Currently, development of the information society
in Russia, ensuring citizens' accesses to information and integration into the
global information space are priority areas. One of these areas includes
creation of specialized educational software environments that improve the
quality of training of highly qualified specialists and the level of applied
research, as well as facilitate scientific network communities.
The first virtual laboratories appeared in the 90s
of the XX century. In a broad sense, by a virtual laboratory we mean a
laboratory (educational or scientific space) as an information resource created
by means of modern computer technologies and representing digitized versions of
objects of a certain thematic purpose in a virtual space [1 - 7].
Today, there are many different virtual worlds, all
of which have 6 features that are inherent in all such worlds [3]:
- common space: many users can participate in the
world’s life at the same time;
- graphical user interface: the space in the world
is reflected virtually, and varies from 2D "cartoon" images to more impressive
3D images;
- efficiency: communication takes place in real
time;
- interactivity: the world allows participants to
change, develop, build or accept content tailored to them;
- permanence: the world exists regardless of
whether individual users are in the system;
- communication / society: the world enables and
promotes formation of social groups within the world, such as teams, guilds,
clubs, cliques, neighborhoods, communities and so on.
Currently, the concept of "a virtual scientific
research laboratory" represents a software and hardware system that allows
conducting experiments without direct contact with real equipment or in the
absence of such. Thus, virtual laboratories are defined by two different types
of software and hardware systems:
- laboratory classroom installation with remote
access – remote laboratories;
- software that allows to simulate laboratory
experiments - virtual laboratories.
When comparing virtual and real labs, the following
benefits of virtual labs can be seen:
- there is no need to buy expensive equipment for
all kinds of laboratory experiments. As a result of insufficient funding, most
laboratories have installed outdated equipment that may not provide accurate
results of experiments or distort them and serve as a potential source of
danger for students. In addition, there are areas where it is necessary to
purchase consumables for the equipment, the prices of which are quite high.
Despite the fact that software and hardware are not cheap as well, their wide
prevalence and versatility of computer technology compensates for this
drawback;
- ability to simulate a wide range of
processes, difficult to be conducted in real laboratory conditions;
- safety is another important reason and advantage
of using virtual laboratories, especially when working with hazardous materials
and high-voltage devices;
- detailed and multi-view presentation (visualization)
on the computer. Currently, modern computer technologies allow users to observe
dynamics of the processes that are difficult to be distinguished in real life
without specialized equipment;
- ability to "scale" the time. This
means that a person conducting an experiment or a laboratory work can observe a
process that takes place in a very short time (fractions of a second) in slow
motion or, on the contrary, accelerate the process that takes place for a long
time (lasting for several years), and this, in turn, makes it possible to get
insights into the subtleties of the processes;
- due to the fact that simulation of virtual processes
is carried out on a computer, it is possible to conduct many experiments with
different values of the input parameters required to determine the desired
result.
Virtual laboratories are created in order to
simulate real laboratory environment and the processes in it, and at the same
time to model a learning environment in which students transform their
theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge and skills experimentally. Also,
virtual laboratories can give students significant virtual sensations, which allow
repeating any failed experiment or expand experimental knowledge. In addition
to the advantages in obtaining results, the interactive nature of such teaching
methods provides an intuitive and pleasant learning environment and interaction
with a virtual laboratory [4].
The articles [5, 6] present the e-support methods
for vocational learning process at three advancement levels, which can be
useful for the preparation of staff according to Industry 4.0 concept and
Europe 2020 Strategy. The authors present the application of the animation
programmes, which are supportive for learning of CNC programming. They compare
the way of learning with the use of real panels for the operator, which are the
parts of an individual machine and the animation programme. In the article the
authors demonstrate didactic stands for e-learning process in the
virtual laboratory.
