Preliminary assessment of the possibility to use large-diameter pipes of Х52 steel for transportation of pure gaseous hydrogen under pressure

To assess resistance to hydrogen embrittlement caused by the presence of hydrogen in the transported product, and, accordingly, suitability of pipes for hydrogen transport, the base metal of large-diameter pipes of X52 strength class manufactured by JSC “ChelPipe” (part of the PJSC “TMK” group of companies) was studied. The work included the study of pure gaseous hydrogen effect under pressure up to 10 MPa on change in mechanical characteristics of the base metal of large-diameter pipes (LDP) during preliminary hydrogen charging for various time periods in a stationary autoclave under pressure, and during simultaneous loading with a slow strain rate (SSRT) under expected operating conditions. Results of the X52 LDP metal study show that there is no significant impact on the effect of gaseous hydrogen under pressure for up to 144 hours on mechanical characteristics of the base metal determined by static uniaxial tension (decrease in ductile characteristics does not exceed 9 %). During SSRT at a rate of not more than 1·10–6 s–1 in pure gaseous hydrogen environment under a pressure of 10 MPa, the change in strength and ductile characteristics does not exceed 13 % in comparison with reference tests in nitrogen environment under the same pressure. The results obtained allow us to consider that the base metal of low-alloy pipe steel with ferrite-perlite microstructure of X52 strength class is sufficiently resistant to hydrogen embrittlement. Final confirmation of the possibility to use LDP made from steel under study will be the results of further qualification tests, including the study of the weld metal and heat-affected zone properties.