Virtual Reality-Based Training System for Complex Engineering Processes on the example of a Fractionating Column

The knowledge transfer of complex processes in the context of higher education is a constant challenge. The structural construction and the inherent processes reach a complexity that cannot be adequately communicated to the targeted audience with purely textual but also two- or threedimensional representations. By immersion, interaction and imagination [1], Virtual Reality (VR) technologies can go beyond traditional learning media and result in significant academic achievements. By using a realistic, three-dimensional interactive model in virtual space, a VR-based training system was developed and enriched with specific features and functions to such an extent that it serves as a supplement to the classical teaching material to learn about a fractionating column.