the process models. This means:

Predict future operation by executing a simulation faster than in real-time.
Select the shortest transferring path that will not be affected by a plant condition at changing grades.
Perform economic optimization in the present circumstances and search for the most appropriate operation to move there.

Process Analysis & Examination

A steady-state simulator has been used for process analysis and designing, whereas a dynamic simulator is being used for plant operation analysis and verification.

On a virtual plant configured in a dynamic simulator, it is possible to perform many kinds of examinations and verification of problems, which would be impossible at a real plant in operation due to the concerns for safety and external disturbance. It is also possible to predict problems which might occur in a plant that will be built in the future.

The following options are available in the simulation environment, emulating real-life situations:

Prepare and verify procedures for startup and shutdown of a newly-built plant
Verify limitations and capacities of a plant prior to remodeling
Check the capability of equipment at abnormal or emergency situations of a plant
(e.g. capacity and response rate of a safety valve and capacity of a buffer tank)
Verify operating conditions prior to changes
(e.g. changes in feed composition, operation load, and equipment)
Valuate in advance the changes to control systems and parameters

For processes analysis and verification, the Visual Modeler and the VMviewer are both useful. SImply, the Visual Modeler connected with basic function modules can be operated from the graphic windows.

The OmegaLand interface for data exchange has been exported; therefore, you can get simulation data or put values only by coding a brief macro (VBA) in Excel. It is also easy to get simulation results in real-time to process them.

Education

The educational simulator is a dynamic simulator applied to teaching chemical engineering. Students will have opportunities to understand the principles of today's complicated plants and train themselves to master unit operations through simulations on a virtual plant. Such experiences would be impossible to obtain from desk study. Eventually, they will be able to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for analyzing and handling a variety of situations efficiently.

Objectives of Educational Seminar - Taking the initiative in using simulators, the students can learn and expand skills and knowledge quickly, and will achieve the following objectives.

To understand the principles of the process engineering
To understand the principles and performance of each equipment and unit operation, and become able to handle various situations appropriately by extensive experience
To understand the control operation and behaviors on the process, and learn the fundamentals of control operation
To acquire the knowledge necessary for process operation

The educational simulator is usually configured on the VMviewer.

Control Assistant

In recent years, great technological progress has been made with plant operation and control. In addition to the control system of the conventional DCS, more advanced plant operation system connected with DCS host system has been demanded such as advanced control packages including multivariable model prediction control and neural prediction control, and operation assistant packages for automatic operation of startup, shutdown, and changing grades.
Prior to actual application of these control assistant packages to a real plant, preparatory verification and tuning are available by connecting them to the virtual plant, OmegaLand.
Since a dynamic simulation allows verification of the influence by the control logic and operation of these packages, the control assistant simulator will be particularly useful for changing the control logic accompanied with the process improvement and for preparing complicated operation procedures to improve operation efficiency.

Operator Training Function

In addition to the basic functions of a dynamic simulator such as execution control (run and freeze), snapshot and stepback, and changing time scales, the operator training functions are required. They are, for example, functions for execution of malfunctions, automatic operation, simulation of field operation, logging and replay, and evaluation of trainee's performance

Execution Control Function

In addition to the execution control which runs and freezes the operation of the whole system including the direct connect DCS, there are various functions: the snapshot function which temporarily stores a condition during the training, the stepback function to recover the stored condition to restart the training, and the time-scale-changing function which accelerates or delays the execution rate by two or four times.

Functions for Loading and Saving Initial Conditions

Training starts from a steady-state of a plant that has been setup in advance. Such a condition can be kept beforehand in a file as an initial condition.

Malfunctions

These functions are used to cause an abnormal state or an equipment failure deliberately. Operators are trained to be able to cope with such situations. To activate malfunctions, there are two methods. One of them is to select from the list of the execution control panel. Another is to prepare a panel dedicated to malfunctions on a graphic window and instruct the execution by a button.

Automatic Operation Functions

The automatic operation module is useful for carrying out training based on a series of procedures having a story (a scenario function) or the procedures that take place intentionally excluding an operator's part (a 'karaoke' function). This automatic operation function is utilized even for the execution of malfunctions if plural operations are accompanied; variables are handled over a long period of time; or processing is selected depending on conditions.

Replay Functions

The functions to reproduce the performance after a training session as it has taken place. This reproduction is used for the instructor to review the performance with the trainee and give guidance.

Logging Functions

It is possible to store training performance and events in a log file to keep them as a record or to evaluate the performance. Events recorded with time stamp can be used for replay.

Trainee's Performance Evaluating Functions

This function outputs logged data to Excel for the instructor to count the number of DCS operations and alarms and also makes graphs of trend data to evaluate trainee's performance.

DCS Connecting Functions

For the DCS direct connect type, DCS must be connected. For the operator training system, however, it must be noted that FCS simulator takes the part of FCS (Field Control Station) of DCS. The FCS simulator does not require the hardware that is the same model used for actual plant control, but its function is the same as the actual FCS.