2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Unit Operations Laboratory (UOL) provides chemical engineering students with hands-on experience by applying engineering and science concepts to industry-scale equipment. However, the traditional physical lab environment has several limitations that hinder its effectiveness as a comprehensive teaching tool, including limited access and safety concerns. The high operational costs and maintenance of the equipment further restrict access to the facility, limiting the number of students who can use it at a time and the frequency with which they can work with the equipment. Handling real chemicals and operating complex machinery involve inherent risks, and even with supervision, the potential for accidents persists. To address these limitations, the current study proposes a virtual UOL (v-UOL) framework that enables educators to create an immersive, interactive learning environment that mirrors the physical lab while providing real-time feedback. Using VR headsets and controllers, students can navigate the simulated lab space and interact with equipment in a manner that replicates real-life scenarios. This virtual experience allows repeated practice without the safety risks or resource constraints of a physical lab, enabling students to build competence through hands-on practice. This end-to-end framework includes the creation of virtual assets replicating full-scale equipment and incorporates enhanced learning tools, such as large language model (LLM)-enabled guidance, procedural tracking, multi-user support, and performance tracking. As a work in progress, this pilot study demonstrates the in-house development of a digital twin and investigates human perception and user experience when working with both the 2D screen-based and 3D immersive learning modules of the packed distillation column situated in the undergraduate teaching laboratory. The preliminary data collected from graduate chemical engineering students who had completed the physical lab experiment during their undergraduate studies revealed v-UOL’s effectiveness in helping students contextualize the Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID) and establish spatial awareness related to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), all while making the process more engaging and enjoyable. Finally, the limitations of the current setup and future directions are discussed.