John Sørensen is the director of Staget, which is what the shipyard part of Semco Martime is known as, and he has no doubt about how the work on Hyme Energy's MOSS project has gone.
His blacksmith has been working for the past six months to complete Hyme Energy's MOSS project for energy storage in caustic soda. This has meant welding in a material that is known to be very difficult to weld. It is Inconel 600, which is a mixture of chromium and nickel. It is an extremely corrosion-resistant and expensive material.
- It has been really exciting, and we have really practiced our skills in welding in Inconel, says John Sørensen about the welding work in the material, where everything has been checked after every weld:
- Everything has been X-rayed 100 percent. according to a non-destructive testing method also known as NDT. We did this to be absolutely sure that there are no leaks or corrosion, he says.
The X-ray work was carried out at Staget by a company that specializes in just that.
- Eniso has done the inspection for us here in our own X-ray bunker, says John Sørensen.
And a couple of times, otherwise invisible errors have appeared during the inspection.
- We found three or four errors. Then you cut away the part with the defect and weld it again, explains John Sørensen.
John Sørensen can give you an idea of exactly how difficult it is to weld inconel.
- We have had the city's best stainless steel welding team on the job, and that says a lot in a city like Esbjerg, says John Sørensen, who is actually from Viborg, even though he works in Esbjerg.
He can also explain how difficult working with inconel is.
- Inconel is 10 times more difficult to weld than stainless steel, and that is difficult enough already. It is blacksmiths who can figure out how to weld stainless steel, says the director, who adds:
- It has been exciting for the blacksmiths because it has been challenging for them.
Safety and the future
Hyme Energy's Molten Salt Storage MOSS plant will run for at least six months, and there is a good reason why everything is tested so well. Inconel is "extremely corrosion-resistant" as John Sørensen says, and that is necessary.
- The salt in it does not expand and does not release steam in the pipes, but it is 650 degrees hot. And the plant is unpressurized, although there are pumps to move the red-hot salt around, he explains.
At the same time, it is only a first step in something that may mean more work in the future.
- This is the pilot project, and there are already ten times larger plants in the pipeline. There will be enormous potential for steam-consuming companies. Imagine being able to use this thermal battery when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining, says John Sørensen and concludes:
- It's brilliant, and it's exciting to be part of the development process, where there are constant optimizations.
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