Transmission, Distribution & Storage

To limit global warming and mitigate climate change the global economy needs to decarbonize and reduce emissions to net-zero by mid-century. The asymmetries of the global energy system necessitate the deployment of a suite of decarbonization technologies and an all-of-the-above approach to deliver the steep CO2 -emissions reductions necessary. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies that capture CO2 from industrial and power-plant Read More

Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) has been extensively studied in bulk materials. However little is known about the role of H on the plastic deformation and fracture mechanisms of nanoscale materials such as nanowires. In this study molecular dynamics simulations are employed to study the influence of H segregation on the behavior of intergranular cracks in bicrystalline α-Fe nanowires. The results demonstrate that segregated H atoms have weak Read More

Hydrogen and renewable electricity-based microgrid is considered to be a promising way to reduce carbon emissions promote the consumption of renewable energies and improve the sustainability of the energy system. In view of the fact that the existing day-ahead optimal operation model ignores the uncertainties and fluctuations of renewable energies and loads a two-stage energy management model is proposed for the sustainable wind-PV-h Read More

Thermally sprayed aluminium (TSA) coatings provide protection to offshore steel structures without the use of external cathodic protection (CP) systems. These coatings provide sacrificial protection in the same way as a galvanic anode and thus hydrogen embrittlement (HE) becomes a major concern with the use of high strength steels. The effect of TSA on the HE of steel seems to remain largely unknown. Further the location of hydrogen in TSA-coated Read More

Vanadium (V) has higher hydrogen permeability than Pd-based alloy membranes but exhibits poor resistance to hydrogen-induced embrittlement. The alloy elements are added to reduce hydrogen solubility and prevent hydrogen-induced embrittlement. To enhance hydrogen permeability the alloy elements which improve hydrogen diffusivity in V are more suitable. In the present study hydrogen diffusivity in V-Cr V-Al and V-Pd alloy membranes was investigat Read More

Recent research efforts to develop advanced–/ultrahigh–strength medium-Mn steels have led to the development of a variety of alloying concepts thermo-mechanical processing routes and microstructural variants for these steel grades. However certain grades of advanced–/ultrahigh–strength steels (A/UHSS) are known to be highly susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement due to their high strength levels. Hydrogen embrittlement characteristics of mediu Read More

To avoid failures due to hydrogen embrittlement it is important to know the amount of hydrogen absorbed by certain steel grades under service conditions. When a critical hydrogen content is reached the material properties begin to deteriorate. The hydrogen uptake and embrittlement of three different carbon steels (API 5CT L80 Type 1 P110 and 42CrMo4) was investigated in autoclave tests with hydrogen gas (H2) at elevated pressure and in ambient pr Read More

Energy storage systems are required to address the fluctuating behaviour of variable renewable energy sources. The environmental sustainability of energy storage technologies should be carefully assessed together with their techno-economic feasibility. In this work an environmental analysis of a renewable hydrogen-based energy storage system has been performed making use of input parameters made available in the framework of the European R Read More

The objective of this work was to enable the safe design of hydrogen pressure vessels by measuring the fatigue crack growth rates of ASME code-qualified steels in high-pressure hydrogen gas. While a design framework has recently been established for high-pressure hydrogen vessels a material property database does not exist to support the design calculations. This study addresses such voids in the database by measuring the fatigue crack growth Read More

In the present work the effects of electrolytic hydrogen charging of T92 steel weldments on their room-temperature tensile properties were investigated. Two circumferential weldments between the T92 grade tubes were produced by gas tungsten arc welding using the matching Thermanit MTS 616 filler material. The produced weldments were individually subjected to considerably differing post-welding heat treatment (PWHT) procedures. The first-produced Read More

Hydrogen is a notoriously difficult substance to store yet has endless energy applications. Thus the study of long-term hydrogen storage and high-pressure bulk hydrogen storage have been the subject of much research in the last several years. To create a research path forward it is important to know what research has already been done and what is already known about hydrogen storage. In this review several approaches to hydrogen storage are a Read More

Clean energy and fuel storage is often required for both stationary and automotive applications. Some of the clean energy and fuel storage technologies currently under extensive research and development are hydrogen storage direct electric storage mechanical energy storage solar-thermal energy storage electrochemical (batteries and supercapacitors) and thermochemical storage. The gravimetric and volumetric storage capacity energy storage de Read More

Hydrogen has a very diverse chemistry and reacts with most other elements to form compounds which have fascinating structures compositions and properties. Complex metal hydrides are a rapidly expanding class of materials approaching multi-functionality in particular within the energy storage field. This review illustrates that complex metal hydrides may store hydrogen in the solid state act as novel battery materials both as electrolytes and el Read More

