Embrittlement-tolerant alloys for safe hydrogen transmission and storage
R&D Focus Areas:
Pipeline materials and performance, Hydrogen embrittlement, Safety and standards
Lead Organisation:
The University of Sydney
Partners:
Pohang University of Science and Technology; CITIC Metal; Microscopy Solutions; Gyeongsang National University; Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Future Fuels CRC
Status:
Active
Start date:
January 2023
Completion date:
December 2025
Key contacts:
Dr Yi-Sheng (Eason) Chen – yi-sheng.chen@sydney.edu.au
Professor Julie Cairney – julie.cairney@sydney.edu.au
Dr Ranming Niu – ranming.niu@sydney.edu.au
Funding:
AUD$519,346 – Australian Research Council
AUD$86,800 – Pohang University of Science and Technology
AUD$101,000 – CITIC Metal
AUD$30,000 – Microscopy Solutions
AUD$53,445 – Future Fuels CRC
AUD$106,890 – The University of Sydney
Project total cost:
AUD$1,281,000 – combined cash and in-kind contribution
Project summary description:
Hydrogen embrittlement in steels is a major impediment to a safe hydrogen economy. This project will determine how hydrogen affects the deformation behaviour of steel, providing the fundamental information that is required to develop alloys that can be safely used in infrastructure for a future Australian hydrogen industry. We will utilise new technologies that allow us to determine the position of hydrogen atoms around micro-scale features and to compare it to local mechanical behaviour, determined by micro-mechanical tests. The systematic investigation of the effect of hydrogen on different micro-components within steel will allow the development of microstructure-guided alloy design principles.
Related publications and key links:
Hanyu Li and Yi-Sheng Chen et al. ‘Hydrogen in pipeline steels: Recent advances in characterization and embrittlement mitigation’ Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 105 (2022) 104709 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2022.104709
Higher degree studies supported:
This project supports the training for 3 PhD students and 2 Honours student and is of a length of 3 years.
January 2023