In-Situ Monitoring of Hydrogen Embrittlement in Ferritic Steel Pipelines

This paper addresses hydrogen embrittlement — one of the most serious integrity threats to pipeline infrastructure and one of growing importance as the energy industry considers hydrogen transport and blending. Presented at the 12th International Conference on Fracture (ICF12), the work demonstrates that ABI® can detect and quantify hydrogen-induced strength changes and toughness degradation in ferritic pipeline steels.

Hydrogen embrittlement causes ferritic steels to become brittle and crack-susceptible when exposed to hydrogen — whether from cathodic protection systems, sour (H₂S-containing) service, or direct hydrogen transport. The mechanism involves hydrogen diffusion to stressed regions ahead of crack tips, reducing the local fracture resistance and enabling subcritical crack growth.

By demonstrating that ABI® can detect the mechanical property changes caused by hydrogen exposure, this paper established a new application for the technology in hydrogen service environments. With the growing interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier, the ability to nondestructively monitor pipeline materials for hydrogen-induced degradation has become increasingly relevant to the energy transition.