Improvement of ship operational safety as a result of the application of virtual reality engine room simulators

摘要

Engine room simulators have been used in maritime academies as a valuable asset to the educational process for more than 30 years. The present development of personal computers, modern processors and graphical cards allows for the easy application of 3D simulation techniques and for this reason manufacturers of engine room simulators have begun to apply tri-dimensional graphical system layout presentation. Their aim is to provide machinery simulation as close as possible to reality. As a result, trainees are far better prepared to deal with the real life operation of machinery, thus considerably increasing the standards of ship operational safety. Additionally, in simulation conditions, it is possible to acquaint trainees with emergency situations that may not be performed in real life conditions due to safety exigencies.rnExperiences in the application of virtual visualisation, and the benefits and advantages of the use of engine room simulators in the educational process of engine room officers are equally presented in this paper. This paper describes an example of the application of new 3D simulation techniques in an engine room simulator based on a modern computer controlled engine room with a medium speed main engine, applied on a container ship.rnThe simulator described in this paper provides for a new approach to navigation through the different system elements, allowing for quick and easy access to basic engine room operation (valve opening/closing, setting position of switches, push-buttons etc.). This has been possible due to the application of state-of-the art 3D visualisation with zoom techniques.