Virtual Reality is an important emerging technology in computer visualization.  While virtual reality has existed as a concept since around the early 1960's it is only recently that it has been developed to the extent where it now has real capabilities and uses in technology.  An example of its use is in Chemical Engineering where a need exists for engineers to learn how to operate and design chemical plants. Since real chemical plants are potentially dangerous places, it is preferable to make use of virtual reality in creating models.

With the availability of low cost systems for browsing VRML worlds,  it is now possible for students to learn a great deal about the layout and appearance of a chemical plant by interacting with a VRML model. This project will create such a model.

Under the guidance and support of both my supervisor Dr. Tim Lambert, and Dr. Dianne Wiley, Senior Lecturer, the School of Chemical Engineering & Industrial Chemistry, I have been currently working on the project. Some of the following different distillation columns models are under construction. You can view the models on SGI machines or PCs.  If your PC does not already have it, you can download a Cosmo Player 2.0 (VRML plugin) for Windows  and run it with Netscape 4.0+. Internet Explorer 4.0 cannot run the models properly.

Pilot Plant  and Chemical Plant - These distillation columns are reproduced based on those created by Mira Kartikasari, a student at the School of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry ,  in 1997.  Mira used VRCreator, one of the VRML authoring tools, to create the files which made the sizes of both files very large, more than 1MB altogether. The sizes of both files I have reduced to around 20 KB. My project has been concerned with creating a model of reduced file size from that of the VRCreator model.

Distillation Columns - These distillation columns include Distillation Column 1 , Distillation Column 2 , Distillation Column 3 and Distillation Column 4 which are based on those of the ORICA (formerly ICI Australia).
 
Click here can view some of both the 3D models and the real photos of the  ORICA .
 
To find more about the project, please read the report.

Last modified: Sunday, 21 June 1998