Hydrogen Permeation into a Carbon Steel Sheet Observed by a Micro-capillary Combined with a Devanathan-Stachurski Cell

Abstract

A micro-capillary technique was applied to a Devanathan-Stachurski electrochemical cell for local measurement of hydrogen permeation into a steel sheet. An electrolyte-flowing design for the hydrogen entry side of the Devanathan-Stachurski cell successfully allowed the detection of hydrogen permeation response on hydrogen exit side electrode in a micro-capillary cell with a diameter of 250 µm. Phase shift of the detected permeation current from a sinusoidal perturbation of the electrolyte flow rate in the hydrogen entry cell was strongly dependent on the metallographic structure of the steel sheet. A local structure, in which two single grains form grain boundaries, led to hydrogen permeation more frequently than did a local structure of single grains. The results suggested that the diffusion coefficient of the boundaries was at least two-times larger than that of the grains.