EVANSTON — Clean Energy Cryogenics is hardly new to Evanston, though its 1600 Union Dr. building rebranding is. In operation since 2010, Clean Energy’s updated facade is credited to …
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EVANSTON — Clean Energy Cryogenics is hardly new to Evanston, though its 1600 Union Dr. building rebranding is. In operation since 2010, Clean Energy’s updated facade is credited to General Manager Sean Columbia, who took the helm in October 2022.
He oversees approximately 30 employees whose duties range from: finance, production, planning, engineering, warehouse, logistics, assembly and welding. Many employees have been there since the company took over from NorthStar, Inc.
“We manufacture products for liquid natural gas (LNG), and renewable natural gas (RNG). It’s very new,” he said of the latter. “It’s the future, and a big strategic part of our future.”
Clean Energy’s core competencies are: tig and mig welding (ASME certified), laser cutting, assembly of and testing pressure-containing equipment, small lathe machining, small pipe and tubing bonding, assembly of priority control panels (508a certified), pressure relief valve (PRV) repairs and recertifications and other manufacturing and testing. Everything is tested on-site to ensure 100% functionality.
One of their main products are the time fill posts, which are created for natural gas fueling stations. They are built from scratch then sent to local outfit Momentum Powder Coating for a sunshine-yellow veneer. Columbia said the posts are constructed for natural gas filling-stations, which are utilized by Amazon fleets and waste management trucks.
“We do one of two things,” explained pressure regulator Jonathan Snyder. “One: [manufacture products to create] cryogenic liquid, and two: compress [LNG] to high pressure gas.”
The extracted methane gas is then cooled into liquid form by freezing to −265 degrees, which makes it cryogenic. Liquid holds more volume, so converting it makes transportation more cost beneficial.
Clean Energy also manufactures depressurization skids to turn the liquid back into gas.
“We’re taking it from 3,000 psi (pounds per square inch) to 50 psi,” said Snyder.
Columbia showed the Herald a recent video of Clean Energy-built and operated pump skids refueling a Pasha Hawaii maritime freightliner.
“We’re the experts in that equipment,” he said proudly.
Columbia is quick to celebrate his team’s stainless-steel welding abilities.
“We can compete with anyone,” he said.
The shop manufactures a variety of specialized equipment, roughly 65% of which is for intercompany use — the remaining 35% consists of third-party custom orders.
“We’re unique here,” Columbia said. “We do so much customization, we’re still trying to find our identity. What can we do to standardize … because it’s hard to forecast the trends of customizations.”
Columbia had the opportunity to introduce and inform the public about Clean Energy during the Evanston Chamber of Commerce’s Lunch and Learn held at the Legal Tender on March 14. He briefly explained the history of clean energy, which began during the mid-century with American business magnate T. Boone Pickens.
Pickens had a passion to bring natural gas to the forefront. He started in Texas by promoting meso-petroleum stations to supply to vehicles which, in turn, presented a need to modify pre-existing vehicles to operate using natural gas. Pickens went as far as pushing for legislation to prioritize the use of natural gas, but failed to see his dream come to fruition during his lifetime due to the political environment surrounding it despite its cost benefits.
Luncheon attendees learned that Clean Energy’s primary products are: duel CNG and LNG pump skids, LNG boost skids and storage tanks and odorant systems, in addition to customized pumping systems. One attendee inquired about roughly how much of their work is custom orders, and Columbia answered 80% compared to 20% reproductions.
In addition to natural gas products, Clean Energy also caters to its distilled byproduct, helium. Columbia said Wyoming is one of the top three global suppliers of helium, alongside Texas and Qatar.
Columbia shifted gears to explain his industry’s big focus on RNG, explaining the dairy farm digesters as “turning cow waste into methane, basically mimicking what stomachs do to food.” He further stated that his outfit has seven enormous RNG skids currently in process, such as one planned for East Valley, Idaho, this summer, with another 25 in queue for production.
“We manufacture the equipment at those sites, and sometimes do some assembly and installation. We are the only manufacturing company team that creates equipment to both pump and pull. This could be a billion-dollar industry,” he said.
Columbia added that the “cake,” or sawdust resin leftover from the manure-to-methane process is then used as a fertilizer. “It’s all utilized,” he said.
Columbia said he’s recently fielded a call from BWX Technologies about a potential collaboration creating nuclear micro-reactors, unrelated to Kemmerer’s incoming TerraPower plant, which will be utilized throughout the state.
“We’re trying to bring it here and keep it local. It’s outside of our typical scope, but it’s something we want to be a part of,” he said.
“There’s also a big government push on hydrogen, to turn natural gas to hydrogen, they want to make it work. We’re set up to transition to that so that puts us at an advantage in the future. The future of this facility is we’re going to be ramping up our skilled labor force,” Columbia concluded.