The article [7] discusses the technology of
modeling and visualization of three-dimensional virtual consoles using elements
of virtual reality. The technology includes the creation of panels with the
help of three-dimensional modeling system 3D MAX, stereo visualization,
modeling the user impact on the consoles elements, motion simulation of these
elements as a result of the impact, as well as the creation and calculation of
functional circuits. The developed technology allows to perform such tasks as
modeling of real consoles of complex dynamic systems and the development of new
consoles with their ergonomic study. Interaction with the elements of consoles
is implemented in several ways: using a computer mouse, using the virtual hand
and by the real hand of the operator in stereo mode using a tracking system and
computer gloves. During the interaction, collisions are tracked, and the dynamics
of virtual objects is calculated according to their characteristics.There are following
supported elements of 3D consoles: buttons, toggles, switches and
regulators. As a result of interaction the control signals to actuators are
generated using functional circuits. Specially designed interactive editor
allows one to build complex control circuits from an extensive library of
function blocks that implement various functions.
The article [8] presents the experience of joint
work of the department "Theoretical and Experimental Physics of Nuclear
reactors' and educational scientific laboratory, "Scientific Visualization"
of the National Research Nuclear University MEPHI in the development of
software tools for visual analysis and a visual illustration of the laboratory
work and theoretical study devoted to nuclear power plants process. For
example, laboratory work on the uranium-water subcritical assembly, which aims
the measurement of the spatial distributions of neutron flux density and the
courses: "Experimental Nuclear Physics reactors "and" Neutron
Transport Theory " are presented. A brief description of the applications
developed for visual analysis and illustration and used in their design the
scientific visualization complex components is given. Results of visual energy
field analysis obtained by the developed software program and the results of
visual illustrations are given as examples.
In this regard, this paper deals with the issues of
creating a virtual laboratory of processes of chemical and technological
systems on the example of technological processes of batch production of
organic dyes, designed to improve the quality of training of highly qualified
specialists of chemical and technological sphere and the level of applied
research. The software of the vAcademia system is used as the main software
environment.
Virtual environment vAcademia is an educational
three-dimensional virtual world, which in comparison with other virtual worlds
has two main advantages [1-4, 9]:
- vAcademia is a specialized world for education,
which means that it has everything that is necessary for the teacher and
students in the classroom: interactive whiteboards, overhead projectors,
pointers, Webcams, survey systems, models of educational objects, etc.;
- vAcademia has an ability to record classes. The
result is a 3D-recording, which is an exact copy of live classes. These
recordings can be visited like regular classes, individually or in a group.
However, unlike live activities, recordings can be edited. It is possible to
alter the class by removing superfluous information, or, on the contrary, by
adding new content.
Each user in a virtual environment is represented
by his/her virtual image (avatar). It provides an opportunity to conduct
training sessions in the form of: lectures; presentations; seminars; workshops;
simulations of various processes and case-studies; "round tables";
trainings; educational quests. vAcademia supports classes for groups of up to
50 users at a time.
The virtual educational
and research laboratory for chemical and technological systems is intended for
use in the educational process for professional training of specialists of
chemical and technological sphere [12 - 13].
Tools of different systems were used to create
laboratory elements:
1) two and three-dimensional design systems: SketchUp, AutoCAD,
COMPASS-3D;
2) graphics and video editors: Adobe Photoshop, The GIMP, Photoscape,
Windows Movie Maker, SONY Vegas Pro;
3) visual simulation tool for dynamic systems STIMUL8;
4) software for working with Microsoft Office tables and text.
The base of equipment, which is located in the
virtual laboratory, includes the main and auxiliary equipment for implementation
of organic synthesis: apparatuses with agitators, tanks, pumps, etc. [14 - 15].
Figure 1 shows examples of 3D models created in the
three-dimensional modeling system COMPASS-3D.
Figure 1. Fragment of technological equipment models in the
laboratory
Figure 2 shows a prototype of an engineering unit which
is used for studying of organic dyes production.
Figure 2.
Visualization of an engineering unit
Figure 3 shows the recreation area using both
standard 3D models and computer-aided design systems.
Figure 3. Visualization of a fragment of laboratory’s recreation
area
For modeling of technological processes of
chemical-technological systems on the example of organic dyes production it is
expedient to use information-logical models describing the change of the processes
components in time.
