Knowledge-intensive operations in refineries such as plant startup and shutdown, compressor start-up, and crude tank switchover still require manual handling by a large number of operators. For instance, an effective crude switchover transfer will often require that a complicated set of operations including starting/stopping motors, opening/closing valves, flow measurement and flushing be executed in a specific sequence decided by only the most experienced operators.

In addition, because experienced operators will eventually retire or resign, it is necessary to retain their know-how and best practices and pass on such knowledge precisely to unskilled operators. This is crucial in order to maximize production efficiency and to avoid or eliminate shutdowns that could result from mis-operation.