Virtual reality simulators in advanced training

“Dreams are a reflection of reality. Reality is a reflection of our dreams”, Sigmund Freud

In the XXI century Virtual/ Augmented/Mixed reality technologies replaced the traditional learning enabling businesses to get more profit by improving the personnel competence. VR/AR/MR maximize knowledge and skills mastering level through the full student involvement, full sensory experience and physical practice of planned actions. 

People remember 20% of what they see, 40% of what they see and hear, and 70% of what they see, hear and do. If we consider that brain is not able to distinguish a game from reality, the knowledge and skills learned in the virtual world become a real experience.

VR-learning makes the work of petroleum companies more efficient due to the following advantages of virtual technologies application:

• Full immersion in a simulated situation with working out of skills to automatism in a short time;
• The necessary action plan is saved not only in the cerebral cortex, but also in muscle memory; 
• VR-program always works equally well, it is not able to get sick, tired, nervous, etc.;
• Students stand on their feet during the learning while the information is provided through a helmet and headphones that makes it impossible to be distracted, to miss or ignore something;
• The results interpretation is always performed objectively according to the algorithm, and the final exam is not a subject for cheating;
• It allows testing skills under stress and any emergencies without any danger to students’ life and health.  

The new advanced training program “Maintenance and repair of oilfield equipment and plants” supervised by an experienced tutor (a company-developer representative specialized in VR solutions for oil and gas industry) is designed to practice professional standard skills on VR-simulators:

• Replacement of belt gear on the jack-pump;
• Replacement of the polish rod’s casing head stuffing box of sucker-rod pumping unit;
• Hot oil flushing of electric centrifugal pimp units;
• Gas, oil, and water show liquidation during lifting of electric centrifugal pump unit

The combination of lectures and VR-simulators in learning is an opportunity to increase staff productivity and production processes quality, to reduce the risk of injury and equipment failure, to minimize the technology-related disruption and improve production safety as a whole.