Stories

KBR has been recognized much in recent months by the likes of Fortune and Forbes magazines for our innovative solutions, people-centered culture, and commitment to ESG (environmental, social and governance principles). But individual members of our team of teams are also being recognized for their achievements and entrepreneurial contributions in their local communities.

Such is the case with KBR’s UK based Elena Stylianou, who was recently recognized for her innovative achievements and entrepreneurship in business as part of the 40 Under 40 Business Award from Invest in Surrey, a specialized group established to proactively promote the UK county as a world-class place to start, grow and relocate businesses.

“Elena is a shining example of how KBR brings the best and brightest to help solve the critical challenges of our time while also contributing to the overall success of the business and to the prosperity of our communities,” said Gary Godwin, Senior Director in KBR’s Technology business. “Huge congratulations are in order for Elena, both for this recognition and for her instrumental work in building KBR’s technology and intellectual property credentials.”

Elena, a process engineer who works out of KBR’s Leatherhead campus, was nominated for her work as design and development lead of a novel and optimized blue hydrogen process flow scheme. Blue hydrogen is created when natural gas is split into hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) using either steam methane reforming or auto thermal reforming. Crucially, in this new process, the CO2 produced is captured and then stored, mitigating the environmental impact. The business implications are substantial, with the potential to world-scale the technology to meet government requirements.

Elena used KBR technology in her flow scheme and aligned with renowned companies from Germany, Japan and the United States to optimize energy consumption and minimize CO2 production, which was a key objective. KBR is already using Elena’s scheme in several first-of-their-kind projects being developed in the UK, Korea and the U.S., with potential for significant revenue and growth expected in the coming years.

“This development aligns with KBR’s commitment to sustainability through the significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and it furthers our mission of being a leading contributor to a new low-carbon hydrogen economy,” said Doug Kelly, president of KBR’s Technology business. “Elena’s work is a game changer, and we could not be prouder of her achievement.”