Russia Develops Computer Simulator to Train Refinery Operators
The project, whose developers received an award from Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and a grant from Gazprom Neft, won an international IT championship for the oil industry, which brought together 900 professionals from Russia and other CIS countries. Young engineers developed the project during the competition’s final stage.
Under Russia’s government-approved Energy Strategy through 2050, the country’s oil refining volumes are projected to reach 238 million metric tons by 2030. High-quality training for workers in this critical sector of the economy is a priority, creating strong demand for new smart training solutions.
A Simulator for Refinery Operators
Before taking the controls of an aircraft, pilots spend many hours training in flight simulators. These systems allow future pilots to develop essential skills in a safe environment by recreating real-world scenarios. A similar concept has now been designed for oil refineries. A trainee operator sits down at a computer and sees an exact digital replica of their workstation on the screen, complete with pumps, pipes, sensors, furnaces and valves. By changing different process parameters, the trainee can observe how the system responds. Even if a mistake is made, no equipment will break down, let alone cause an industrial accident. The simulator also allows trainees to practice responding to situations that rarely occur in real operations, such as deciding what to do if a pump fails or system pressure suddenly drops.
The software incorporates a mathematical model, a set of equations describing how the equipment behaves. When an operator opens a valve, for example, the program calculates how pressure, temperature and fluid flow will change, just as they would in an actual facility. In effect, it is a digital twin of a refinery that enables employees to train safely before working with real industrial equipment.
Digitalizing Oil Refining
Russian companies have been actively introducing digital training tools for several years. Rosneft, for example, installed computer simulators at Samara State Technical University to help students practice managing oil production processes. A dedicated training classroom was subsequently opened at a vocational school in Samara. Students work with software models of process units, study operating conditions and practice responding to abnormal situations. The equipment supports both instruction and testing, while recording errors for subsequent review.
At Rosneft’s Komsomolsk Refinery, the company has installed virtual reality (VR) simulators to train personnel to work with electrical equipment. The virtual environment recreates industrial facilities, allowing employees to practice procedures without interacting with actual equipment. In parallel, Bashneft and the RN-BashNIPIneft research institute have developed augmented reality (AR) training software and hardware systems for employees at oil production facilities. Digital instructions and diagrams are overlaid onto real equipment, for example, through specialized smart glasses.
Beyond oil and gas, digital modeling is also advancing in other parts of the fuel and energy sector. Digital twins of power facilities, for instance, are being used to train power plant operators.
Virtual Training First, Real-World Operations Next
Gazprom Neft’s grant support and the championship itself connect developers of training systems with potential customers, helping turn competition entries into products that can be tested under actual industrial conditions. The oil industry’s IT championship is becoming a mechanism for identifying effective solutions for industrial applications.
The next step is industrial evaluation. Once the simulator has been assessed by engineering centers in the fuel and energy sector, it could be introduced in pilot programs and adapted to the requirements of individual refineries. The subsequent stage is scaling up deployment. If its effectiveness is confirmed, the product could be adapted for other industrial facilities, corporate training centers and educational programs, helping companies build a pipeline of qualified personnel.
In the longer term, export markets could also become an option. The participation of professionals from CIS countries in the championship provides a foundation for professional contacts. Countries across the Global South with developing oil refining industries could also be interested in the product.
