Partnership opportunity

We are inviting interest from partners who would like to be part of the development and outputs from this four-year programme.

Concept

Liquid hydrogen (LH2, -254°C), due to a superior volumetric energy density compared to gaseous hydrogen is the selected energy carrier for many future green applications. Storing, transporting and using LH2 is however challenging, due to uncertainties in material behaviour at cryogenic temperatures. These uncertainties are largely due to:

  • lack of materials certification/testing standards,
  • large variations in mechanical properties,
  • uncertain influence of hydrogen embrittlement,
  • lack of widespread testing facilities able to test with specimens directly in contact with LH2.

These uncertainties hinder the development of LH2-ready components such as storage vessels, valves, compressors, pipelines and others, thus delaying the adoption of hydrogen-ready solutions and the overall hydrogen-economy.

This project, focusing on a few alloys (selected by the steering committee) and by testing directly in  LH2, will:

  • produce a validated procedure or best practice guidance to initiate and steer future standards,
  • generate tensile, fatigue, and crack growth data to inform the design and certification of LH2 components,
  • investigate whether exposure to LH2 affects mechanical properties at 20K, without considering the effects of absorbed hydrogen.

Materials and testing

Up to three alloys will be tested in the programme via tensile, fatigue and fracture mechanics approaches. The specific grades and testing conditions will be selected by the steering committee before the commencement of the programme.

Programme management

A steering committee will be established involving at least one representative from each contributing (Tier 1) partner organisation and the management team. The committee will meet quarterly with the main aim of:

  • establishing test materials, conditions and priority,
  • assessing output from the tests,
  • modifying test approach as required,
  • disseminate results.

Approach

The four-year programme will be delivered in three work packages (WP):



In WP1, slow strain rate testing will be performed, both in LH2 and in He at 20K and assessed as a function of strain rate. Full fatigue and fracture mechanics data will then be quantified in WP2. In parallel, WP3 will focus on standardisation of the tensile, fatigue and fracture mechanics testing method in LH2 and cryogenic temperatures. Microstructural examination, including fractography, SEM, XRD, EBSD and TEM, will be performed throughout the work.

Package options

To get involved there are two levels available:

Tier Contribution Benefits and deliverables Access timeline
1 拢200,000
  • Full design data (tensile, fatigue, crack-growth, and microstructural analysis).
  • Best practice guidance to initiate and steer future standardisation activity.
  • Steering committee membership.
  • Decision-making power on alloy grades and testing conditions.
  • Priority dissemination, exclusive updates and early insights into research progress.
  • Option for tailored presentations or workshops with the research team.
 Immediate and continuous throughout project duration.
2 拢25,000
  • Tensile data only, delivered after completion of the project.
  • Final report summarising outcomes and findings of the study.
  • Invitation to final dissemination event.
 Delivered at the end of year one.