HomeNewsROSEN to Study Hydrogen Pipeline Transportation with Expanded Material Testing Capabilities

ROSEN to Study Hydrogen Pipeline Transportation with Expanded Material Testing Capabilities

9/21/2021

Special to P&GJ

The energy industry agrees that hydrogen is a viable alternative to fossil fuels. ROSEN Group is expanding its existing material testing capabilities and dedicating a separate section to the topic of hydrogen to help ensure the hydrogen economy will have the safe and efficient infrastructure it will need to function.

The construction work for the facility is in its final phase, and with the delivery of the necessary equipment, it is on track to be completed in early 2022.
The construction work for the facility is in its final phase, and with the delivery of the necessary equipment, it is on track to be completed in early 2022.

ROSEN is building a new laboratory at its ROSEN Technology and Research Center in Lingen, Germany, which will encompass a variety of testing capabilities in the future, an important one being hydrogen testing lab.

ROSEN recognizes the distinct market need for hydrogen testing and has therefore reserved a spacious area for the subject, ROSEN said.

Once the laboratory’s construction is complete and necessary equipment is delivered in early 2022, ROSEN will begin testing in a hydrogen atmosphere on-site. This type of research is not new for the company.

“The ROSEN Group has completed some testing on tool components, specifically for hydrogen use,” the company said. “In general, testing and validation is an important component of the research and development as well as operational aspects for ROSEN and significant resources are dedicated to this field.”

A large part of hydrogen transportation will utilize existing natural gas networks or newly constructed pipelines dedicated to hydrogen. Hydrogen can have an adverse effect on the fracture and fatigue properties of steel, ROSEN said, and the magnitude of the effect can vary, depending on steel grade and microstructure, concentration of hydrogen, and other factors.

ROSEN notes integrity assessments need to be based on the material properties in hydrogen, which are usually not known in case of existing lines and must be assessed as part of the process of (re)purposing the lines for hydrogen transportation.

ROSEN’s testing capabilities offer the possibility of conducting material and exposure tests in a hydrogen atmosphere (hydrogen blends and pure hydrogen) at a temperature of up to 200°C and a pressure of up to 150 bar. The facility will be equipped to complete:

  • Environmental fracture toughness tests
  • Constant load/displacement KIH tests according to ASME B31.12
  • Rising displacement J-R tests according to CSA CHMC 1
  • Environmental fatigue crack growth tests according to CSA CHMC 1
  • Tensile tests in hydrogen atmosphere
  • Environmental slow strain rate tests
  • Material testing of new pipe according to ASME B31.12

To best understand the market needs, the technical issues at hand and the operational aspects unique to pipelines, the dedicated focus group for hydrogen includes integrity experts, materials engineers, as well as strategic roles. Additionally, ROSEN will be hiring new staff to operate the laboratory.

The lab will be primarily dedicated to external work, according to ROSEN, and the test lab will allow for the ROSEN focus group’s hydrogen related research.

ROSEN Group is also working with partners in funded projects both internationally and nationally, like Trans Hyde. As a member of the European Pipeline Research Group (ERPG), ROSEN has also conducted some projects for the group. Additionally, the ROSEN Group is a member of HyReady and the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance.

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