Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Oil and Gas Industry

Virtual Reality Use Cases in Oil and Gas

Let’s look at some of the many benefits of VR for the industry in a variety of iuse cases.

Digital Twins

VR can lend a hand to IoT solutions, a partnership that can be used to create more advanced systems.

For example, companies put sensors and gadgets on plant equipment and other infrastructure objects to gather as much data as possible. This increases operations visibility and aids in decision-making.

All this data is then compiled to build a Digital Twin of a plant and all the equipment inside it —- a digital copy that offers a thorough simulation of a plant’s operations.

Digital Twins can provide a ton of benefits:

• Employees can train in a virtual environment using all the equipment they need without fear of hitting the wrong button;
• All plant operations can be replicated inside a virtual environment to identify problems and overcome them in reality;
• An equipment engineer can observe a malfunctioning piece remotely,  via a VR simulation using a Digital Twin, and then give advice on how to fix it;
• Equipment and plant architecture can be developed in a Digital Twin before building the real thing, to test their viability and identify opportunities for improvement.

VR is capable of replicating a wide range of plant and equipment situations and details, helping oil and gas businesses foresee emergencies, build and test virtual models, and even educate employees.

Product Design and Manufacturing

VR is a great tool for product development as well. It allows for using 3D rendering to simulate digital designs and offers the opportunity to test the results long before the manufacturing stage starts.

VR can even be integrated with 3D printing to develop prototypes right away.

When a company is developing critical oil and gas equipment, VR reduces turnaround time by accelerating the process of product design. It reduces resource consumption by eliminating the need to manufacture a series of prototypes for testing.

Immersive Training

It’s typically expensive and risky to train oil and gas industry service personnel. Proper professional training is a must, and as the technology moves on, industry requirements change, new equipment comes online with new operating methods, and workers need to upgrade their skills or even learn completely new ones.

Training in Virtual Reality brings the following benefits, especially in the oil and gas industry:

• • Cost-effectiveness. With VR, there is no need to use and wear out expensive equipment, or bring high-wage coaches or busy experienced employees to farflung sites for training. All training is done inside a simulation, with educational content that can be reused and updated over time.
  • Safety. A well-thought-out VR training application can fully recreate a real working environment without all the hazards associated with the job on a petroleum plant or an oil rig. Using VR, trainees can learn new skills with no risk to themselves or the equipment.
  • Efficiency. VR provides trainees with the ability to learn by doing — they can practice new skills in a virtual environment so that this knowledge is better retained and can be applied in real life with less hesitation.
  • Engagement. With an education in VR, trainees are put through a set scenario where they obtain new skills. The solution can provide tips, hints, and instructions on the go and in an interactive manner. Gamification features can be added as well! All of this helps to boost engagement in a way no educational video or textbook can do.

AR/VR solutions for the oil and gas industry – custom software for any purpose

Hire a team of skilled professionals at Hymux Technologies to tackle the project, be it immersive training or product design in VR. Let’s talk!

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• Assessment. It is much easier to assess training results in VR than in real life. The Virtual Reality solution can record every move of the trainee, track and analyze it automatically — and there is no need to involve dedicated personnel in this process.
• Customizability. If required, a separate VR environment and training scenario can be created for any skill, as VR capabilities are limited only by one’s imagination. Also, VR training requires no interruption of work processes, so custom training can be done on-demand and even for one person alone.

Along with all these benefits, VR training offers many potential scenarios for oil and gas companies. To name a few:

• Gas leak emergency response,
• Facility locating,
• Patrolling transmission pipelines, etc.

With the ability to recreate any scenario for training in a virtual environment and all the benefits of using VR, it is clear why businesses are choosing VR training over traditional education methods.

Disaster management

In the oil and gas industry, employees are often exposed to dangerous working conditions, where they are susceptible to harm from hazardous chemicals and gases.

These conditions can lead to disasters that your workers will have to manage somehow, or at least be able to react to properly to save their lives.

With VR, all possible dangers can be recreated inside a simulation. Which means all employees can be trained to respond to dangers without actual risk to their health.

For example, it is possible to develop VR solutions for:

• Evacuation simulation;
• Training in highly toxic environment situations;
• Disaster response training.

Theory-based programs can’t fully prepare field workers and first responders for disasters that can happen in a plant. VR is highly superior to traditional education here;  in VR, trainees are exposed to signs of danger and can train how to act around them. All this practical knowledge can then be applied to real-life disasters.

Now, let’s see how some actual companies are using simulations for day-to-day tasks.