Background. Computer simulators are widely used to train operators, technical and maintenance personnel at thermal and nuclear power plants (TPPs and NPPs). The use of training simulators provides power plant employees with the opportunity to gain valuable practical experience in case of emergency situations when technological processes deviate from normal operation. At the same time, operating personnel in the thermal automation and measurement (TAM) and process control systems (PCS) shops perform a vital function at the power plant. They ensure the performance monitoring and maintenance of all hardware and software components of the PCS of power unit. However, the training methods used at TPPs and NPPs for operating personnel in the TAM and PCS shops (theoretical training, on-the-job training for maintenance and operating personnel in the TAM and PCS shops) lag behind the current pace of industry development. The aim of the study is to develop an interactive simulator for training operational personnel of thermal automation and measurement shops and automated process control systems with virtual modeling of the field instrumentation and automation zone.
Materials and methods. The training system is supported by hardware and software located on the server side of the simulator running the Linux operating system. The programmer toolset is the specialized SIM-2000 software suite. Testing and debugging of the developed field-level equipment models (sensors and connection lines) have been conducted using the SimInTech dynamic simulation environment.
Results. A visualization subsystem for instrumentation and automation equipment (I&A) has been developed for TPP field equipment. This subsystem integrates developed models of sensors, devices, and actuators (AM) into modern computer simulators for power units, providing realistic visual modeling of field equipment. I&A device models have been developed that enable diagnostics of the condition of sensors and AM, adjusting their process connections to power lines, if necessary, as well as configuring them, checking their functionality, and monitoring their connections to the software and hardware suite and other devices.
Conclusions. The obtained results enable comprehensive training for the operational shift personnel of the unit to solve the problem of control, maintenance, and troubleshooting of instrumentation and automation equipment.