Hydrogen Testing
Currently, energy supply is one of the biggest and most important challenges. In addition to solar, wind and hydropower, hydrogen technology is becoming increasingly important on the global energy market in the expansion of climate-friendly energy generation. Both the material and the infrastructure, across the entire hydrogen industry value chain, present new and diverse challenges for materials testing.
As the most common element, hydrogen is available in almost unlimited quantities, it is directly usable and can be stored and transported in gas or liquid form. Its very high energy density and usability in bound form makes it an attractive energy carrier, however it is not unproblematic and is fairly demanding when it comes to being handled.
Due to its low density and small molecular cross section, hydrogen diffuses easily and quickly through solid materials. In the case of metallic materials, this leads to hydrogen embrittlement and in turn, to a significant reduction in the strength of the material. Mechanical materials testing is an important component in the characterization and development of new materials that have to function safely and reliably under the influence of hydrogen for a long period of time. Important and safety-critical components are used in the areas of hydrogen production (e.g. electrolyzers), hydrogen transport (e.g. pipes, valves), hydrogen storage (e.g. liquid gas and pressure vessels) and energy conversion (e.g. fuel cells) and must be tested:
Standardized test methods Testing under compressed hydrogen Fuel cell testing Hydrogen embrittlement Cryogenic test methods
Mechanical materials testing requires precise and specifically adapted testing technology that allows for reliable determination of material characteristic values under direct hydrogen influence, very high pressure, very low temperatures and over very long time periods.
The following application examples show ZwickRoell testing solutions that comprehensively meet the high demands of the hydrogen industry and provide an important contribution to the further development of materials and components.
