The Engineering Division within The Linde Group has developed a virtual reality (VR) application for training operators. It can also be used to visualize design changes during the planning phase of a plant. At Gastech 2017, visitors can explore the details of an industrial-scale plant currently being built in Amur region, Eastern Russia, before it has even been constructed. Once it is complete, the facility will separate ethane, liquid gas components, and nitrogen from natural gas. The unit will be part of one of the largest gas processing plants in the world.
Virtual reality (VR) refers to computer technologies that simulate a real environment for users. Users can put on a VR headset and use a hand-held controller to explore the entire plant, shrink it to view it from different sides, step inside process components such as heat exchangers and coldboxes – something that would not be possible in real life.
In future, Linde wants to be able to predict when a component is likely to fail. Algorithms are used to evaluate data that sensors have been gathering in industrial plants for many years. Past service incidents are used to calculate the probability of future events. Technicians could then replace individual components in advance and minimize downtime for the entire plant. Also other new services and opportunities for customers will be possible according to the company.
- More at Linde stand 12-160 in hall 4 at Gastech 2017 in Tokyo, Japan, from 4–7 April, 2017.
- The Linde Group, Munich, Germany