Expert Committee

Hydrogen effects in engineering materials

Understanding, testing, and advancing materials for hydrogen service.

Materials development, testing, and hydrogen analytics for reliable use in hydrogen-containing atmospheres.

Members208

Founded2023

UnitDGM e.V.

Chair

Prof. Dr. Peter Felfer
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
CV
Dr.-Ing. Jens Jürgensen
Euro-Labor GmbH
CV
Dr.-Ing. Florian Schäfer
Saarland University
Website

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Hydrogen places new demands on materials, particularly metallic materials. High hydrogen pressures and, in some cases, elevated temperatures can cause irreversible damage. In metals, this mechanism is known as hydrogen embrittlement.

The expert committee addresses questions concerning the use and testing of materials in hydrogen-containing atmospheres. Industry, colleges, and universities contribute their expertise in materials development, mechanical testing, and hydrogen analytics.

01 · Technical focus

Material behaviour in hydrogen

Conditions

Pressurized hydrogen and temperature

High pressures and elevated temperatures increase the demands on metallic materials.

The focus is on materials in gaseous hydrogen atmospheres, including high-pressure and elevated-temperature conditions. Hydrogen can irreversibly damage metallic materials; in metals, this mechanism is referred to as hydrogen embrittlement.

Testing

Mechanical materials testing

Hydrogen-specific material properties require suitable test conditions.

Demand for materials testing in pressurized hydrogen has increased considerably. The committee and its working groups develop and verify consistent strategies for hydrogen-specific materials testing.

Analytics

Spatially resolved hydrogen analysis

Detection limits and spatial resolution are becoming increasingly important for assessment.

Hydrogen analytics must meet demanding requirements for detection limits and spatial resolution. Analysis down to the level of individual microstructural phases is relevant.

02 · Collaboration

Consolidating knowledge and aligning methods

In the committee, industry representatives exchange ideas with experts from colleges and universities. The focus is on joint testing and analysis strategies as well as the technical exchange of existing knowledge.

This collaboration helps to consolidate activities and initiate new cooperation. In this way, open questions concerning hydrogen-compatible materials, testing methods, and hydrogen analytics can be addressed jointly.

Hydrogen is considered for numerous technical applications: in production, transport through pipelines, storage in high-pressure tanks or caverns, and use in engines and turbines. For the respective components, the question is whether materials and parts are compatible with hydrogen under the intended conditions. The risk of hydrogen embrittlement must be considered, especially for high-strength steels.

The fundamental mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement have been investigated for many years. Many documented cases of damage were associated with cathodic stress corrosion cracking in aqueous electrolytes. In the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier, however, gaseous atmospheres, high pressures, and elevated temperatures are frequently relevant. This increases the demands on materials testing in pressurized hydrogen as well as on detection limits and spatially resolved hydrogen analysis down to individual microstructural phases.

Different approaches to testing and analysis can impair the comparability of results and, in extreme cases, lead to inaccurate material properties. The committee and its working groups therefore develop and verify consistent strategies. They consolidate existing knowledge, connect industry and academia, and support new cooperation in hydrogen-specific materials research.