Effective application of operator training simulator in experiential education

Abstract

Connecting the chemical industry with the academic environment has created a unique opportunity to apply experiential learning in many areas of teaching. A new approach of using the existing operator training simulator, which is basically a digital twin of a new dicyclopentadiene plant, was used to educate and train students from technical universities. Using this simulator, students can gain adequate knowledge for control, process optimization, and problem solving under nonstandard operating conditions. Simulating a dynamic process in the Aspen HYSYS interface along with elements of a real industrial control system and control interface, and especially the online visualization of the results, helps students understand the physicochemical principles through their own intervention and experience of the consequences. The training simulator's ability to accurately reflect ongoing processes can be verified by students during a guided tour of a production plant. The experience with student learning so far shows that this is a very attractive and, above all, effective tool for extending the teaching of chemical engineering, control, and automation of chemical processes.