Addressing Hydrogen Embrittlement of Metals in the Sae J2579 Fuel Cell Vehicle Tank Standard

The SAE Technical Information Report (TIR) J2579 (Technical Information Report for Fuel Systems in Fuel Cell and Other Hydrogen Vehicles) has been created to address the safety performance of hydrogen storage and handling systems on vehicles. Safety qualification of the compressed hydrogen storage system is demonstrated through performance testing on prototype containment vessels. The two performance tests currently included in the SAE J2579 for evaluating unacceptable leakage and burst do not account for the potential effects of hydrogen embrittlement on structural integrity. This report describes efforts to address hydrogen embrittlement of structural metals in the framework of performance-based safety qualification. New safety qualification pathways that account for hydrogen embrittlement in the SAE J2579 include an additional pneumatic performance test using hydrogen gas or materials tests that demonstrate acceptable hydrogen embrittlement resistance of candidate structural metals.