Integrated tech and engineering company Honeywell has launched Protonium, a collection of technologies enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) and powered by machine learning that are designed to make the production of green hydrogen more efficient and scalable.
Honeywell Protonium will first be deployed by Aternium, a US-based large-scale producer of clean hydrogen, which will use the new technologies across its planned Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2), one of seven national hydrogen hubs selected by the US Department of Energy, though some are now in doubt under the new administration.
A recent report from US political publication Politico claimed a list circulating within the DOE states blue-state projects could have funding for their Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding cut, and this would include MACH2.
To help meet industries’ growing energy demands and support a broader range of sources, Honeywell Protonium aims to scale green hydrogen production by tackling key challenges such as power intermittency, carbon intensity reduction, and high production costs.
The Protonium portfolio comprises three offerings:
- Concept Design Optimizer – optimising plant design to lower the levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) and enable quicker investment decisions
- Hydrogen Electrolyser Control System – analysing electrolyser performance for greater efficiency and longevity
- Hydrogen Unified Control and Optimizer – streamlining energy management and operations across the plant to reduce operating expenditure by leveraging technologies such as digital twins, AI optimisation and predictive analytics
In other words, the new tools enhance electrolysis efficiency and plant design and operations by integrating predictive control algorithms. This makes hydrogen production more sustainable and cost effective.
Pramesh Maheshwari, President of Honeywell Process Solutions, said, “As adoption of green hydrogen as a diversified energy source continues to grow, it is crucial for producers to look to autonomy to ultimately advance electrification and the energy transition. With these new technologies, we are helping to further reshape the green hydrogen landscape.”
