MHWirth drilling simulation dome, South Korea

Barco successfully teamed up with Norwegian-based system integrator Cyviz to produce an eye-catching simulation solution in South Korea in 2015 June. Years of intense collaboration between Barco, Cyviz and MHWirth, a leading global provider of drilling solutions and services, culminated in the completion of a new, 8-meter-diameter drilling simulation dome. A total of twelve Barco F12 WUXGA projectors provide MHWirth’s operators with a lifelike, high-resolution environment in which to practice intricate drilling set-ups.

Simulating critical drilling operations
With offices in more than 20 countries worldwide, MHWirth is synonymous with safe, efficient and reliable drilling solutions. To provide its drilling operators with the best possible training, the company works closely with Cyviz, a Norwegian-based company that specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of visual collaboration solutions. This years-long collaboration resulted in a standardized design for large domes for advanced drilling simulations.

On 15 June 2015, MHWirth officially opened its newest office in Geoje, South Korea. Part of this new facility is a brand-new, 8-meter-diameter dome simulator. The dome creates an authentic experience of critical drilling operations and permits training of operators in a controlled environment.

Reliable images in a demanding environment
Having successfully collaborated with Barco on numerous projects in the past, Cyviz deployed twelve of Barco’s F12 WUXGA projectors to deliver a truly immersive simulation experience. Specifically designed for 24/7 operation in demanding environments, the single-chip DLP projectors prove to be the right solution for the job.

“The projection system had to be resilient to vibrations from heavy traffic and industrial activity from neighboring businesses”, says Mikkjal Poulsen, Country Manager South Korea at MHWirth. “The same, high demands were placed on image reliability, brightness and contrast to produce a realistic training experience. The lightweight, yet robust and high-performing F12 series by Barco were exactly what we needed to pull off this impressive project.”

Optimized cost of ownership
From a financial point of view too, the new drilling simulator brings MHWirth ample benefits. Not only does it reduce the need for costly, field-based training, the entire system itself has also been designed with total cost of ownership in mind. For instance, as each part of the F12 projectors has a lifetime of at least 8,000 hours – or a full year of non-stop operation – servicing and maintenance is kept to a bare minimum.

Espen Olsen, Director of Sales Simulation Europe at Barco: “The new dome will be an essential part of MHWirth’s South Korean operations for many years to come. We are extremely proud to have gotten the opportunity to work together with Cyviz on this challenging project. I am convinced that the projection system has set a new standard, both when it comes to performance and total cost of ownership.”