Project Code: 35872
Start date and planned duration: March 2024, 36 months
Objective
The objective of this project is to establish novel techniques for the assessment of hydrogen transport across coatings. The project aims to design and develop coatings with the potential to serve as effective barriers against hydrogen transport. Furthermore, the project will conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis of gas transport using coatings gas permeation and electrochemical methods. The ultimate goal is to formulate a robust methodology for the systematic evaluation of diverse coatings in terms of their hydrogen transport properties.
Project Outline
In an era where the global transition to sustainable, carbon-free, energy sources is no longer an option but a necessity, hydrogen has emerged as a promising candidate for clean and efficient energy storage and utilisation. As the world steers towards a Net-Zero future, it becomes imperative to ensure the safety, reliability, and efficiency of hydrogen storage and transport systems. This urgency underscores the critical need for robust research in the realm of test methods for hydrogen barrier coatings. To make headway in this direction, the project aims to establish testing protocols to assess coatings for their suitability in hydrogen-related applications. The process of assessing these testing methods necessitates an initial phase of coatings development. In the selection of coating materials, the hydrogen permeability of coatings would be a key consideration. The development of coatings would take into account the availability of the materials in a form that could be coated, the surface requirements, heat input, complexity of the component, substrate conductivity etc. The key focus would be on non-line-of-sight technique, such as electrodeposition as they allow the versatility of coating complex geometries and depending on the bath chemistry could be scaled-up relatively easily. Within the line-of-sight techniques, thermal and cold spray will be considered due to the high production rate, low heat input, and relatively high maturity of the technology. There is a concern that thermal spray techniques may give rise to through-thickness porosity. To limit the use of coatings with high through-thickness porosity, screening trials would be carried out using a high-throughput experimental technique (coatings permeability tester) that uses air or nitrogen to discard the coatings that contain through-thickness porosity. Once the down selection of the coatings has taken place, advanced techniques, such as electrochemical testing would be employed.
Industry Sectors
- Automotive
- Aerospace
- Chemical
-Renewable energy
Benefits to Industry
The project presents numerous benefits to several industry sectors dealing with hydrogen storage, transportation, and utilisation. Enhanced safety, extended equipment lifespan, improved operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and cost savings are among the possible key advantages offered by hydrogen barrier coatings. By working with TWI on research, development, and deployment of such coatings, industries can mitigate the challenges associated with hydrogen permeation through coatings, ensuring safer, more reliable, and economically viable hydrogen-related processes.
In addition to the above, as a result of the CRP, TWI Members will be able to:
- Access specialised ‘electroplating’ capability, alongside TWI’s existing commercial thermal and cold spraying facilities.
- Assess the suitability of the technology for their industry / applications and access supporting data to enable them to identify future R&D requirements.
- Access independent R&D on process development, coating performance evaluation, upscaling and manufacturing development support.
- Access to pre-production coating demonstrators and HVAF/HVOF spraying and plating capability.
- Access support for industrialisation and technology transfer.