Lots of interesting projects completed so far in 2025, with much more to come in the second half of the year and beyond...
Plastics Recycling - We have recently completed preliminary design work on a new depolymerisation reactor which is to be used for the chemical recycling of plastics. Our German client has already designed and built a small demonstration plant for a third-party user, and this end-user now wishes to scale the reactor up to a commercial size. Detailed design of the commercially sized unit, including preparation of a full set of fabrication drawings, is expected to commence over the coming months against a previously agreed and costed proposal which fully addresses the significant design challenges arising from the high temperature operation and arduous cyclic duty requirements of the vessel.
Aerospace / Defence - With a significant contract extension expected to be put in place over the coming weeks, we hope to soon be resuming work necessary to underwrite the safe, continued use of six large air receivers which provide a reservoir of compressed air for a hypersonic wind tunnel facility. Detailed finite element stress analysis, fatigue life assessment and potential redesign of the attached piping system are all included in our scope.
Marine - We have completed a life extension study for a supplier of submersible rescue systems to confirm the adequacy of corrosion damaged equipment subject to the original operating envelope of the vehicle. A successful open water deep dive in April supported the findings of our work, and third party review of our substantiation of the corroded structure is to follow.
Petrochemicals - We are working on a replacement reactor vessel head assembly, complete with plenum and cyclones, which is to be installed as part of an upgrade to the existing fluid catalytic cracking unit at a Spanish oil refinery.
Training - Having successfully ran a PED/PESR awareness session in March for a major oil & gas production company in the Shetlands, we are now finalising plans with new clients in Birmingham and Glasgow to run similar awareness sessions later this year.
Transport - We have held productive preliminary discussions on an exciting new prospect focussed on the development and operation of cargo delivery drones. Weight optimisation, longevity and manufacturability for large scale production would all be addressed by our scope.
Congratulations to Forum Energy Technologies on securing a contract to supply this vehicle to the Indonesian Navy. We wish them every success with the project.
Looking forward to getting started on an exciting new project involving structural integrity assessment of the engine frame on this vehicle.
We have now published three new case studies that detail how our expertise is being used to enable our clients to progress their Green Technology projects.
To access the case studies please click on the links below:
High Temperature Vessel Design (Plastics Recycling)
High Pressure Hydrogen Vessel Design (Clean Energy)
Waste Mining Fines Processing Concept Design (Environmental Technology)
Back in August 2024 FCL accepted the Greener Web Challenge, and now after 6 months it is time to review how we've been doing.
As a reminder...
This carbon impact benchmark is provided as part of the “Greener Web” research initiative, a collaboration between Aston Business School and the University of Nottingham. Their data provides insights into our website’s environmental impact, benchmarked against 18,000 other architectural and engineering businesses in our industry.
Our website’s carbon footprint is calculated by taking into account the host server location and other key indicators listed below.
Here are our results:
This is a great start, but we are not stopping our efforts to improve, and within the next 6 months we are planning on choosing a web hosting provider that uses 100% green energy to power their data centres.
Looking forward to running our first PED / PESR awareness session of 2025 next month. Our client is an independent energy company focused on the exploration, production, and development of oil and gas assets, and we will be visiting their premises in Shetland to deliver the course material to as many as 24 of their engineers.
Further details of the training courses that we currently offer are available via this link Training | Finglow Consultants Ltd
Here's what our clients are saying about us...
Oil & Gas
“We have worked with Finglow Consultants across multiple large scale and complex projects from complete front end design of molecular-sieve vessels to level 3 fitness for service assessment of high consequence LPG tanks. The quality of work delivered is always of the highest standard and the ability of the Finglow team to engineer solutions to the most complex scenarios is what sets them apart from other service providers. We consider Finglow Consultants a trusted partner and leading expert in complex mechanical assessments.”
Marine
“Pressure vessels aren’t just pressure vessels, the way they are designed, drives cost, weight, performance, and delivery. I learned this the hard way and that’s why for the past 20 years I’ve exclusively used Finglow Consultants for all of my CAT 1 PD 5500 pressure vessel designs. For a life of no surprises other than the initial quote, I can’t recommend Finglow Consultants highly enough. You get what you pay for.”
“For over a decade now we have worked very closely with Finglow Consultants Ltd on several manned submersible systems. During this time, FCL have offered us unparalleled technical support on all areas of manned pressure vessel design. FCL’s area of expertise spans many disciplines. Introducing Finglow de-risked the technical challenges, and introduced significant credibility, including quality, safety and technical innovation, to the end product. We would not hesitate to collaborate again with FCL should the opportunity arise.”
“FCL provided not only the reassurance of an independent set of calculations and models for the design and testing of precision pressure vessels fabricated (and destructed) to enable approval of a novel material and joining process but was equally appreciated as a very knowledgeable sounding board for many other elements of a number of projects. Ultimately their diligence and detailed workings brought further reassurance to the team knowing that, ultimately, lives will depend on their work.”
