Utilizing a process simulator for operator training

Operator training is essential as chemical processes are becoming increasingly complicated. Furthermore, some form of operator training is being mandated by OSHA.Creating the process model for an operator trainer has been time consuming, expensive and required highly specialized engineers. Now, at a much lower cost, it is possible to build an operator trainer using a modular process simulator linked to a DCS. With this setup, a model of a complete chemical plant has been built and linked for operator training allowing operators to be tested with a variety of scenarios.Two different methods for sharing data between applications are studied to overcome previous cumbersome methods used to transfer data from process simulators into other applications. Practical engineering examples are given using both Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) and Object Linking and Embedding (OLE).