Renewable fuel generation plant uses digital solution

Emerson and Toyota Australia have collaborated to transform part of Toyota Australia’s operations into a commercial-grade hydrogen production, storage and refuelling plant. The project, supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), has enlisted Emerson to provide the control system that helps Toyota Australia demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of manufacturing hydrogen fuels, including the use of renewable solar energy.

As low- and zero-emission vehicles capture a greater share of the market, countries around the globe need to expand access to renewable fuels such as hydrogen. Sustainable hydrogen projects are challenging because they need to integrate many data sources into one balance-of-plant system — a process that’s critical for a facility’s success. For the Toyota Australia Hydrogen Centre, Emerson’s DeltaV distributed control system gathers data from the plant’s equipment, making it easier to monitor production and storage of hydrogen gas and to document and validate the sustainability of operations.

“By incorporating a digital automation foundation to eliminate data silos, Toyota Australia can not only significantly reduce costs, but also gain greater visibility into system performance, making it easier to maintain and report sustainability performance and increase productivity,” said Mark Bulanda, Executive President of Emerson’s Automation Solutions business. “The data foundation Toyota has built will make it faster and easier for like-minded companies to replicate success as hydrogen refuelling networks continue to expand across the continent and the globe.”

Edge control technology from Emerson’s PACSystems will also be used reduce the cost and complexity of integrating third-party systems, while Rosemount flame detectors will be used help keep personnel and operations safe. The Toyota Australia team took advantage of pre-existing configuration libraries to reduce set-up time. Emerson says its technologies also create a platform to add future remote operations and data analytics more easily and cost-effectively.