Recomendações de projeto para aplicação da realidade virtual em visitas imersivas: estudo de caso em uma estação de transferência de custódia de gás

Abstract

In recent years, the rapid evolution of digital technologies has played a fundamental role in the transformation of several industrial sectors. This work investigates the application of Virtual Reality (VR) as a tool for immersive visits in industrial environments, specifically in a gas custody transfer station. This research sought to develop a set of practical and methodological recommendations for the development of immersive visits in virtual reality environments in the oil and gas industry. The Design Science Research research paradigm was adopted, which consists of the following six steps: (1) problem identification, (2) definition of the solution objective, (3) design and development, (4) demonstration, (5) evaluation and (6) communication. In addition, the PRISMA guidelines for the collection of bibliographic resources were followed along with the snowball methodology for systematic literature study. In order to support the research, the use of the UTAUT questionnaire was adopted as a data collection tool and additionally a focus group with experts was convened to analyze and validate the data collected in the field research. The results demonstrated that there are no specific requirements for the use of virtual reality as a tool for immersive visits in the oil and gas industry. However, it also demonstrated that, as in other industries, it is necessary to follow certain steps and requirements for the adoption of the technology as a tool. It is concluded that virtual reality as a tool for immersive visits in the oil and gas industry reduces costs and operational risk. There are still barriers to the adoption of the technology on a large scale, one of which is organizational culture. However, with communication as a fundamental pillar of the implementation process, the results are significant and favorable. Future research should address in which scenarios virtual reality as a tool for immersive visits should be used, and whether there are other applications of the technology as a tool in addition to training, familiarization, and visits themselves.