Currently, many industrial plants are complex
dynamic systems characterized by a high level of uncertainty of initial information
and complexity of their behavior. To solve many problems associated with management
of such systems, as well as to facilitate the work of operators and
technologists of chemical and technological systems, simulation can be used [16
- 18].
In order to investigate technological processes for
organic dyes production it is expedient to use the systems which allow
imitating real processes [19 - 23].
Computer simulation model is a convenient auxiliary
tool for the system analyst who studies chemical and technological objects. The
main advantage of simulation is that the expert can answer the question:
"what will happen if..." i.e., an experiment with the model helps to
develop a research strategy.
The basis for creation of simulation models is
information-logical models (ILM) describing conditions of technological
processes. In general, a decision support ILM in the study of
chemical-technological objects is a combination of data sets and relationships
between them recorded in the form of rules. A separate production rule (PR)
contained in the knowledge base consists of two parts: the antecedent and the
consequent. The antecedent is the premise of the rule (conditional part) and
consists of elementary sentences connected by logical bundles "and,
or". A consequent (conclusion) includes one or more sentences that express
either a certain fact or an indication of a certain action to be performed [14].
Thus, an ILM can be represented by the following
tuple [24 -26]:
where 
-
operator of an ILM; 
- sets of ILM data; 
- sets of rules.
PRs included in the model are constructed by the
type: if ... (conditions are met), then ... (implementation of the
consequence). A specific type of an ILM for studying chemical and technological
object is considered on the example of determining the stage of production
depending on the characteristics of raw materials: "characteristics of raw
materials and final products" - "production stage", as well as
on the example of determining the type of equipment: "production
stage" - "equipment". For this, we used a data set on
characteristics of raw materials and industrial products Sprod, data about production stages of the product Stprod
and data about the equipment Obprod (see table 1-table 3).
Sprod ={sprod,1,…, sprod,i,…, sprod,I},
;
Stprod ={stprod,1,…, stprod,j,…, stprod,J},
;
Obprod ={obprod,1,…, obprod,k,…, obprod,K},
.
Table 1. Fragment of raw
materials characteristics and industrial products
|
Name of indicator
|
|
Sprod, 1= " slightly alkaline medium
reaction"
|
|
Sprod, 2= " mass concentration of
beta-naphthol 243-245 g/dm3"
|
|
Sprod,3= "mass concentration of
sodium hydroxide 67-69 g/dm3"
|
|
Sprod, 4= " mass concentration of
dilute sulfuric acid solution 170-200 g/dm3"
|
|
Sprod, 5= " mass fraction of sodium
nitrite solution 25-40%"
|
|
Sprod, 6= " mass concentration of
dilute sulfuric acid solution 170-200 g/dm3"
|
|
Sprod, 7= " intake of cooled to 0°C
dilute sulfuric acid solution"
|
|
Sprod, 8= " sulfuric acid excess
weight 30-33 kg 100% sulfuric acid mass"
|
|
Sprod,9= "decreased activity of
hydrogen ions is 6.5 – 7 pH units"
|
|
Sprod, 10= " mass fraction of sodium
bisulfite 22.5%"
|
|
Sprod,11= "mass fraction of the
solution is 80 – 100 g/dm3"
|
|
Sprod,12= "activity index of hydrogen ions of 4.4 – 4.7 pH units"
|
|
Sprod,13= "reaction of medium of the obtained pigment slurry is clearly alkaline to
brilliant yellow paper (9.0 to 9.5 pH units.) "
|
|
Sprod, 14= "compound color – blue"
|
|
…
|
Table 2. A fragment of the
base of production stages
|
Name of the stage
|
|
Stprod, 1 = "dissolution"
|
|
Stprod, 2 = "nitrosation"
|
|
Stprod, 3 = "combination"
|
|
…
|
Table 3. Fragment of
equipment base
|
Name of the unit
|
|
Obprod, 1 = " reactor for preparation
of beta-naphthol sodium salt"
|
|
Obprod, 2 = " reactor for nitration
of beta-naphthol"
|
|
Obprod, 3 = " apparatus for combining»
|
|
…
|
Tables 4 and 5 show examples of rules to define:
- stages of production depending on the characteristics
of raw materials and industrial products;
- equipment depending on the production stage.
