Mon, 03 June, 2024
We are inviting interested parties to attend the launch meeting for a new Joint Industry Project (JIP) related to the use thermoplastic materials for high pressure hydrogen service.
Gaseous hydrogen has the potential to meet future energy needs, but its use is dependent on the development of a reliable infrastructure to support its production, delivery, storage, conversion and end-of-use. This infrastructure would employ a range of materials from metals to polymers.
While years of active research has investigated the effects of hydrogen on failure modes in metal, the effect of hydrogen on the failure of polymeric components has been less widely studied. As a result, there are no standards or well-established testing procedures to determine the suitability of a polymer for hydrogen service.
This new project, ‘Guidelines for Testing Thermoplastic Materials’ Compatibility for High Pressure Hydrogen Service,’ will create recommended guidelines and methods for testing polymers in high pressure hydrogen applications (>70bar). This will build on existing findings from a previous TWI Core Research Project to develop best practice for quantifying the effect of hydrogen on polymeric pipeline, sealing and vessel materials, over a range of service temperature, pressure, humidity and weathering conditions.
Establishing a best practice for thermoplastics exposed to gaseous hydrogen will allow standardisation of testing for improved quality and safety, with the output intended for companies across every stage of the hydrogen infrastructure supply chain and end-users in industries such as energy, aerospace and automotive.
Project Benefits
This project will mean that organisations no longer have to make subjective judgments in relation to test methods to select and qualify polymeric materials for high pressure hydrogen service. This guidance could form the basis if internationally-accepted standards, allowing the project sponsors the chance to shape future practice, should they so wish.
Not only will the project establish the industry state-of-the-art for polymer selection and qualification for hydrogen service, but will also propose new and improved test methods, benchmarking their suitability.
Those who join the JIP will gain access to an agreed industry best-practice document as well as being able to guide the direction of the research to target your own challenges, with the cost of the original research being split between the JIP subscribers, and all participants getting access to the final report.
Project Launch
The launch event for this project is due to be held at TWI Cambridge on 19 June 2024, please email jip@twi.co.uk to find out more and to register. An online meeting link will be provided to anyone unable to attend on the day.
You can find out more about this project by downloading the PDF, below:
PROP310365 - Guidelines For Testing Thermoplastic Materials' Compatibility For High Pressure Hydrogen Service v2 - pdf - 484kb