To reduce Europe-wide CO2 emissions and to escape the dependence of European countries on fossil fuels, it will be necessary to replace current primarily fossil energy sources with more climate-friendly, renewable energy sources. Hydrogen offers such a possibility to ensure Europe-wide energy production through renewable energy sources. However, the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier also requires a safe and well-developed infrastructure for transport and storage. An extensive grid of pipelines is already available for transporting gases and liquids across Europe; part of this grid can (and will) also be used for the transport of hydrogen.

The use of hydrogen as an energy carrier needs an efficient distribution system. Steel pipelines have so far proven to be particularly economical and reliable. However, transporting hydrogen via steel pipelines is a challenging endeavor as atomic hydrogen diffusion can lead to the embrittlement of the steel. Furthermore, the operation pressure strongly depends on the gas´s energy density, so that the assessment methods must be adapted.

The project aims to develop a scale bridging, simulation-based framework to establish an extended safety assessment guideline for steel pipelines under hydrogen loading. It can be expected that this framework will also be highly beneficial for future developments of steels with improved resistance against hydrogen-induced failure.