The sensitivity and significance of operator training increased profoundly with the increase in automation of industrial plants. The paper proposes and discusses the use of Virtual Reality and Augmented Virtual Reality to train industrial operators. A detailed and immersive 3D model of the plant allows the operators understanding the details of equipment and operating conditions. Both the dynamic behavior and the control strategies of the process can be reproduced with a 3D immersive virtual environment by implementing and coupling a dynamic process simulator and a dynamic real‑time accident simulator. The AVR feature enhances the VR by adding further information and analysis that result in better understanding of operators that work either in control room or in the field. The proposed training methodology allows achieving significant improvements in reliability, cost effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and process safety.