Underground hydrogen storage in geological structures is considered appropriate for storing large amounts of hydrogen. Using the geological Konary structure in the deep saline aquifers an analysis of the influence of depth on hydrogen storage was carried out. Hydrogen injection and withdrawal modeling was performed using TOUGH2 software assuming different structure depths. Changes in the relevant parameters for the operation of an undergr Read More

Ductile cast iron (DCI) is one of prospective materials used for the hydrogen equipment because of low-cost good workability and formability. The wide range of mechanical properties of DCI is obtained by controlling microstructural factors such as graphite size volume fraction of graphite matrix structure and so on. Therefore it is important to find out an optimal microstructural condition that is less susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. In this study the ef Read More

The presented work is dedicated to evaluation of strain and fatigue behaviour of the ferrite-pearlite low-alloyed pipeline steels under known hydrogen concentration in a bulk of metal. Tensile test results have shown on the existence of some characteristic value of the hydrogen concentration CH at which the mechanism of hydrogen influence changes namely: below this value the enhanced plasticity (decreasing of the yield stress value) takes place and Read More

Hydrogen embrittlement is one of the largest obstacles against the commercialisation of ultra-high strength quenching and partitioning (Q&P) steels with ultimate tensile strength over 1500 MPa including the hot stamped steel parts that have undergone a Q&P treatment. In this work the influence of partitioning temperature on hydrogen embrittlement of ultra-high strength Q&P steels is studied by pre-charged tensile tests with both dog-bone and notched Read More

In this paper we analyze the potential factors affecting the hydrogen sulfide type of stress corrosion cracking in C110 casing pipes. In order to further study these cracking factors the methods of material property testing scanning electron microscopy XRD TEM and 3D ultra-depth-of-field were applied in the experiments. Besides that an HTHP autoclave was independently designed by the laboratory to simulate the actual corrosion environment and the Read More

Integrity of natural gas transmission systems is of great importance for energy and environmental security. Deterioration occurs in gas transit pipelines due to operational conditions and action of corrosion and hydrogenating media and leads to changes in microstructure and mechanical properties of pipeline steels which influences on pipeline performance. Hydrogenation of metal during corrosion process together with working stresses facilitates a dev Read More

The large-scale storage of hydrogen plays a fundamental role in a potential future hydrogen economy. Although the storage of gaseous hydrogen in salt caverns already is used on a full industrial scale the approach is not applicable in all regions due to varying geological conditions. Therefore other storage methods are necessary. In this article options for the large-scale storage of hydrogen are reviewed and compared based on fundamental thermod Read More

The aim of this work is the evaluation of the hydrogen effect on the J-integral parameter. It is well-known that the micro alloyed steels are affected by Hydrogen Embrittlement phenomena only when they are subjected at the same time to plastic deformation and hydrogen evolution at their surface. Previous works have pointed out the absence of Hydrogen Embrittlement effects on pipeline steels cathodically protected under static load conditions. On t Read More

In the present work the effect of artificial ageing of AA2024-T3 on the tensile mechanical properties and fracture toughness degradation due to corrosion exposure will be investigated. Tensile and fracture toughness specimens were artificially aged to tempers that correspond to Under-Ageing (UA) Peak-Ageing (PA) and Over-Ageing (OA) conditions and then were subsequently exposed to exfoliation corrosion environment. The corrosion exposure time was Read More

Safe and long term operation of nuclear reactors is one of the most discussed challenges in nuclear power engineering. The radiation degradation of nuclear design materials limits the operational lifetime of all nuclear installations or at least decreases its safety margin. This paper is a review of experimental PALS/PLEPS studies of different nuclear reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels investigated over last twenty years in our laboratories. Positron annihil Read More

Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) is a critical issue that affects the reliability of hydrogenation reactors. The hydrogen diffusivity/trap characteristics of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steel are important parameters mainly used to study the HE mechanism of steel alloys. In this work the hydrogen diffusivity/trap characteristics of heat-treated (annealed) and untreated 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steel were studied using an electrochemical permeation method. The microstructures o Read More

To understand the effect of surface machining on the resistance of AISI 316L to SCC (stress–corrosion cracking) in marine environments we tested nuts surface-machined by different methods in a seawater-spraying chamber. Two forms of cracks were observed: on the machined surface and underneath it. On the surface cracks connected with the pitting sites were observed to propagate perpendicular to the hoop-stress direction identifying them as stre Read More

