Virtual Reality in Planning and Operations From Research Topic to Practical Issue

During the last decade of research and development on advanced visualization systems for the nuclear industry, the available technology has evolved significantly. In the same period, nuclear companies have entered a more competitive environment due to the increasingly open electricity market, resulting in strong demands on cost effective operations. This paper reports on some of the 3D applications developed by Institute for Energy Technology in this time period, and on the emerging possibilities for practical applications of Virtual and Augmented Reality. Finally the paper proposes that well-considered deployment of recent and on-going technological advances in this field can be a contribution to improving economy and efficiency without compromising safety.