Session: OAC-07-01 OAC Ageing and Plant Life Management

Paper Number: 130053

130053 - Sealing of Hydrogen: An Overview of Published Data 

Hydrogen is well positioned to be a key element in any upcoming energy transition. It has a role as both a fuel and as an energy storage vehicle. There is a great deal of research work and industrial interest in the use and storage of hydrogen and this seems set to continue for the foreseeable future. This is particularly the case for “green” hydrogen, which is hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water and the electricity is from a renewable source (eg wind or solar).

There has been concern raised, due to its inherent properties, about the potential for leakage of hydrogen, which brings into focus bolted flange connections among other joints. The most common leakage tests for bolted flange connections use either helium (EN13555), methane (ASME B16.20) or nitrogen (DIN 3535), but not hydrogen. There are good reasons for choosing these gasses, particularly helium, which is safe and a small molecule. However, it has been shown from earlier papers that molecule size is not the only factor in leakage, and the conversion of leakage rate from one gas to another is not universally understood.  Therefore, testing of different gaskets with hydrogen as the test gas is typically required.

This paper reviews recent public domain data on sealing tests using hydrogen, especially compared to helium for multiple types of gaskets and includes some work commissioned at a third party on spiral wound gaskets with different filler materials.

Presenting Author: Stephen Bond Flexitallic

Presenting Author Biography: Steve is currently Vice President of Research and Development for The Flexitallic Group based in Houston, Texas, and is responsible for R&D globally for The Flexitallic Group. It is a position he has held for over 15 years.

In this role Steve is responsible for the two Flexitallic R&D labs, one in the UK and one in Houston. This R&D work has led to several new products for the group and to multiple patents.

This position offers the opportunity to work not only with the development team, which he leads, but with Flexitallic Applications Engineers and customer engineers around the world.

Previous to this position Steve worked in the Automotive Industry for 11 years and the surface coatings industry for 4 years, in several research and development roles and locations, namely, Newcastle and Rugby in England. Steve moved to Chicago, then the Detroit Area, before settling in Houston for this position.

Steve holds a PhD in Chemistry from Aston University (in Birmingham, England) and a BSc in Applied Chemistry from the same institution. His main research interests have always been mineral chemistry and high temperature materials. In fact his PhD was research into the modification of clay minerals to improve their performance in an industrial application. This resulted in a patent and several papers.

He holds over 10 granted patents, with a few still pending, he is the author of more than 20 peer reviewed papers and multiple conference papers. In 2017 Steve was honoured by being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

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