Nuclear
“Feedback from all reviewers was that the report is well written and of excellent quality... I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your hard work and, at times, patience! The final report is a valuable addition to our body of knowledge about these assets and will be important to us in terms of their future disposition.”
Green Technology
“Finglow is the pressure vessel consultant who has been doing excellent work on our preliminary design.”
“… thank you as always for your excellent work and valuable experience, comments and support.”
“… please could you take a look at the report; provide your usual excellent commentary on it, and let us know if you see any issues…”
Just started work on a fascinating project in the aerospace industry involving the integrity assessment of a number of air storage vessels which have operated since the late 1950s. The code of construction of the vessels was stated as AOTC on the fabrication drawings, and although we have some very old copies of ASME and BS 5500 (as well as BS 1500 & BS 1515) on the shelves in the office, we had never even heard of AOTC !! It is with thanks then to the IMechE library that we have now been introduced to the document (see below).
Perfect condition, leather-bound, and containing all the information that a pressure vessel designer could need in 1958 !!
Excited to announce that FCL have been invited to engage with the Greener Web Challenge initiative - a collaboration between Aston Business School and the University of Nottingham.
The Greener Web Challenge website states:
“Our planet faces intensifying environmental challenges, exacerbated by the rapid expansion of internet technologies such as server hosting, cloud computing and e-waste. This initiative aims to illuminate the environmental impact of one such digital technology: websites. By taking a sector-specific approach, we have developed tailored benchmarks for specific business sectors to assess and compare their digital footprint accurately among similar businesses. A second goal is to create accessible resources to guide businesses on reducing their website’s environmental impact without compromising its quality and value.”
FCL have accepted the challenge and joined the initiative.
With the help of the resources provided we will now aim to reduce our website's carbon footprint and make our website greener.
For more information on the Greener Web Challenge initiative please click this link Greener Web.
We are pleased to announce that we have incorporated Green Technology into our website as a new Industry served by FCL.
Three new case studies will be coming soon.
Pleased to be busy on a number of fronts at the moment...
Plastics Recycling - We have been contracted to carry out front-end engineering and detailed design of mechanical equipment at the heart of innovative new facility being developed to chemically recycle plastics that would otherwise be disposed of by landfill or incineration. Our principal tasks include: mechanical design of the main process chambers operating at temperatures in excess of 800°C, mechanical design of furnace box and flue gas ducting system, mechanical design of the char removal system and preparation of general assembly, general arrangement and detailed fabrication drawings.
Petrochemicals - We have been engaged by a multinational chemicals company to provide asset integrity services including fitness-for-service assessments in support of shutdown and turnaround (TAR) activities.
Nuclear - We are finalising terms on a new contract with a long-standing client to assess the structural integrity of a large population of containment cylinders used for the transportation and safe storage of uranium hexafluoride. The work is to build on a previous study, and is to establish the tolerance of the cylinders to defects, the potential for defect growth over the lifetime of the cylinders, and the ability of the current inspection regime to reliably detect any defects which could prove detrimental to the integrity of the structures.
Marine - We are under contract to a leading supplier of offshore diving equipment to execute the mechanical design of a new twin lock decompression chamber. Our scope includes full mechanical design substantiation of the chamber to the satisfaction of DNVGL, and preparation of a full set of fabrication drawings to enable our client to place a build-only contract with a suitable fabricator.
Clean Energy - We are working with a global leader in the development and manufacture of groundbreaking silicon based anode materials to design a pressure vessel which is to sit at the heart of a new large-scale production facility producing the silicon-graphite powder material to be used in next generation lithium-ion batteries. With the ability to control the rapid heating and cooling requirements of the vessel being an essential element of the work, the key challenge is to develop a lean, fatigue resistant vessel design able to withstand an arduous cyclic duty at pressures of up to 35 bar g and temperatures of up to 550°C.
Petrochemicals - We are designing a replacement regenerator vessel head assembly, complete with plenum and cyclones, which is to be installed as part of an upgrade to the existing fluid catalytic cracking unit at a European oil refinery.
Simon White, a Principal Consulting Engineer here at FCL, has more than 25 years experience in the design and assessment of pressurised equipment, with particular expertise in the application of finite element methods using PTC's Creo Simulate software and ANSYS. His rare combination of theoretical knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities and skills as an analyst have played a key part in the successful execution of a wide range of projects.
Simon has been with FCL since 1996 having previously worked at Bechtel in London, starting as a Graduate Trainee and then as a Facilities Engineer. Whilst at Bechtel he was seconded to their Structural Integrity department, then headed by Richard Green (now FCL's Managing Director), which laid the foundations for Simon's future career in consulting and led directly to the move to FCL.
