• Jobs & Careers
  • Investor Center
  • GSE Home
  • Search
GSE Solutions
  • Design & Analysis
      • Design & Analysis
        • Civil & Structural Engineering
        • Electrical / I&C Engineering
        • Fire Protection Engineering
        • Mechanical Engineering
        • All GSE Engineering Services >
      • Core competencies are engineering, project studies and design modifications, but through alliances with our teaming partners, we offer a myriad of related services.

        Watch video >

      • Engineer of Choice Provider - We maintain a deep bench of expertise that includes both bright, promising engineers and staff members with 40 or more years of industry experience.

    • Systems & Simulation
        • Systems & Simulation Solutions
          • High-fidelity Simulators
          • Classroom Simulators
          • Engineering Simulators
          • On-demand Training & Simulations
          • Simulator Upgrades & Maintenance
          • Platforms & Development Tools
          • Advanced Simulation Models
          • All GSE Engineering Services >
        • The most experienced simulation company in the world. Having delivered more full-scope simulators than all of our competitors combined.

          Watch video >

        • December 2022 News - GSE Solutions to Develop First-of-its-kind Hydrogen Plant Model for NuScale Power

          Read more >

      • Programs & Performance
          • Engineering Programs Services
            • ASME Code Programs
            • ASME Section XI Programs
            • Balance of Plant (BOP) Programs
            • Equipment Qualification Programs
            • Engineering Programs Training
            • Nuclear Power Plant Life Extension Services
            • Software (EP-Plus Engage)
          • Thermal Performance Services
            • Data Validation & Reconciliation (DVR)
            • Engineering Analysis & Support
            • Monitoring & Testing Services
            • Program Assessment Services
            • Thermal Performance Training
            • Thermal System Monitoring (TSM)
            • All GSE Engineering Services >
          • True North Consulting is now GSE Engineering, Programs & Performance group. Letter to customers >

        • Training Services
            • Nuclear Operator Training
              • SRO Certifications
              • Classroom Simulators
            • Engineering Programs Training
              • 10 CFR Appendix J
              • Advanced CHECWORKS
              • Appendix III MOV
              • Inservice Inspection (ISI) Programs
              • Inservice Testing (IST) Training
            • Thermal Performance Training
              • Basic Thermal Performance Training
              • Basic Thermal Performance for Fossil
              • Moisture Separator and Reheater Training
            • Training for Process/O&G
              • On-demand Simulation
              • Cloud-based Courses & Tutorials
              • All GSE Workforce Solutions >
            • Our team brings more than 40 years of experience developing training programs for the power generation industry. GSE offers training programs to fit every need, from turn-key to custom programs, to on-demand and certification courses.

              Watch video >

          • Technical Staffing
              • Technical Staffing
                • Nuclear Staffing
                • Thermal/Fossil Staffing
                • Oil & Gas Staffing
                • Renewable Energy Staffing
                • Transmission & Distribution Staffing
                • Vets On Call Program
              • Specialty Consultants
                • Nuclear Operations Specialists
                • Thermal Performance Analysts
                • Procedure Services & Specialists
                • Simulation Specialists
                • Nuclear Training Instructors
                • Design & Maintenance Engineers
                • All GSE Workforce Solutions >
              • GSE experts help identify solutions and talent to address workforce gaps. The GSE Workforce Solutions team will make sure the right people and skills are in place for customer operations to run smoothly.

                Watch video >

            • About
              • About GSE
              • Press Releases
              • Leadership
              • Board Members
              • Investor Center
              • Blogs & Articles
              • Resource Library
            • Contact
            • Menu Menu

            What is Virtual Commissioning and why is there so much buzz about it?

            August 24, 2017/in Simulation

            What is Virtual Commissioning?

            First, let’s take a look at what each word means. Virtual means simulated on a computer or computer network. Commissioning is designing, installing, testing, operating, and maintaining all industrial plant systems according to operational requirements. “Virtual Commissioning” is the process of using simulation technology to test plant changes before making changes to the actual plant. That way, you avoid the risk of downtime or revenue loss.

