Students successfully complete Thermal Power Plant course via access to cloud-based simulators in K-Sim Connect
The COVID-19 pandemic has firmly emphasized the worth and effectiveness of cloud-based eLearning processes. Kongsberg Digital’s latest achievement in this regard is the culmination of a pilot project with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), in which an entire class of 24 second-year power engineering students successfully completed their Thermal Power Plant Simulator (TPPS) course using our eLearning solution via the K-Sim Connect web portal.
This news is particularly noteworthy as the students have, for obvious reasons, been learning from home since the week beginning March 16, 2020, meaning they have had no physical access to the classroom-based TPP simulator. Fortunately, the K-Sim Connect cloud-based ecosystem provided the key, presenting a web portal compatible with any browser on any platform.
“Accessing the K-Sim Thermal Power Plant simulator through K-Sim Connect was the only resource which could allow us to finish our existing curriculum for the term,” says Sergiy Yatlo, Instructor, Power Engineering, School of Energy, BCIT. “I’ve been able to create new exercises, including formal exams, in the Instructor System. Then uploading and scheduling them to the eLearning solution in K-Sim Connect for the five students in the Trident Team to complete. Thereafter sharing their cloud simulation experiences with the rest of the class via the Virtual Classroom learning hub: that’s 24 students in total.”
The Virtual Classroom hub provided Mr. Yatlo with a live video link to the students, and in tandem with the eLearning solution enabled his lessons to be bolstered with the integration of emulated system software, on-screen presentations and assessment tools.
Realistically replicating the control room of a real thermal power plant in Vasteras, Sweden, the K-Sim TPP simulator is a valuable training and assessment tool for junior and senior engineers alike, familiarising trainees with operational dynamics including plant start-up and shut-down procedures, safety protocols and appropriate routines to deal with all conceivable emergency scenarios. Accordingly, the BCIT students successfully completed assignments and examinations on a range of processes and satisfied the3 months of ‘firing time” requirement set by the Technical Safety BC (TSBC) organisation.
K-Sim TPP simulator training can also encompass aspects such as checking new control strategies, testing different start-up procedures and optimising processes to maximise economic performance, so the potential for further eLearning is considerable.
“Big thanks go to our colleagues at Kongsberg Digital,” says Sergiy Yatlo, Instructor, Power Engineering, School of Energy, BCIT. “I’m certain there are many more wonderful educational opportunities available in K-Sim Connect to learn and explore.”
