Hydrogen is increasingly gaining attention as a promising energy source for a cleaner, more sustainable future. Using hydrogen to meet the energy demands for large-scale applications such as utility infrastructure will require transporting large volumes via existing pipelines designed for natural gas.
But there’s a catch. Hydrogen can weaken the steel that these pipelines are made of. When hydrogen atoms enter the steel, they diffuse into its microstructure and can cause the metal to become brittle, making it more susceptible to cracking. Hydrogen can be introduced into the steel during manufacturing, or while the pipeline is in service transporting oil and gas.
To better understand this problem, researcher Tonye Jack used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to capture a 3D view of the cracks formed in steels. Researchers have previously relied on two-dimensional imaging techniques, which don’t provide the same rich detail made possible with synchrotron radiation.
