Kurita, Toshiba to collaborate in field of water treatment for power plants

Kurita Water Industries Ltd and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp have begun to plan collaborations in the verification of the effects of operation optimization using digital technologies in the field of water treatment for power plants in general, including thermal and biomass power plants.

The companies said they aim to provide solutions that will enable operation in line with the expansion of renewable energy and permit expansion of applications of fuels with low CO2 emissions, by combining Kurita's water treatment technologies and expertise with the Toshiba Spinex for Energy, an energy IoT service being developed by Toshiba ESS, and by applying the microservice architecture in accordance with customer needs.

Many of the equipment used at a thermal power plant discharge wastewater with different properties. The properties and discharge amount change according to fluctuations of the load on the plant and the fuel used there. It is expected that the properties and volume of wastewater will fluctuate more markedly in the future due to output controls associated with the introduction of renewable energy, shift from coal, LNG, and other fossil fuels to biomass fuels, and the future expansion of fuels applied to reduce CO2 emissions, such as ammonia and hydrogen.

The companies aim to achieve stable operation that can accommodate fluctuations in wastewater load, by combining Kurita's technologies for the operation control of wastewater treatment facilities with Toshiba Spinex for Energy from Toshiba ESS, which manages the operation information of power plants' power cycles. In addition, the companies will also strive to optimize the amount of chemicals injected into the wastewater treatment facilities of power producers and companies from general industry owning power-generating equipment, among others, aiming to help reduce the impact on the environment, for instance from sludge and other types of waste that are generated.

Kurita and Toshiba ESS will take this planning of collaborations as an opportunity to improve the value of infrastructure systems and contribute to realizing a sustainable society in Japan and other countries.