The role of digital twins and extended reality in industrial gases

Summary of technological concepts and product/implementation ideas

• Digital twin framing (engineering vs. operational)

  • The speaker argues that “digital twin” is a broad/overused term, but proposes a practical split:
    • Engineering digital twin: defines the physical operating envelope and the target conditions for efficient and sustainable operation (e.g., minimize energy consumption and emissions).
    • Operational digital twin: must align with the engineering twin so that performance runs within that envelope.

• Integration requirement for customers/contractors

  • Industrial customers (as described by the speaker) are changing expectations of engineering/procurement contractors:
    • They want the engineering digital twin delivered as a defined deliverable
    • Plus they require the operational side, not just simulation/engineering models.

• Beyond basic real-time telemetry (4–20 mA limitation)

  • The speaker criticizes relying only on traditional instrumentation data (often described as “4–20 mA” style measurements).
  • Instead, they emphasize adding process and transactional context, including:
    • Process data aligned with operational data
    • Instructions and signals originating from ERP/order systems (transactional commands/orders) and how those map into the operational environment.

• Using XR to support operational decision-making

  • In plants, traditional operator rounds (walking around with clipboards/handhelds) are becoming less common.
  • XR should be triggered by the digital twin: if something is predicted/flagged, XR guides operators to where to look and what risks to assess before entering the area.

• XR for training and safety

  • XR environments enable walking through the plant virtually to:
    • Train operators without exposing them to dangerous real-world conditions
    • Run targeted training programs/exercises with specific roles (e.g., panel operators)
  • The speaker highlights an organizational challenge: plants increasingly lack experienced personnel, so XR becomes a way to generate experience internally.

• Industries/use cases mentioned

  • Industrial uptake cited by the speaker includes:
    • BASF
    • New hydrogen plants, especially where there are no experienced hydrogen electrolyzer operators yet
  • They anticipate XR/digital twin workflows extending toward drone operators over time.
  • AI is positioned as an additional layer “on top of” the integrated digital twin + XR approach.

Main speakers/sources

• Speaker representing Aviva (company referenced directly: “at Aviva”)

Examples/products being discussed (named or referenced)

• BASF
• Hydrogen electrolyzer plants (general industry reference)