Webcast: Qualifying Vallourec’s Metal Pipes for Hydrogen Garage and Transportation

On November 10, 2022, Vallourec and International Oil held a are living webcast exploring the advantages and demanding situations of the usage of metal pipes for hydrogen garage and transportation. Laurent Delattre, Advertising and marketing and Building Supervisor for Hydrogen, and Florian Thébault, Main Corrosion Engineer, mentioned hydrogen embrittlement, Vallourec’s pipe trying out methodologies, and its hydrogen-qualified merchandise. The webcast used to be a really perfect good fortune, drawing 237 individuals globally. On this article, we have a look at the important thing messages and insights gleaned from the webcast.

Hydrogen fuel has lengthy been making headlines as a carbon-free power with the possible to steer the golf green power transition. Achieving that objective, then again, would require an important ramp-up of infrastructure for hydrogen garage and transportation. And new property that can be in particular designed and constructed for this goal will incorporate metal fabrics into their makeup. Hydrogen, then again, items particular technical demanding situations for metal pipes, and thorough assessments will wish to be performed ahead of delivery and garage pipes can also be certified for hydrogen.

The advantages of the usage of pipelines for hydrogen transportation and garage abound. “From a technical perspective, pipelines permit the next power glide than energy strains,” Laurent Delattre explains. “As manufacturing and use of hydrogen grows, repurposing present metal pipelines will turn out an economical transportation and garage choice. New pipelines can fill gaps as neatly, the place present pipelines don’t seem to be to be had. Infrastructure construction will take time, despite the fact that.“

In a similar fashion, tough hydrogen provide chains would require a large number of garage at other levels, and Vallourec is fascinated by various garage answers. “Cylinders are power vessel programs that may retailer hydrogen at very top pressures – most often conserving as much as a couple of lots of hydrogen,” Laurent says. “As such, they are a very good resolution for hydrogen refueling stations. Pipe assemblies can garage greater quantities of hydrogen (1-10-100 lots), in vertical or horizontal configurations, and Vallourec is creating its answers for this measurement of storages. And metal pipes and connections are already getting used within the wells for underground salt caverns for long-term hydrogen garage.”

Nonetheless, metal pipes designed to move and retailer hydrogen will have to triumph over a number of technical hurdles.

Protection is a key worry when coping with hydrogen fuel, which is each flammable and explosive. And to not point out the truth that it’s also an oblique greenhouse fuel. Threaded connections will have to be extraordinarily tight to steer clear of hydrogen leaks. As well as, when used with hydrogen, metal used to construct infrastructure will have to be certain a top degree of protection and longevity

Laurent Delattre Advertising and marketing & Building Supervisor

Hydrogen embrittlement – often known as hydrogen-assisted cracking or hydrogen-stress cracking – is one such threat for metal pipes. “Hydrogen embrittlement happens when hydrogen atoms are absorbed into metal and have interaction with dislocations generated by way of plastic pressure,” Florian Thébault explains. “Hydrogen reduces the gap between dislocations and promotes their pile-up, main to fret accumulation, and decreasing the strain required for metal to crack. Within the worst case, cracking may end up in hydrogen leaks, which provide a significant protection chance.”

The query, then, is learn how to check metal pipes for the facility to securely elevate hydrogen. “Sadly, there are few requirements to check towards,” Florian says, “and there are lots of sides of hydrogen pressure cracking to judge. Metal composition, together with hardness and microstructures, can impact cracking chance. Residual pressure and geometrical imperfections in metal can do likewise. Environmental issues subject as neatly, with engineers wanting to account for elements like fuel purity, temperature and power.“

To qualify its metal pipes for hydrogen transportation and garage, Vallourec used particular assessments and protocols. “Our method appears at notched specimens, exploring the shut interplay of absorbed hydrogen and metal fabrics,” Florian explains. “We labored with two other labs, which carried out fracture toughness assessments, the usage of consistent displacement to check crack initiation and crack arrest.”

5 Vallourec seamless fabrics have been examined, together with the X65 for linepipes, 3 OCTG grades – VM55W OCTG (weldable), K55 and VM80S (used with attached joints) – and the 34CrMo4 power vessel. This implies all kinds of microstructures and mechanical homes have been examined. 3 to 5 specimens consistent with product have been tested at every laboratory and evaluated for crack propagation after publicity to hydrogen fuel.

Checking out printed that each one Vallourec merchandise have been appropriate for hydrogen garage, towards ASME B31.21, an American power piping same old. And we have been excited to look that trying out effects recommend that our metal pipes may well be used even at upper hydrogen pressures

Florian Thébault Main Corrosion Engineer

“In keeping with those assessments,” Laurent concludes, “we will be assured in the usage of Vallourec metal grades for hydrogen infrastructure. And we now have been in a position to exhibit that our proprietary grade metal, equivalent to VM80S, is optimized for efficiency, protection and integrity. This provides Vallourec a robust base for additional metal pipe qualification, and will assist us supply protected, environment friendly delivery and garage answers to shoppers creating hydrogen tasks.”

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