Mitsubishi Power, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, is introducing a global network of TOMONI HUBs that use artificial intelligence to provide real-time, cyber-secure interactive support of plant operation and maintenance (O&M) decision making. TOMONI HUBs include connected software, hardware and services that provide pre-warning of impending issues or needed corrective action to avoid unit trips or load reductions, eliminate energy efficiency losses, and avoid unnecessary maintenance.
The global network includes TOMONI HUBs in Takasago and Nagasaki, Japan; Orlando, Florida, United States; and Alabang, Philippines, with a fifth HUB to be commissioned in Duisburg, Germany, in the third quarter of 2021. Each HUB accesses cybersecure cloud-based analytics and uses distributed knowledge databases that incorporate knowledge gained from global Mitsubishi Power experience.
TOMONI HUBs support all types of energy systems, including traditional steam power plants and gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) plants, as well as renewable power plants, distributed generation, emerging smart energy systems, and all-duration energy storage.
Jon Christensen, Manager of Special Projects and Vice President, Intermountain Power Service Corporation in Delta, Utah, United States, said, “In planning for the Intermountain Power Project’s 840 megawatt power plant, which will be an early adopter of green hydrogen technology, we sought a partner that could provide actionable insights to ensure that multiple new technologies are working together to ensure availability and operability. With the TOMONI HUB, the Intermountain Power Plant will be the smartest, most resilient plant in the Americas when it comes online. It gives us confidence that we will have resources to help us react not only to O&M issues, but also to challenges such as weather extremes and operational flexibility.”
Power plants using Mitsubishi Power’s TOMONI solutions on average have 2–4 fewer days of unplanned downtime and 3–4 fewer days of planned downtime per year than similar unconnected plants, providing millions of dollars of annual value for their owners.
“The name HUB conveys the central role our facilities are increasingly playing in channeling expert O&M support for on-site personnel and an evolving workforce,” said Hiroyasu Ishigaki, General Manager of the Mitsubishi Power ICT Operations Department in Yokohama, Japan. “Mitsubishi Power remote monitoring has already become an integral element in the support of many plants’ successful O&M results. With TOMONIHUBs, we can now provide valuable support far beyond just monitoring—further extending the Japanese TOMONI concept of working ‘together with’ our customers to increase real-time collaboration among the energy system operators and the worldwide resources and expertise of Mitsubishi Power.
“TOMONI HUBs extend the advanced capabilities that Mitsubishi Power’s Remote Monitoring Centers provided for more than 20 years to make power plants more reliable and profitable,” Ishigaki added. “New technical capabilities introduced in recent years include remote inspection and maintenance via virtual presence technologies as well as remote operation. Many of the technologies were validated at Mitsubishi Power’s T-Point 2 power plant, the smartest power plant in the world, which is currently being operated remotely from the Takasago TOMONI HUB.”
TOMONI HUBs provide global fleet-wide centralized resources for advanced O&M support, paving the way for the smarter and ultimately more autonomous power plants of the future. These plants will be more responsive and resilient, seamlessly interacting with the electrical power grid, energy storage, hybrid plants and renewable generation sources.
