Assessment of Materials Degradation in a Hydrogen Environment

수소환경에서의 재료 열화도 평가

Hydrogen damage affects carbon steel tubes in many fossil-fuel-fired boilers, often causing large tube ruptures that necessitate an immediate shutdown. Therefore, equipment handling high-temperature, high-pressure hydrogen must undergo careful periodic inspection because of its susceptibility to hydrogen attack. This paper describes the application of an ultrasonic technique for detecting the presence of hydrogen damage in utility boiler tubes. The accuracy of the technique has been shown in laboratory tests. However, it is difficult to evaluate hydrogen attack quantitatively by this technique, because ultrasonic wave is influenced by the test conditions and the material itself.