Table 4. Examples of rules
for determining the stage of production depending on characteristics of raw
materials and industrial products
|
Condition
|
Consequence
|
|
Sprod,1 & Sprod,2
& Sprod,3 & Sprod,4
& Sprod,5
|
Stprod,1
|
|
Sprod,6 & Sprod,7
& Sprod,8 & Sprod,9
& Sprod,10 & Sprod,11
|
Stprod,2
|
|
Sprod,12 &
Sprod,13 & Sprod,14
|
Stprod,3
|
|
…
|
…
|
As an example, we give the content of rule 1.
Rule 1: if (Sprod,1=
"slightly alkaline reaction environment") and (Sprod,2=
"mass concentration of beta-naphthol 243-245 g/dm3") and (Sprod,3=
"mass concentration of sodium hydroxide 67-69 g/dm3") and (Sprod,4=
"mass concentration of dilute solution of sulfuric acid 170-200
g/dm3") and (Sprod,5= "mass fraction of
a solution of sodium nitrite 25-40%"), the production stage of the product
Stprod,1 = "dissolution".
Table 5. Examples of rules
to define equipment depending on the stage of production
|
Condition
|
Consequence
|
|
Stprod,1
|
Obprod,1
|
|
Stprod,2
|
Obprod,2
|
|
Stprod,3
|
Obprod,3
|
|
…
|
…
|
As an example, we give the content of rules 1, 2.
Rule 1: if Stprod,1
= "dissolution", the equipment Obprod,1 =
"reactor for preparation of sodium salt of beta-naphthol".
Rule 2: if Stprod,2
= "nitrotyrosine", the equipment Obprod,2
= "a reactor for nitration of beta-naphthol».
The ILM implemented in the environment for dynamic
processes modeling system, for example SIMUL8, will be a tool for studying
chemical-technological objects.
In this work, we have proposed the technology for creating simulation models on the example of
technological processes of multi-product low-tonnage
chemical products, using possibilities of SIMUL8 system for operational
management of target production. The main stages of the technology are:
formation of a library of technological modes; creation of graphic images of technological
schemes of processes, development of a simulation model in SIMUL8 [27 - 28].
Implementing the proposed technology for
development of simulation models of technological processes of chemical
production using simulation system of discrete processes SIMUL8, a library of
models for production of intermediates and dyes was created, in particular:
scarlet pigment 2C, bright red pigment 4G, chrome black pigment O, varnish
PF-060, 3-oxychinaldine-4-carboxylic acid, 3-oxychinophthalon, acryl MEK, etc.
Figure 4 shows the technological scheme for the
study of G-salt production, and figure 5 shows the regulations and the
simulation model of scarlet pigment 2S production.
Thus, the authors have created an educational
specialized software environment, which is aimed at improving the quality of
training of highly qualified specialists and the level of applied research.
Figure 4. Visualization of a technological scheme
of G-salt production
Figure 5. Electronic whiteboard with the description of process
parameters and visualization of the simulation model of scarlet pigment 2S production
When conducting research on modeling of chemical
and technological systems on the example of organic dyes production, a
prototype of a virtual technological laboratory was developed in order to
improve the quality of training of highly qualified specialists in chemical and
technological areas and the level of applied research. The software environment
vAcademia was used to create the laboratory. The items of the laboratory were
created with the use of different systems: two and three-dimensional design
tools: SketchUp, AutoCAD, KOMPAS-3D, graphic and video editors: Adobe
Photoshop, The GIMP, Photoscape, Windows Movie Maker, SONY Vegas Pro; visual
modeling tool of dynamical systems SIMUL8; software for working with text and
tables Microsoft Office.
The virtual laboratory was created in order to
simulate real laboratory environment and its internal processes, educational
environment where students and young researchers transform their theoretical
knowledge into practical knowledge and skills experimentally, as well as to
create a communicative educational environment that provides conditions for
improving the quality of education, exchange of opinions and mutual
consultation. Thus, the developed information resource will contribute to
formation of network scientific communities.
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