For the purpose of achieving effective hydrogen usage in the petroleum refining process, Mitsubishi Power has started offering ENEOS Company an energy balance optimization service.
MHI introduced the cloud platform of its TOMONI suite of intelligent solutions incorporating ENERGY CLOUD, an analysis engine that uses exclusive AI and IoT technologies(Note3) for forecasting and optimization, as part of a demonstration experiment carried out at the ENEOS Corporation Sakai Refinery in Osaka, where the service was first implemented.
This experiment validated favorable results for controlling the production and consumption volume of hydrogen used in the desulfurization stage of oil refining, as well as for efficient usage of the hydrogen obtained as a byproduct in the succeeding refining process. Based on the outcome, MHI started offering ENEOS this solution in February 2023.
Desulfurization with hydrogen is used to get rid of the sulfur in crude oil during the process of making kerosene, gasoline, and other petroleum products from it. Due to the characteristics of crude oil, the performance of the treatment facilities is impacted by the different amounts of hydrogen required for desulfurization depending on the area where the oil was produced.
As a result, refineries need sophisticated refining procedures. One such operation is controlling the volume of hydrogen produced using unused source gas (off-gas), which normally calls for the expertise of professional workers. TOMONI, which has been educated on service consumption data, decreases expenses, while at the same time secures the continuation of this advanced operational technology. The AI system can also be used to use the by-product hydrogen produced during this oil manufacturing process, calculating the volume that should be returned to the hydrogen production machinery after desulfurization.
This project aims to optimize operations for facilities generally and decrease the amount of CO2 emissions through the application of AI and IoT technologies to the upstream fuel supply process in the value chain. These technologies were acquired from chemical plants and power generation facilities of MHI Group. This service will be provided by MHI Group, which has vast knowledge of gas turbines and various other power generation facilities, under a license arrangement in the style of a subscription. This agreement will offer a comprehensive and speedy solution service to support energy transition initiatives that call for the development of new technologies or the extension of existing infrastructure.
The ENEOS Sakai Refinery uses AI and IoT to operate its modern plant and has received Super Certification for high pressure gas from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan. The refinery gave TOMONI good marks for its qualities, particularly its capacity as a one-stop solutions provider and potential to help facility operation optimization.
In order to further accelerate the energy transformation, which is the MHI Group’s growth engine, Mitsubishi Power is pursuing technology development for digitalization and broader AI utilization. MHI Group will create and offer solutions to reach a carbon neutral world by concentrating on the three measures of decarbonization of existing infrastructure, realization of a hydrogen ecosystem, and realization of a CO2 ecosystem.
