JGC Corporation, the engineering firm behind many of the world’s chemical and nuclear power plants, has announced an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) collaboration with IT solutions provider NEC.
The two giants of Japanese engineering are joining forces in a partnership that could have a meaningful impact on plant operations around the world. JGC and NEC will collaborate for the next generation of smart plants across industries including chemical, nuclear power and oil refinement.
IoT and AI to monitor abnormalities in plant operations
The deal will see the two develop connected systems, combining IoT sensors with artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and monitor abnormalities in plant operations. It comes at a time when suppliers in the energy and chemical industries are seeking to lower costs for maintenance and operations, minimize outages and improve safety and insight.
This is especially the case for JGC customers in emerging economies, where maintaining stable operations and efficiencies can be undermined by a lack of skilled plant operators. The joint offering JCG and NEC hope to provide will combine the two companies’ existing services, utilizing IoT and AI to bridge that gap.
Read more: GE uses IoT to revolutionise power plants
Currently, NEC provides IT systems that monitor power plants and provide energy demand forecasts through its three main industry offerings: ‘System Invariant Analysis Technology’, ‘Heterogeneous Mixture Learning Technology’ and ‘NEC the Wise‘. The latter is a suite of proprietary AI technologies designed for customers operating power, oil, and chemical plants.
JGC and NEC services will automate early prevention
The full package of data services the partnership with JGC will provide is expected to be much broader in scope. Enhanced data coverage will shorten the time it takes to pick up and analyze abnormal signs, while the combination of IoT technology and NEC’s AI is anticipated to quickly identify causal relationships between abnormalities and operating data.
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In a statement, NEC suggests that this will “contribute substantially to trouble avoidance and the mechanization and automation of early prevention.”
The two companies have already received orders for their combined plant operation data analysis service. They plan to provide services to 30 plants in Japan and around the world within the next two years.
Read more: Honeywell and Aereon aim to boost IIoT adoption in oil and gas
Another operator applying IoT technology to problems faced by power stations is GE. Among the industrial firm’s clients is the Whitegate gas combined-cycle power plant in Cork, owned by Bord Gáis Energy.
Back in 2015, GE developed an energy management solution to help the Whitegate plant reduce costs and cut inefficiencies in the face of European government regulations. The Whitegate power plant now makes better decisions with the management of big data: