Case study on cooling pipe of pre-cooler used for verification test of 70 MPa hydrogen station

Abstract

The case study on cooling pipe of pre-cooler, which had been used on a verification test of 70 MPa hydrogen station, was carried out. Cooling pipe consisted of main pipe, mechanical joint pipe and mechanical joint. Main pipe and mechanical joint pipe were joined by TIG welding. Chemical composition analysis, microstructure observation and Vickers hardness measurement showed that the main pipe and the mechanical joint pipe were manufactured from SUS316L, and that the filler metal of TIG welding was 316L. Round specimens were machined out from main pipe to investigate tensile properties of the base metal. On the other hand, round specimens and square specimens having reinforcement were machined out form the weld joint. Using three types of specimens, slow strain rate tests were conducted in 0.1 MPa nitrogen gas and 115 MPa hydrogen gas at −40 °C. Reductions of area for the base metal round specimen, the weld joint round specimen and the weld joint square specimen were 83.5, 71.3 and 81.4 % in nitrogen gas, whereas the values were 60.1, 61.3 and 40.1 % in hydrogen gas. That is, reductions of area for three types of specimens were smaller in hydrogen gas than in nitrogen gas. Dimples were formed on fracture surfaces of three types of specimens in nitrogen gas, whereas dimples and quasi-cleavages were formed in hydrogen gas. These results suggest that cooling pipe of pre-cooler can be “embrittled” in high-pressure hydrogen gas at low temperature.

Keywords

• 70 mpa hydrogen station
• cooling pipe of pre-cooler
• tig welding
• sus316l
• base metal
• 316l filer metal
• hydrogen embrittlement