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Operator Training Simulator (OTS)

The Operator Training Simulator turns a dynamic DWSIM flowsheet into a training rig: an instructor runs the plant at a chosen speed, freezes it, injects faults and scores the trainee; the trainee operates the plant from a control-room screen with faceplates, alarms, trends and interlocks, without ever seeing the flowsheet.

This section is a complete course. Read it in order the first time: each page builds on the plant model and the session set up in the pages before it.

Edition

The OTS is part of the Classic (Windows) edition of DWSIM Patreon, level 3 (Premium+). Its entries live in an Operator Training menu of their own on the main menu bar, shown once the subscription is active. The Avalonia edition does not have them.

What you need

  • DWSIM Patreon Classic, level 3, on Windows
  • A flowsheet that solves in dynamic mode with at least one holdup and one control valve (page 1 gives you one)
  • For the remote-station page: a second PC or a second DWSIM on the same PC, and a network port that is open between them
  • For the OPC UA page: any OPC UA client (UaExpert, the sample client shipped in plugins\opclibraries, or a PLC/DCS test tool)

The parts of the system

flowchart LR
    FS[Dynamic flowsheet<br/>holdups, valves, controllers, gauges] --> S[Training session<br/>paced clock, freeze, snapshots]
    S --> I[Instructor Station<br/>scenarios, malfunctions, journal, score]
    S --> O[Operator Panel and Screens<br/>faceplates, alarms, trends, interlocks]
    S --> OPC[OPC UA server]
    S --> R[Remote operator stations]
    S --> N[Pressure-flow network solver]
Part What it does Page
Plant model The dynamic flowsheet the trainee operates; holdups, Kv valves, PID controllers, gauges with alarm limits, a saved initial state 1
Instructor Station Start, freeze, step and stop the plant; speed factor; snapshots and backtrack; the journal of everything that happened 2
Malfunctions and transmitters Stuck and failed valves, pump trips, fouling, utility loss, sensor failures, plant-wide power and instrument air failures 3
Scenarios, objectives and scoring A saved exercise: initial state, speed, scheduled faults, objectives with deadlines and points, the report 4
Operator panel and faceplates The trainee's screen with no flowsheet: controller, valve, switch and equipment tiles; faceplates 5
Operator screens designer P&ID-like screens with equipment symbols, pipes coloured by stream state, ISA instrument bubbles, buttons, trends and navigation flags 6
Alarms Alarm limits on gauges, the alarm banner, the alarm summary and acknowledgement 7
Interlocks (SIS) Trip logic: conditions, delay, latching, actions, bypass, reset, first-out 8
Trends and OPC UA Strip charts on the screens; the OPC UA server that publishes the plant to external clients 9
Instructor and operator on separate PCs Operator stations in their own processes, mirroring the instructor's session 10
Pressure-flow network Junction pressures solved every step so flows through valves in series and around mixers balance 11
Running a course A lesson plan from briefing to debriefing, with exercises for the sample plant 12
Sample plants and scenario packs Two more plants with screens, interlocks and seven scored scenarios each 13
The instructor kit Plant sheets for the trainee, a session sheet, a reference card, a room checklist 14
Example exercise reports Two real reports of one scenario, with and without an operator 15
Automating the instructor from Python Batch runs, scripted operators, regression of a scenario pack 16
Questions and troubleshooting The questions instructors ask most, with the page that answers each 17

Sample plant

Every page uses the same flowsheet: a gas-liquid separator with a level loop and a pressure loop, four compounds (air, carbon dioxide, water, methanol) and Raoult's Law. Download it here and keep it open while you read:

Where things are saved

Scenarios, operator screens and interlock logic are stored inside the flowsheet file (.dwxmz). Save the flowsheet after editing any of them; a colleague who opens the same file gets the same exercises, screens and trips.

Learning path

  1. Pages 1 and 2: get the plant running under the instructor and learn the clock controls.
  2. Pages 3 and 4: inject faults by hand, then package them into a scored scenario.
  3. Pages 5 to 9: build what the trainee sees.
  4. Pages 10 and 11: the two infrastructure topics, needed only when the rig grows.
  5. Page 12: run a session with a real trainee.
  6. Pages 13 to 17: more plants, the paperwork, sample reports, automation and the FAQ.