3 November 2009-- Invensys Operations Management said the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will use the company's patented virtual reality training solution as the centerpiece of a new state-of-the-art training center. The center will help in the development of integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants with carbon capture technology.
The IGCC training center is part of the DOE's initiative to develop new coal-powered plants that efficiently burn fuel for power generation. DOE awarded a contract to Invensys in 2008 to simulate the IGCC process in 2008 using process modeling software. The recent contract adds a 3-D component to the simulation.
Under the terms of the contract, Invensys will provide a real-time simulator for a generic IGCC plant with carbon capture. Trainees will wear a stereoscopic headset and move throughout the virtual facility, seeing what they would see in an actual plant.
The DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory will operate the simulator at two centers in West Virginia and will use the simulations in demonstration, education and training services, including IGCC plant operation and control demonstrations, technology familiarization and hands-on computer-based training.
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