            Why Should Plants Use Virtual Commissioning?

            Power plants have their own unique lifecycle and are ever-evolving. There are so many factors influencing industrial plant design, including digitalization of analog, equipment upgrades, environmental systems, and advanced control applications. Chances are that your plant is consistently in some phase of commissioning new equipment and processes. The idea behind virtual commissioning is not new. The manufacturing and process industries have used this process for decades, but it was only recently adopted in the power industry. Simulating plant changes leads to fewer startup issues and faster implementation.

            The Realities of Plant Commissioning

            If the commissioning process is the first time you are seeing plant changes in operation, rework and delays are bound to happen. Commissioning will most likely affect project timelines, safety, reliability, and revenue generation. More often than not, plants find themselves behind schedule due to time-consuming troubleshooting. Here’s the harsh reality:

            • Design changes will occur during the system build
            • Plant start-up and first production dates are fixed
            • Operating procedures need to be defined in advance
            • Start-up delays run in the millions per day

            Commissioning is not the time or place to make these changes. Yet, that’s traditionally how the power generation industry has operated.

            Simulation is an Essential Part of Virtual Commissioning

            Nuclear power plants already have a virtual representation of their plant to use for virtual commissioning. Your full-scope simulator, given it is high-fidelity, is the perfect environment to verify and validate process design changes.

            But what if you don’t have a reference plant simulator? If your power plant uses conventional fuels such as coal or natural gas, a simulator is a smart investment. Some of the most forward-thinking A&Es, EPCs, and utilities have realized big savings using virtual commissioning. This technology allows you to verify and validate plant changes. What’s more, you can build an automation system before greenfield designs are even finalized. After commissioning, you can use the simulator to train operations and maintenance staff. Engineers can also use it to plan future changes.

            Conclusion

            There’s no denying the benefits of virtual commissioning for industrial plants. Simulations reduce risk and save time (and time is money) during actual commissioning. It pays for itself. By testing changes in advance, you avoid costly disruptions and downtime. Many of our customers have benefited from using virtual commissioning. Here’s one example of a customer who used it to uncover numerous issues and save valuable startup time!

            Share this entry
            • Share on Facebook
            • Share on Twitter
            • Share on WhatsApp
            • Share on LinkedIn
            • Share by Mail
            https://www.gses.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Blog-What-is-Virtual-Commissioning.png 504 756 GSE Systems https://gses.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GSE-Solutions_tag-22a.png GSE Systems2017-08-24 11:47:192021-03-24 15:30:29What is Virtual Commissioning and why is there so much buzz about it?

            Categories

            • BOP Blog Series
            • Staffing & Training Blog
            • EnVision Blog Series
            • Engineering
            • Thermal Performance
            • Uncategorized
            • Nuclear
            • Simulation
            • Thermal/Fossil
            • Blog
            • Oil & Gas
            • CCGT
            • Staffing
            • Article
            • Training

            Archive

            • 2021
            • 2020
            • 2019
            • 2018
            • 2017
            • 2016
            GSE Solutions
            © 2023. All rights reserved.
            Privacy Policy

            Navigation

            • Investor Center
            • Jobs & Careers
            • Contact Us
            • Press Releases
            • Follow Us on LinkedIn

            Contact Us

            3 tips for planning your second simulator projectFidelity Matters: What “High-fidelity” Really Means
            Scroll to top

            This site uses cookies to improve your browsing experience; the website may not work as expected without them. By continuing to browse this site, you consent to the use of cookies.

            OKLearn More

            Cookie and Privacy Settings



            How we use cookies

            We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

            Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

            Essential Website Cookies

            These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

            Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

            We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

            We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

            Other external services

            We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

            Google Webfont Settings:

            Google Map Settings:

            Google reCaptcha Settings:

            Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

            Privacy Policy

            You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

            Accept settingsHide notification only