Hydrogen storage is a materials science challenge because for all six storage methods currently being investigated materials with either a strong interaction with hydrogen or without any reaction are needed. Besides conventional storage methods i.e. high pressure gas cylinders and liquid hydrogen the physisorption of hydrogen on materials with a high specific surface area hydrogen intercalation in metals and complex hydrides and storage of hy Read More

Hydrogen interaction with metal atoms is of prime focus for many energy related applications like hydrogen storage hydrogen evolution using catalysis etc. Although hydrogen binding with many main group alkaline and transition metals is quite well understood its binding properties with lanthanides are not well reported. In this article by density functional theory studies we show how a rare earth metal cerium binds with hydrogen when decorated over a h Read More

DFT calculations at B3LYP/6-31g(dp) with the D3 version of Grimme’s dispersion are performed to investigate the application of TM-encapsulated Mg12O12 nano-cages (TM= Mn Fe and Co) as a hydrogen storage material. The molecular dynamic (MD) calculations are utilized to examine the stability of the considered structures. TD-DFT method reveals that the TM-encapsulation converts the Mg12O12 from an ultraviolet into a visible optical active m Read More

Smart energy hubs (Smart Hubs) equipped with Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) charging photovoltaic (PV) energy generation and hydrogen storage capabilities are an emerging technology with potential to alleviate the impact of electric vehicles (EV) on the electricity grid. Their operation however is characterised by intermittent PV energy generation as well as uncertainties in EV traffic and driver preference. These uncertainties when combined with the need t Read More

Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of metals has remained a mystery in materials science for more than a century. To try to clarify this mystery tensile tests were conducted at room temperature (RT) on a 316 stainless steel (SS) in air and hydrogen of 70 MPa. With an aim to directly observe the effect of hydrogen on ordering of 316 SS during deformation electron diffraction patterns and images were obtained from thin foils made by a focused ion beam from t Read More

A multi-scale modeling approach for simulating the tensile behavior of the corroded aluminum alloy 2024 T3 was developed accounting for both the geometrical features of corrosion damage and the effect of corrosion-induced hydrogen embrittlement (HE). The approach combines two Finite Element (FE) models: a model of a three-dimensional Representative Unit Cell (RUC) representing an exfoliated area and its correspondent hydrogen embrittled Read More

The dislocation and twinning evolution behaviors in high manganese steels Fe-22Mn-0.6C and Fe-17Mn-1.5Al-0.6C have been investigated under tensile deformation with and without diffusive hydrogen. The notched tensile tests were interrupted once primary cracks were detected using the applied direct current potential drop measurement. In parallel the strain distribution in the vicinity of the crack was characterized by digital image correlation usi Read More

Hydrogen (H2) as a cleaner fuel has been suggested as a viable method of achieving the decarbonization objectives and meeting increasing global energy demand. However successful implementation of a full-scale hydrogen economy requires large-scale hydrogen storage (as hydrogen is highly compressible). A potential solution to this challenge is injecting hydrogen into geologic formations from where it can be withdrawn again at later stages for utilizat Read More

Recently hot stamping technology has been increasingly used in automotive structural parts with ultrahigh strength to meet the standards of both high fuel efficiency and crashworthiness. However one issue of concern regarding these martensitic steels which are fabricated using a hot stamping procedure is that the steel is highly vulnerable to hydrogen delayed cracking caused by the diffusible hydrogen flow through the surface reaction of the coating in a Read More

Plastic pre-strains were applied to the metastable 304L austenitic stainless steel at both room temperature (20 °C) and higher temperatures (i.e. 50 80 and 100 °C) and then the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) susceptibility of the steel was evaluated by cathodically hydrogen-charging and tensile testing. The 20 °C pre-strain greatly strengthened the steel but simultaneously significantly increased the HE susceptibility of the steel since α′ martensite was induc Read More

The presence of a conductive layers of hot-formed oxide on the surface of bars for pre or post-compressing structures can promote localized attacks as a function of pH. The aggressive local environment in the occluded cells inside localized attacks has as consequence the possibility of initiation of stress corrosion cracking. In this paper the stress corrosion cracking behavior of high strength steels proposed for tendons was studied by means of Con Read More

Hydrogen future depends on large-scale storage which can be provided by geological formations (such as caverns aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs) to handle demand and supply changes a typical hysteresis of most renewable energy sources. Amongst them depleted natural gas reservoirs are the most cost-effective and secure solutions due to their wide geographic distribution proven surface facilities and less ambiguous site evaluation. Read More

