Simulators are widely recognized as essential to process control training as they facilitate the propagation of a company’s standard operating procedure (SOPs). According to process industry estimates, nearly $8 Billion in annual losses are due to human error. A significant part of these losses are attributed to inadequate or ineffective training. Simulation software permits trainees to gain the skills and experience necessary to effectively respond to abnormal conditions and to apply their experiences continuously without the cost of lost production, damage to the environment, or exposure to unsafe conditions. Control Station and other technology vendors have developed tools that create first-principles simulations by utilizing data from real-world production processes.

Evolving Best-Practices through Simulation Based Training: Training the Field Operator of the Future, explores the use of process control simulators by Chevron Products Company to challenge existing corporate SOPs and to help achieve improvements in overall production performance.