24.05.2022
He attends «the school of life» at TCM
Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) has a 10-year anniversary in 2022. We celebrate ourselves with interviews with people who in various ways have had impact on the business in these years.
Øyvind Ullestad became part of the team in 2011 and is a key person when it comes to measuring and analysis of tests performed at the plant.
– Why did you apply for a position at TCM?
– I had a good job at the Mongstad refinery with analysis of oil, petrol, and diesel. But when a position at TCM was advertised, I thought it was time to try something new. The challenge of building something completely new was simply too exciting not to. Contributing to the establishment of an apparatus for the analysis of flue gas professionally was very interesting, and with the possibility of retreating to Equinor, I had nothing to lose by seizing this opportunity.
– How was your first meeting with TCM?
– I came to a room that was completely empty. Here I and a colleague, who started at the same time, were to create a workshop with everything needed for equipment to do good analyzes when the plant came in operation. This was by no means surprising. But we knew that if we missed and things did not work, then there was no one to yell at but us. Therefore, it was important to be involved in and understand the entire project, and to check that everything that was purchased matched TCM’s needs. For someone who has mostly gone to the «school of life», this process provided a lot of interesting lessons.
– What will you highlight as the most rewarding and interesting work you took part in at TCM?
– To me, it has been learning ways to make measurements of CO2 emissions as accurately and precise as possible. The authorities’ discharge permit places strict demands on TCM and has been and still is an important driving force for how the plant is operated and results are analyzed and reported. The first years were especially interesting, because we had to run two plants with different technologies. Then there were five of us in automation who shared the tasks, while now only I work full time with analysis with support from one another in about half a position.
– Are there projects or events you remember back with special joy?
– In the beginning it was fun because we constantly had to find solutions and trust ourselves. There was no one to ask because the capture of CO2 on our scale was completely new. It gave me many, good a-ha experiences. But even though much has gradually become routine, each test campaign still has its own life. With ever new and more refined technologies, we must constantly adapt and think new to deliver high-quality analyzes. The fact that we have acquired many more and better meters along the way, has also contributed to a fine learning curve. It has also been nice to be in dialogue with the customers when they sometimes have specific questions about the analyzes I have provided.
– When you tell your friends and acquaintances about the business at TCM, what do you emphasize as the most important utility value?
– My sigh of relief is that we at TCM have far too little managed to tell people in Norway the importance of what we are doing to preserve the globe. In Eastern Norway, many believe that TCM was closed after the “moon landing” had failed. In the United States, on the other hand, we are admired.
My simple story is that it is not difficult to capture CO2. But doing so with low energy consumption and minimal emissions is difficult. Therefore, both Norway and the world need TCM to test that the technologies work.
– What is your wish for TCM the next ten years?
– I will retire in two years to run the family farm near Mongstad full time. But I hope our owners will decide to run TCM for both ten and twenty years to come. Development of new technologies for carbon capture is necessary to save the world. If not, future generations risk having to wear swimming trunks all year round.
Name: Øyvind Ullestad
Age: 59
Education: Certificate in electrical engineering
Marital status: Married, two children and six grandchildren
Affiliation with TCM: Senior Engineer in Automation, seconded from Equinor, 2011 –
Present position: Senior Engineer in the department Lab. / Operation at TCM
– When you generally look back on 10 years of business at TCM, what do people that worked at TCM or still are working there have reason to be most proud of?
– That we have become able to plan and carry out test campaigns to the great satisfaction of our customers. For my part, the contribution has been to deliver correct figures and values of what is desired and expected. I’m proud of that!