In 2004, Simon immigrated to Argentina with his Argentine wife, settling in the city of Córdoba. The working relationship with FCL was maintained via the creation of Finglow Argentina Ltd, which operates as a subsidiary of FCL. Although remote working was a relatively novel concept back then, the arrangements established have since become commonplace, and proved to be a real benefit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outside work, when not manning the barbecue, Simon can often be found exploring the local hills on foot or mountain bike.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more details of how FCL could be of assistance to your organisation. Either go to the Get in Touch page on our website or call us on 01992 585450. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can contact Simon directly by e-mail at sjsw@finglowconsultants.co.uk or via his direct line telephone number - 01992 585453.
Some time ago now but this video is well worth a watch. We designed the entire cyclone system for normal operating temperatures in excess of 750°C, which included setting the support nozzle / cyclone hanger angles to minimise differential thermal movements throughout the system to less than a millimetre, and designing the vessel head as necessary to limit 'sag' due to cyclone weight and vessel operating pressure.
We're really proud to have played a key part on these projects, and it's great to see the culmination of two years of hard work in this video. Enjoy.
FCL have a thorough knowledge of industry standards relating to pressurised equipment, and have earned a reputation as one of the leading consultancies in the UK specialising in this area. One of the key disciplines in which the firm excels is in the application of finite element analysis methods to verify the design of components and/or to underwrite the integrity of operating plant.
Richard Green, FCL’s Managing Director, has over 30 years’ experience in the analysis, assessment and design of pressurised equipment, gained principally in the process, petrochemical and nuclear power industries.
Before joining FCL in 1995, Richard worked for both WS Atkins and Bechtel as a structural integrity specialist. His knowledge of the pressure vessel and heat exchanger design codes, and his experience in applying linear and non-linear finite element stress, fracture mechanics and fatigue life assessment methods to the design and assessment of pressurised equipment across a wide range of industries could prove invaluable to your project.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more details of how FCL could be of assistance to your organisation. Either go to the Get in Touch page on our website or call us on 01992 585450. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can contact Richard directly by e-mail at rsg@finglowconsultants.co.uk or via his direct line telephone number - 01992 585452.
Delighted to hear this morning that we have been accepted as a member of the Sizewell C Consortium
Sizewell C will create thousands of jobs in Britain’s nuclear supply chain, and we are keen to be one of those employers when the project gets given the go-ahead. Read more about the project here
Although he originally joined us on a short-term contract our Management Support Officer, Roger Bamberough, has been with FCL for two years now, and has used his extensive experience in Project Management and Information Technology to support FCL's management team on a number of in-house projects.
These have included the delivery of our new website, which was developed by Ibis Marketing Ltd and project managed by Roger, and a ground-up review of our data storage, security and back-up needs.
Outside work Roger is an active member of Hitchin Nomads Cycling Club, and can often be found cycling the roads of North Hertfordshire and beyond.
Many people in the pressurised equipment industry will know the FINGLOW name from the respected pressure vessel design software that has proved to be one of the most popular tools for the pressure vessel and heat exchanger designer over the past 40 years.
Fewer people will know about the capabilities of Finglow Consultants Ltd (FCL), who offer a comprehensive range of engineering consultancy services to those involved in design, analysis, assessment and safe operation of pressurised equipment.
FCL’s lead piping stress engineer, Ross Hartwig, is well versed in the requirements of the ASME B31.3 process piping design code, and has extensive experience in using CAESAR II piping flexibility analysis software for both static and dynamic loading scenarios. He is also an advanced user of ANSYS finite element analysis software, and has specific experience in the use of non-linear limit load analysis methods to predict collapse and buckling failure modes in marine structures.
Ross’ areas of expertise also cover the design and assessment of subsea flanges, particularly where the risk of hydrogen induced stress cracking (HISC) requires consideration, and the application of rules in DNVGL-RP-F112 are essential to avoid the onset of premature HISC damage.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more details of how FCL could be of assistance to your organisation. Either go to the Get in Touch page on our website or call us on 01992 585450. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can contact Ross directly by e-mail at rgbh@finglowconsultants.co.uk or via his direct line telephone number - 01992 585451.
We're really pleased to have played a key part on this project by substantiating the entire pressure boundary of FET's new LR class rescue submersible. If you have a few moments we'd recommend that you grab a coffee and take in the video. It's a fascinating watch !
Congratulations to Michael Travers, our new Mechanical Engineering Intern, on successfully completing a comprehensive online training course covering the design of pressure vessels to the requirements of ASME Section VIII Division 1.
Michael joined us in September 2020 having gained a BEng with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hertfordshire.
Although COVID-19 restrictions have meant that he has been obliged to work remotely throughout his time with us, we are looking forward to welcoming Michael to the office when we fully re-open later this year.
A fantastic project to work on - we continue to be extremely proud of our substantial involvement on this one !
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