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Success Stories
EIC Survive 2024 EIC Survive&&Thrive Thrive 2024
JulyJuly 2024 2024
Story type
Whessoe Engineering Removing a barrier to entry for liquid hydrogen Jane Tucker
Having relied on traditional energy markets such as liquified natural gas to sell its storage tank design solutions to for many years, Whessoe Engineering reached a point where it knew diversification was the key to securing its future. Identifying the hydrogen sector as a space where it could add value, the company has designed a liquid storage tank which solves a crucial problem in making H2 a viable alternative fuel of the future. The challenge - With roots dating back all the way to 1790, Whessoe Engineering boasts a hugely rich legacy in the engineering and contracting space that very few companies can dream of rivalling. Over the past four decades, the firm has concentrated on specialising its expertise in the storage and handling of liquefied gases, including cryogenic, low-temperature and pressurised forms. Today, Whessoe’s extensive experience and deep knowledge position it as a trusted authority in this highly technical field, enabling it to provide innovative solutions that meet the unique challenges of working with liquefied gases across a wide range of applications and industries. However, no company which has been in existence for over 200 years can survive this long without adapting to changing market conditions and dynamics. In recent times, Whessoe’s leadership recognised the need to evolve once again, not least due to the global trend towards green energy and alternative fuels such as hydrogen. The solution - After considering several diversification strategies, the company decided to concentrate on developing a storage tank solution liquified hydrogen and improve their solution for ammonia. Hydrogen’s potential as an alternative fuel is well documented. However, there are three key barriers to entry, including the cost required to cool and convert it to liquid, and complexities around shipping it from one place to another. The third barrier is storage. Knowing it housed the expertise to develop a solution, Whessoe Engineering soon recognised the opportunity available if it could help the sector overcome this obstacle and bring hydrogen closer to full realisation as a viable fuel.
Benefits ▸ New way of attracting and engaging new employees developed. ▸ Company read for the industry’s future needs.
Key findings
Business Development Director How is Whessoe Engineering thriving?
#energy transition (main category) #diversification, #technology
A hydrogen roadmap was devised by the company and its parent in 2020, with the parent firm agreeing to fund the development of a new liquid hydrogen storage tank. Work on the tank design started in 2021, the project progressing through various stages over the ensuing years. The process started with a significant amount of research and time being invested in carrying out a basic design of a 40,000 cubic metre tank to prove the concept. In addition, several major considerations and potential challenges were investigated, including the need to deal with extreme temperatures, vacuum options and anticipating what customers’ needs would be in the future. After this, more than a year was spent in the detailed design phase, with DNV providing third-party approval of the design in 2023. Today, testing and optimisation continues as Whessoe enters the final stage of its roadmap. In terms of turning this into a real business opportunity, Whessoe does not expect monetisation to begin in the immediate term, the motivation for the project being a desire to remain ahead of the curve. With that said, the company has received expressions of interest from a party which outlined the need for several 40,000-cubic-metre tanks. There is also interest coming from the shipbuilding industry, which is seeking to get ahead of the game and find solutions to storing hydrogen on vessels for transportation. Internally, the project has also brought many positives. Its engineers have been challenged to think differently and thrived in the opportunity to work on something new and truly innovative, and in the longer term, Whessoe sees this as a way of attracting and engaging new employees. The most important success factor, however, is the solving of the ‘how do your store it’ conundrum which has been cause for hesitancy in hydrogen uptake. With a viable solution in the offing, Whessoe could well help to unlock this alternative fuel as a key component of the energy transition.
For industry ▸ Decide whether you are committed to a greener future or not without the governments backing. Put your money where your mouth is. For government ▸ Consider pushing for a global carbon tariff scheme.
Whessoe Engineering at a glance: Key products and services: engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPC&C) services. Main industries served: ▸ Energy storage – 100% Headquarters: Darlington, UK Year established: 1790 Number of employees: 60 Revenue: £7m Revenue from exports: 100%