T. Williamwest, O. Abunomah, P. Ogunlude, E. Gobina, J. Njuguna
The Robert Gordon University,
United Kingdom
Keywords: pipelines, oil and gas, stainless steel, hydrogen, embrittlement
Summary:
As the use of oil and gas energy transits to renewables including green hydrogen there is a huge opportunity to re-use the subsea pipelines in the offshore to transport hydrogen produced using wind energy. However, it is not quite understood how these pipelines will behave in the hydrogen environment after being used for long-term oil and gas transportation. For hydrogen to be the main alternative to methane, which is the natural gas, it must be produced at scale, economically and the current infrastructure needs to be adapted for safe transmission and distribution. It is interesting to note that if hydrogen can be transported through gas pipelines, then there is no need to build new hydrogen transmission network. To achieve these goals, this study will discuss strategies to fully understand the impact that high-pressure hydrogen exposure could have on the pipes and other associated equipment. In my proposed presentation, I will focus on the nature of hydrogen transport in Austenitic and Ferritic stainless steels. I will also assess the role of the ferritic phase in the embrittlement induced by hydrogen in 2205 duplex stainless steel.