Dow Corning notes simulator gains

London -- Dow Corning, a global manufacturer of silicon-based materials, is using a dynamic operator training simulator (OTS) to train operators at its Barry, South Wales production facility

The OTS from Invensys Process Systems is designed to provide significant savings in training and manpower costs, enhanced plant safety and increased productivity. The system, said Invensys, was built using advanced DYNSIM and FSIM dynamic simulation technology from its SimSci-Esscor unit.

Dow Corning’s production process involves combining silicon powder with methyl chloride to produce chlorosilane intermediates which are then purified in distillation columns before water is added to produce siloxanes. A final polymerisation stage then converts the siloxanes into a range of silicon-based fluids, resins and rubbers for delivery to customers worldwide.

As the manufacturing processes involve potentially harmful materials, Dow Corning must ensure precise control and smooth operation to minimise the risk of accidents and to maximise the plant’s competitiveness.

According to Invensys, the OTS at Barry is based on a detailed study of the process together with input from Dow Corning engineers and operators and provides a dynamic model of the distillation section of the manufacturing process.

The simulator is being used to train new operators to carry out various unit processes and to assist experienced operators in dealing with potential emergencies. The simulator also allows operators to practice procedures such as scheduled shut downs and start ups which may only be required once a year.

During each session, the instructor, who has a view of every part of the process, can cause any key component such as a pump to fail at a critical moment. The trainee operator, seated at a console identical to that in the actual control room, then has to deal with the consequences of the event, just as if it were occurring on the real plant.

According to Dow Corning, its trainee operators are soon drawn in by the realism of the system and quickly forget that it is only a simulation. “I learned more in two hours on the simulator than I did during two weeks in the plant,” commented one operator.

“Using the simulator, we expect that operators will be trained to run a new unit efficiently in four months, instead of the six months taken previously,” explained Ross Davies, Dow Corning’s training coordinator at the Barry site.

“Untrained operators must be ‘shadowed’ by an experienced person for the duration of their training, so this effectively doubles the cost during the training period. Utilising the simulator will reduce the training period and provide higher quality training and realism, thus increasing plant productivity significantly,” Davies added.