COMPANY NEWS
My Time at HSSMI
Image: © HSSMI
My background
I recently graduated from the University of Glasgow with a first-class Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. This degree exposed me to various areas of the engineering sector including thermodynamics, automated vehicle guidance systems, and statics & dynamics. My final year Master’s thesis was taken at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems modelling the behaviour of electrolysers.
This was an important experience for my future success as I was able to start focussing my studies towards which sector I wanted to pursue after university. At the Fraunhofer Institute, I was given the opportunity to develop and deliver my own projects, which allowed me to pursue my interest in sustainability and hydrogen technologies, proving to be an important choice for my success at HSSMI. After a chance train encounter with the director of the Scotland Office of HSSMI (and my now boss), David Stewart, followed by an interview, I was offered an internship with HSSMI.
‘Hands on’ from day one
During my internship, I was able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills I had learnt through my degree and work experiences. There was no “rehearsal” period as such and within my first week, I was at the kick-off meeting for the Hydrogen Diesel Injection in a Marine Environment project (HyDIME) – the Scotland office’s newly opened, first large research project. What felt like a baptism of fire, was actually a great opportunity and experience that not many companies would offer to a new graduate intern. From then on, the HyDIME project has been my main focus of work.
HyDIME is a project concerned with the design, integration and test of a hydrogen diesel injection system operating onboard a ferry within Orkney. It will utilise Orkney’s abundance of renewable energy to produce green hydrogen that will reduce diesel consumption onboard the ferry.
As part of this project, I help deliver a work package concerning the scale-up potential and impact of the current system. Using simulation software, the current system can be modelled, while the environmental and economic impact can be assessed. Furthermore, potential scaled-up systems can be modelled to assess what the future of Orkney’s hydrogen production and consumption infrastructure might consist of.
Looking ahead into the future
It has been six months since I’ve been with HSSMI, where I was able to work on a diverse range of projects. My internship has come to an end, and fortunately, I am now a full-time engineer in the Manufacturing New Technologies Team, in the Glasgow office. I have the opportunity to work on interesting and important research projects, while also taking part in client facing, commercial work. As a recent engineering graduate, I couldn’t have asked for a more hands-on work environment where I can work on significant projects that I have a keen interest in. I am thoroughly looking forward to what my future at HSSMI will hold.
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