- ABB and Hynamics, the hydrogen subsidiary of EDF group, have signed an agreement to integrate the ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® energy management system to optimize hydrogen production costs
- The system is deployed at Hynamics’ “AuxHYGen” low carbon hydrogen production and distribution station in Auxerre, France
- Potential for collaboration to roll out to four further Hynamics plants in 2023 to produce low carbon hydrogen for industry and mobility
Hynamics has signed an agreement to collaborate with ABB and test the ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® for Green Hydrogen energy management system (EMS), which was launched to market in November 2022, across Hynamics’ plants to help optimize electrical costs of hydrogen production by up to 16 percent, according to ABB modelling.1
In order to optimize production costs for low carbon and renewable hydrogen, the performance of the electrolyser process – which uses electricity from renewable sources to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen – can be improved. ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® supports this by serving every aspect of a hydrogen plant lifecycle, from simulation at design and engineering phases to real-time monitoring of energy consumption when in operation. ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® is already available for five other industrial applications.
The system provides data which can help determine optimal energy consumption levels required to produce hydrogen and minimize waste. The tool considers, among other things, the variability of electricity prices, asset availability and other associated factors.
The companies have agreed to share respective resources to determine the compatibility of their solutions. ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® for Green Hydrogen EMS will be deployed at Auxerre, Hynamics’ first production and distribution site in Northern Burgundy, approximately 170 km southeast of Paris. The 1 MW hydrogen station for the urban community will supply five buses of the Leo network (Transdev), as well as light commercial vehicles and trucks, removing 2,200 tons of CO2 emissions from the road each year.
“With complementary areas of expertise, the cooperation between ABB and Hynamics will enable us to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen projects on an industrial scale,” said Christelle Rouillé, General Manager of Hynamics. “The integration of ABB's world-class power management system is a necessary step to improve the performance of the water electrolysis process and thus optimize the cost of hydrogen production.”
“We have recently pioneered our ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® system specifically for green hydrogen to help production companies overcome the challenges of electrolysis in the way of high costs and energy intensive processes,” said Bruno Roche, Global Head of Energy Transition at ABB. “This first deployment of our EMS for green hydrogen is significant and hopefully the first of many if we are to achieve our collective goal of building a resilient global hydrogen ecosystem for a clean energy future.”
The scope of the agreement also includes the deployment of the cloud for the EMS at the Hynamics operation control center, potential performance and reliability tests carried out by EDF and deployment on further Hynamics production sites in 2023.
ABB Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our # 1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, and marine offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations. go.abb/processautomation
ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated. Building on more than 130 years of excellence, ABB’s ~105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation. www.abb.com
Hynamics is EDF Group’s hydrogen subsidiary which proposes to the industry and mobility specialists a turnkey offer to product, stock and distribute low carbon and renewable hydrogen, by ensuring the investment, operation and maintenance of production and distribution facilities. www.hynamics.com
1*16% saving has been calculated by ABB Corporate Research Center in 2022 and is based upon an optimized versus an unoptimized operation of a hydrogen plant. The results showed an estimated reduction of >14% in electricity costs and >2% in electrical consumption. Thus the lower boundary of OPTIMAX reduction of electrical cost is up to 16%.
*Images courtesy of Hynamics
