Previously, I have written about some of the energy applications Sandvik is involved in, but the overall objective for our work at strategic research is to continue the materials evolution. This, to a large extent, can be achieved by continuing to develop new problem-solving alloys.

Some months ago, I read in the newspaper that Shell was planning to invest 14 billion USD to build an export terminal for Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) in British Columbia, Canada. The reason that this project caught my eye was due to the comment made by one of the panelists in a discussion forum at the Singapore International Energy Week in 2017. He talked about the synergies of using natural gas today, with a shift to using hydrogen for the same applications in the future.

If the question were asked "what is Sandvik Materials Technology (SMT) best known for?", a large proportion of people would answer "Duplex Stainless Steels". The world of stainless steel tends not to generate too much public controversy, but I recall an ongoing argument back in the early 90’s in the letters pages of Stainless Steel World about duplex stainless steels and the role Sandvik 3RE60 played in duplex development.

From the few examples mentioned in this column, new methods of generating electricity will also require new materials solutions to deal with the environments they will work in.