For new industrial operators, it is not possible to directly operate a chemical plant. Akin to a pilot candidate before he/she runs the plane, indeed they have to practice to operate the aircraft using a computer with a flight simulator. Similarly, new operators need to practice operating the chemical plant using a computer with the simulator known as operator training simulator (OTS).
Prof. Arief Budiman, D. Eng, a researcher and software development coordinator of the Center for Energy Studies UGM, explained that with the OTS an operator trainee can learn how to operate the operating units at different operating conditions at the factory, which cover the normal condition, start-ups, shutdown, emergency, and malfunction. The operating unit here could be a process unit in a refinery, petrochemical plants or power plants. "OTS is equipped with the same features as those on the control panel in the control room of a chemical industry, making it easier for instructors to provide training and assessments to the operator trainee. OTS is also equipped with interlock feature that aims to safeguard the operation,” he explained on Friday (9/7) in the Center. Gama Kreasindo, the Center’s industrial software development team, has succeeded in inventing OTS named INSCITRON whose systematic consists of the main server and database server that are used to calculate and store data. “INSCITRON’s appearance is same as the existing on-screen features of Human Machine Interface DCS (distributed control system) at a chemical plant," explained Arief Budiman.
Added by the Gama Kreasindo operational manager, Ardhi Wicaksono, that INSCITRON process model uses the principle of chemical engineering tools, so that the resulting model is a dynamic model. The Process models that are widely used in the OTS in many industries adopt the historian model. "Data obtained from the plant operation is processed and subsequently is made an empirical formula as a black box, so sometimes it is possible to produce a contradictory data with existing scientific principles," said Ardhi.
INSCITRON generally consists of four parts, the process model, which is the main device that runs the algorithm units modeling process at both transient conditions, steady state as well as dynamic conditions (start-up, shutdown and malfunction). In addition, there is the controlling operational activity or instructor station (IS) which serves as a process simulation instructor. The other part is known as emulated operator station (EOS), which serves to emulate the operator station of the DCS. While the last part is the field operator station (FOS), which acts to represent the field operator function. "With the four sections, the trainee operator will feel like he was running a chemical plant, because the operations phenomenon that appears on the computer screen is the same as in the field,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Center, Prof. Dr. Jumina, added that INSCITRON not only is used by the industry operators, but also process engineers to conduct a process audit, process optimization and energy audit. Changes in product specification from a chemical plant can also be studied with INSCITRON if there is a change of raw material specifications. "Another advantage of INSCITRON is guaranteed after-sales services because Gama Kreasindo team are ready to make modifications to the simulator. INSCITRON can be tested in the Center’s booth at UGM Research Week event in Grha Sabha Pramana from 12 to 17 July 2010," he added.