Structural integrity of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in light water reactors (LWR) is of highest importance regarding operation safety and lifetime. The fracture behaviour of low-alloy RPV steels with different dynamic strain aging (DSA) & environmental assisted cracking (EAC) susceptibilities in simulated LWR environments was evaluated by elastic plastic fracture mechanics tests (EPFM) and by metallo- and fractographic post-test analysis. Exposure to h Read More

Expectations for energy storage are high but large-scale underground hydrogen storage in porous media (UHSP) remains largely untested. This article identifies and discusses the scientific challenges of hydrogen storage in porous media for safe and efficient large-scale energy storage to enable a global hydrogen economy. To facilitate hydrogen supply on the scales required for a zero-carbon future it must be stored in porous geological formations Read More

Hydrogen embrittlement has been intensively studied in the past. However its governing mechanism is still under debate. Particularly the details of the formation of specific cleavage-like or quasi-cleavage fracture surfaces related to hydrogen embrittled steels are unclear yet. Recently it has been found that the fracture surface of the hydrogen charged and tensile tested low-carbon steel exhibits quasi-cleavage facets having specific smoothly curved s Read More

As the global electricity systems are shaped by decentralisation digitalisation and decarbonisation the World Energy Council’s Innovation Insights Briefs explore the new frontiers in energy transitions and the challenges of keeping pace with fast moving developments. We use leadership interviews to map the state of play and case studies across the whole energy landscape and build a broader and deeper picture of new developments within and beyond Read More

Microalloyed steels have evolved in terms of their chemical composition processing and metallurgical characteristics since the beginning of the 20th century in the function of fabrication costs and mechanical properties required to obtain high-performance materials needed to accommodate for the growing demands of gas and hydrocarbons transport. As a result of this microalloyed steels present a good combination of high strength and ductility obtai Read More

CCUS has economy-wide qualities which could be very valuable to delivering clean industrial growth. It could deliver tangible results in tackling some of the biggest challenges we face in decarbonising our economy contributing to industrial competitiveness and generating new economic opportunities – a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy.Our vision is to become a global leader in CCUS unlocking the potential of the technology and securing the adde Read More

A promising option for storing large-scale quantities of green gases (e.g. hydrogen) is in subsurface rock salt caverns. The mechanical performance of salt caverns utilized for long-term subsurface energy storage plays a signifcant role in long-term stability and serviceability. However rock salt undergoes non-linear creep deformation due to long-term loading caused by subsurface storage. Salt caverns have complex geometries and the geological doma Read More

It has been investigated the Ni-Co alloys (obtained from powder 0.1...0.3 mm under hot gaseous (in argon) isostatic pressure (up to 300 MPa) (Ni60Co15Cr8W8Al2Mo3) (Firth Rixon Metal Ltd Sheffield) and deformed (obtained by vacuum induced remealting) materials (Ni62Cr14Co10Mo5Nb3Al3Ti3) for gaseous turbine discs. Investigation has performed in the range of temperature 25…800°С and hydrogen pressure up to 70 MPa. By the 3D vis Read More

For the membrane and spiral walls of the new USC boilers the advanced T24 material was developed. In 2010 however extensive T24 tube weld cracking during the commissioning phase of several newly built boilers was observed. As the dominant root cause Hydrogen Induced - Stress Corrosion Cracking was reported. An investigation into the interaction of the T24 material with hydrogen was launched in order to compare its hydrogen embrittlement su Read More

Understanding hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon that leads to deterioration of mechanical properties of metallic components is vital for applications involving hydrogen environment. Among these understanding the influence of hydrogen on the fatigue behaviour of metals is of great interest. Total fatigue life of a material can be divided into fatigue crack initiation and fatigue crack growth phase. While fatigue crack initiation can be linked with the pr Read More

In the field of energy storage recently investigated nanocomposites show promise in terms of high hydrogen uptake and release with enhancement in the reaction kinetics. Among several carbonaceous nanovariants like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) fullerenes and graphitic nanofibers reveal reversible hydrogen sorption characteristics at 77 K due to their van der Waals interaction. The spillover mechanism combining Pd nanoparticles on the host metal-org Read More

To reduce loss of hydrogen in storage vessels with high energy-to-weight-ratio new materials especially polymers have to be developed as barrier materials. Very established methods for characterization of barrier materials with permeation measurements are the time-lag and flow rate method along with the differential pressure method which resembles the nature of hydrogen vessel systems very well. Long measurement durations are necessary to gai Read More

The growth of the world’s energy demand over recent decades in relation to energy intensity and demography is clear. At the same time the use of renewable energy sources is pursued to address decarbonization targets but the stochasticity of renewable energy systems produces an increasing need for management systems to supply such energy volume while guaranteeing at the same time the security and reliability of the microgrids. Locally dist Read More