She had a Royal Start at TCM

The following day, Karen was ready; she shook hands with Crown Prince Haakon and and showed him around. “That was the start of my working life became a memory for life,” she says with a smile.

After a decade of studying chemistry at NTNU in Trondheim, including a year of maternity leave, Karen felt well prepared for the challenges awaiting her at TCM. However, neither her civil engineering education nor her doctoral studies covered the etiquette required when a crown prince arrives at the door, eager to learn about the laboratory’s work at the world’s largest CO₂ capture technology centre. “But the Crown Prince was pleasant, and I think he got a good impression of what he saw and heard.”

Seeing how things work in practice

However, neither her civil engineering education nor her doctoral studies covered the etiquette required when a crown prince arrives at the door, eager to learn about the laboratory’s work at the world’s largest CO₂ capture technology center. “But the Crown Prince was pleasant, and I think he got a good impression of what he saw and heard.”

Once the motorcade of celebrity guests had departed and peace had returned to the TCM, the training of the newly appointed laboratory engineer began. “I was already very familiar with carbon capture technology from my PhD. But it was incredibly exciting to get a thorough tour of the plant and see how things work in practice”.

Karen Karolina Høisæter’s Ph.D. is about the stability of amine-based solvents used in CO₂ capture, which is the most mature of the technologies. However, at NTNU, she also worked in a research group developing methods for capture using membranes and MOF-based technologies.

A paradise

“The great thing about TCM is that it has 12 years of experience testing amine technology on an almost full scale, both from proprietary and open, research-based campaigns, but it also has an excellent facility for testing new technologies. This makes it a paradise for someone who is passionate about finding the best solutions to reduce CO₂ emissions from all types of industries.”

Growing up on Bømlo, Karen was an active member of Nature and Youth during her early years. But it was her interest in science that paved the way for her chemistry studies at NTNU. She brought her boyfriend from Bergen, who was training to be a teacher, to Trondheim. Now, the couple is well-established in Åsane in Bergen, with a daughter who goes to kindergarten while her parents are at work. When their three-year-old is in bed for the evening, Karen often finds time to practice the viola. As a participant in the orchestra “Collegium Musicum” in Bergen, high standards are also set for Karen in her free time!

Then, how does a day in the laboratory at TCM look for a highly educated chemical engineer?

“The laboratory is part of Operations, TCM’s operations department, whose main task is analysis. We ensure that the solvent used in the capture processes works as it should and that the emissions associated with the tests are within the requirements set by the Environmental Directorate. This is done using both online analysis and manual sampling of the gas to ensure double verification. We also take water samples to ensure that nothing from the plant escapes into the environment.

When I started, there were only two of us sharing the work, but now we have a lab technician. For me, this means that I can focus on instrument maintenance, data processing and reporting. I also support the people in the technical department on various projects, especially those related to solvent degradation and analytical techniques. This also means that I participate in technical discussions and work on writing articles for the GHGT conference later this autumn.”

”What will your role be in planning and executing test campaigns, Karen?”

“I’ll get to try it out for the first time when we start a new campaign this autumn, and I’m looking forward to it. My focus will be on analysing what’s happening in the plant. This include daily reports to TCM’s campaign coordinator and the client. The workload can be heavy, depending on how the tests go. That’s why it’s good to have time in the first few months to familiarise myself with the methods and routines so that I’m well prepared when the campaign starts”.

”What is your impression of the working environment at TCM?”

“What impressed me was how well the organisation works and the professionalism at all levels. I mentioned the online emissions analysis earlier. The method was developed by the automation engineers at TCM, and I think it’s amazing what they’ve achieved. This is just one example of the high level of competence in the company.

At the same time, it is important to remember that TCM is not a large workplace. Collaboration across departments is critical to delivering the services and results that customers need to move their technologies forward. My impression is that people work well in teams; at least I haven’t come across any closed doors. And when we go to lunch, no one sits alone. Everyone around the table is involved in the conversation. It’s just nice to work at TCM!

”Karen, what are your hopes for TCM in the years to come? Do you see a bright future?”

“I believe that the development and improvement of carbon capture technologies is still in its infancy and will need to continue for many years, and that TCM will have a clear role to play in this work. There are no other pilots or test sites in the world that can deliver on the same scale or with the same expertise. Some people believe that the very high CO₂ emissions will disappear when oil and gas are eventually replaced by renewables, but that’s a misconception. Effective capture technology will be needed in everything from steel and cement production to waste management, in fact in almost every activity the world needs to feed a growing population.

But customers won’t come to Mongstad on their own. TCM has a strong position in the international CCS community, and my impression is that the company’s business development people have ‘a lot of balls in the air’. At the same time, it will be important to be able to offer new services and products that meet the needs of technology developers. I, for one, am looking forward to the many promising years ahead at TCM.