By 2027, more than 40% of major corporations will be utilizing Web3, spatial computing, and digital twins. In today's media, the term "digital twin" has become commonplace. Digital twin—a replicated virtual representation of a physical object that facilitates decision-making, collaboration, and information access, will be one of the key players in resolving business issues and advancing crucial steps toward net zero as they abstract and model everything. This is an intriguing example of how digital twins are helping the hydrogen economy.
DIGITAL TWIN
A digital twin (DT) can be used for a variety of purposes, from enabling physically challenged people to ride a virtual roller coaster alongside a friend who is riding a real one to helping with the engineering and design of a new aviation engine. The primary advantages of DT include improving business processes, including lower maintenance and material costs, immediate project bankability due to decreased risk, maximizing operational efficiencies, and enhancing decision-making with automation to predict outcomes and simulate various scenarios.
UTILIZING THE TECHNOLOGY
Repurposing the fossil fuel asset base is an actual example, using digital twins. It was employed in two ways to repurpose existing oil and gas infrastructure: transforming existing offshore oil and gas platforms into centers for the production of hydrogen and piping that hydrogen to the coast. First, digital twin technology helps oil and gas infrastructure last longer by identifying stress points on a structure to the nearest centimeter, so that engineers can fix them before they become serious problems. This keeps assets like Steam Methane Reformers and gas terminals functional for long enough to be repurposed. Second, the operation conditions needed for hydrogen production can be shown to be secure using digital twin software. For instance, digital twin software has previously demonstrated that current pipelines can safely transport hydrogen, the most economically feasible route for its transport, helping reduce a refinery's startup time by six to twelve hours.
All in all, digital twin technology has the potential to revolutionize how things are created, maintained, and designed. It also serves as a tool that lets businesses save money and time as they convert to more sustainable practices. As this technology develops, it could ultimately end up being a crucial tool for businesses trying to remain competitive in the increasingly digital world.